The 100 baht haircut that will last a lifetime

I walked by Easy Cut dozens of times, tucked as it is in Metro Mall, within view of my daily walk to the Asok MRT station below and the Interchange Building above.

I always thought it an odd place. I always thought Metro Mall an odd place, an underground collection of shops offering coffee, internet terminals, hair salons (what mall in Bangkok doesn’t have 19 salons!), a Family Mart and not much else.

Easy Cut is  like an express barber shop. Put 100 baht in a machine, it spits out a ticket receipt and number, hand it to the young barber and presto!, 10 minutes later you have a hair cut.
   
Ugh! I imagined cuts with lopsided sideburns, patchy trim and misaligned neck line. Then I found out a friend of mine, Khun Miken, goes there monthly. But he gets a close trim. I have long hair. (Well, I did.)

I inspected the place a number of times, seeing what kind of people get their hair cut and it seemed like the barbers did all kinds of lengths. But, really, I couldn’t imagine sitting outside the three-pod setup, in the middle of a semi-busy corridor, waiting to join the assembly line of  hair-cutting stations. It's like I canot afford anything better, like the salons across the hall.

I was spending 250-350 baht for barely acceptable cuts. Just what would 100 baht get me. If it was really bad, I’d have to stay home for a couple of weeks to let my ragged hair grow back.

Then one day, after some subtle and not-so subtle pressure to get rid of the comb-over I was charged with having (er, um, maybe . . .), I just got fed up with my screwed up hair. I thought if I paid lots of money for a cut, it might get fixed properly.

A Thai friend recommended a pricy place in Siam Paragon, figuring a cut would be about a 1000 baht to fix my mess. Yikes!  But before I could get up the courage to go to Paragon, I had a Really Bad Hair Day.

Sick, I tell ya! There were some hairs so long they hung down the side of my head, completely mismatched to its neighbours. Some stringy hair flopped on top of my bald patch. In fact, it looked like my hair was merely parked on my head.

I was outside Fortune Town IT Mall when I’d had enough of this hair disaster. I marched downstairs, where I knew there were some salons, and told them in halting Thai and Thinglish to take it all off with a Number 2. They didn’t have a Number 2. So the “stylist” proceeded to freehand trim my hair down to a couple of millimetres off the scalp.

Shock!

No there were no pictures of the clumps of hair on the salon floor. Only my SMS to Miken announcing the demise of my “Power”. That message reached him at the Londoner Brew Pub momentarily. He said I must go there right now to show it off.  When I reached the top of the exterior stairs to descend to the smoking area outside the bar entrance, four or five friends spontaneously applauded and shouted  approval. Huh?

I felt like a superstar. Little did I know my friends were, to be kind, disapproving of my alleged comb-over. People couldn’t believe I’d done it and said the hair looked so much better. I swear I detected looks of  relief, but all was forgotten when they said I looked much younger. I’m a sucker!

Anyway, this is a long story to get to Easy Cut. I went back to the Fortune Town salon one more time a month later but never liked their job. I took the bit in my mouth and went to Easy Cut next time. I’m still going there.

First, what a great location, at Asok MRT and Sukhumvit BTS interchange station. They also do very good regular haircuts, too, from what I could see of other clients.
 
As I said, you give the barber your ticket, sit in the chair, they take your glasses and put them on a tray in the cupboard and take your backpack/briefcase and lock that in the cupboard in front of you. Then they proceed very professionally.

In the end, they vacuum your head and away you go.

Apparently, according to other forum posts and web pages, Easy Cut used to be called QB House, a Japanese outfit that has dozens of shops in Hong Kong and Singapore. None is listed for Thailand now. Other reports put Easy Cut shops in big Bangkok malls. But I could not find an Easy Cut web site.

I conquered two fears: getting a brush cut after an entire life of long, at times, very long, hair and going to a 100 baht assembly-line barber.

I’d got an atrocious 80 baht cut in Pattaya last fall and regularly had 250-350 baht barely acceptable cuts in Bangkok so price is no guarantee of a good haircut in Thailand. 

PHOTO NOTES: Picture of waitress was taken (by Khun G) in Saigon a couple of years ago. I've been waiting to find an excuse to use it. And look at that field-size bald spot and what looks like a dangerously close comb-over. Side picture is of me with a fresh cut this week.

Comments

[Barbers Englewood]

1.

I can't believe that there's a 100 baht haircut. All I know is ten, I guess. LOL. But I'm pretty sure that this haircut will last a lifetime just like what you said. Really nice blog.

[Tony]

2.

Your story reminds me of my quick decision to get a haircut on the side of the road in south-west China when I was living there. It cost me 3 Yuan (about US$0.70) at the time and the guy even trimmed the hair inside my nose and ears with, of all things, a cut-throat razor! I was terrified and thinking what diseases am I going to get if he cuts me with that thing!! But it was all OK in the end...

[Siam.Rick]

3.

Hello Lawrence, thanks for stopping by.

