I Feel Pretty

It's starting to get hot in Seoul, and I hadn't had a haircut since the beginning of May, so I figured it was about time. I knew it would be pretty easy to find a place to go, since there are barber poles all over my neighborhood, but I was worried about being able to communicate. It takes a lot of work to look this good, and I didn't want some language barrier to result in my looking like kid who's mom cut his hair for waaaaay too long in elementary school (lest she think I'm insulting her, my mother knew her strengths and weaknesses and had us going to the peanut barber for kids by the time I was 3. I had more haircuts sitting in a racecar or on top of a pony than I can recall).

I asked around the office, and learned that my first priority was to avoid the places with barber poles like the plague, because they might in fact carry the plague. Turns out a barber pole doesn't mean barber shop here. It means an establishment that offers haircuts among, er, "other" services. I protested to my intern friends that perhaps, in the name of blogalistic intrepidness I should go to one of these places, but they weren't having any of it, and helped me find a more reputable establishment.

My friends took me to a salon that was on the third floor of a fashionable area of town called Gagnam (lots of restaurants, bars etc.). I didn't really know what to expect as we walked up the flights, past the Hayana restaurant (motto: "If you want to be better tasting, come here!") I arrived in what I think can, without exaggeration, be called the most metrosexual location Seoul. It was a fancy salon with tons of incredibly attractive female stylists running to and fro, operating high-tech dryers and curling machines and making a fuss. At least half the clients were men. I thought I saw Carson and Thom in the corner, but I can't be sure.

They took my jacket and bag, placed them in a small locker and gave me a key. After draping me in a black robe, I got my hair washed and was then ushed over to a chair. My stylist was Eun Su, who was very sweet and spoke terrific English and, most importantly, laughed at everything I said. She also gives a pretty good hair cut. After I was finished, they washed my hair again. The shampoo-er, whose English was not great, asked me if the water was good. I responded