The comb-over is a last gasp, desperate and ultimately futile attempt to stop the inevitable. Guilty as charged, LOL. When you reach that point, you may be tempted to do the same. But I have to say I really like the short hair now. No maintenance!

Re posting . . . if you mean to Typepad blogs, I have not had any major problems but then I do not have the choice of IE because it's not been updated in years for the Mac.

[Lawrence Michaels]

4.

Good on you for getting rid of that combover, looks much better now. I have never understood why people do it, it's not like other people can't tell. If you're bald/balding, who cares, so is half the world. Maybe when/if I lose my hair I'll better understand the mentality.

On an unrelated note. Does anyone else have problems posting with Firefox browser? I had to switch over to Internet Explorer for it to work.

[Siam.Rick]

5.

Welcome Ivan. Good idea for shops everywhere, but as it applies to Thailand, well, it would be nice to see them develop just a simple, good haircut and work their way up.

Very interesting and wide ranging blog, by the way! Lovely pix, too.

[Ivan]

6.

Hi,

Hair is always a big problem, as no matter what you do, it looks ridiculous. Too short and you look like a prune, too long it looks like a comb-over. A little on the side and top, one looks like a republican. I think there is a great opportunity for hair salons to figure this out for old guys and make a killing

[Siam.Rick]

7.

Takes a few years off my dashing figure hahahaha. But you're still a young lad when long hair suits the age.

I have no hesitation in recommending Easy Cut -- should you go all the way, Jon :-)

[Siam.Rick]

8.

Yes, I think I will always remember that Viet waitress. And I will always remember my long hair -- until it started to go Tango Uniform. LOL

[Jon]

9.

Nice - I'm a sucker for reasonably expensive haircuts, primarily on wife's orders, but sometimes I do fancy just losing the mop. Will consider your recommendations - cheers!

[glenn]

10.

R, I've always known you with the longer hair. When I first saw you with "the cut" I guess I was more shocked than others. Suits you and certainly easier to maintain.

And that pretty waitress. Good memories.☺

[Miken]

11.

"Seems others wouldn't speak up, but you have no such, er, um, shyness. LOL" Laughing my arse off, thanks for the positive, or at least benign spin.

As a word of caution, don't try to envision too much, I remember people averting their eyes and wincing as I walked down a street on a sunny day. Ahhhh, to be young again and hansum.

Cheers

[Siam.Rick]

12.

Miken, I forgot about the drama of your first close-cut haircut. LOL! I'll bet you couldn't wait till a couple of weeks passed as your head recovered, so to speak! I'm trying to picture you bald and, well, it's not working for me LOL

I recall before I made the dramatic appearance after The Cut, you were the only one pushing me to remove the Bad Hair. Well, I'm estastically happy you did. Seems others wouldn't speak up, but you have no such, er, um, shyness. LOL

[Siam.Rick]

13.

Talen, she's wayyyyy too cute for my own good, if I lived in Saigon. Actually, I thought Hanoi was better for eye candy!

Now, a good haircut back home is hard to come by but in Thailand you can bet on pretty much always getting a bad one -- in my experience. So good luck!

(And I look forward to your final thoughts on Living like a Thai http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/ )

[Siam.Rick]

14.

Hahaha, Dave, I think Maritimers will always be Maritimers! But look where we ended up: Thailand and New Zealand. Who knew!?!?!?

Thanks for the compliments (your cheque is in the mail!). Have to admit the blog gives me an anchor to this place and time. And makes me pay more attention to my surroundings. Same same you in that land far away -- from here. A big hi to your partner :-)

[Miken]

15.

R, you GDCB (555), great post. I remember well that night you walked down the stairs at the Londoner. So true! Your friends were ecstatic over the new look...superstar. Well, uh, ahhhh...much better. As you say, price is no guarantee that one will be happy with the results. My first time with the #2 also happened in Bkk. Barber continues chatting with whomever while fitting the blade on the clipper. First pass and ARGGGGH! I looked like Peppy LaPue with a stripe of skull shining bright in the light. First and only time I've ever been totally bald (couldn't repair the damage unless a Mohawk was my goal). As you say, Easy Cuts is quick, professional, hygenic and cheap. Not a bad combination. And like you, they make me look so much younger.

See earlier comment, "Well, uh, ahhhh"

Cheers

[Talen]

16.

Rick, first of all a very appropriate use of the waitress picture...what took you so long man?...she's a cutie.

When I saw the title to this post in my newsreader the first thing that crossed my my was was "he's gone and done it...he's shaved his head" LOL

I need to find a new haircut place myself and have spotted 3 options...and like you if it's bad I'll just hang around the condo for a week or two or where a baseball cap.

[david]

17.

Rick,
That cut suits you. I don't have the comb-over issue (well, not yet), but I equate a visit to a barber as being up there with a visit to a dentist.
BTW, I really enjoy your posts. I love your writing. And for anyone else reading this, I first met this guy during our first year in university -- and that was a loooong time ago. I think we bonded over our Maritime heritage.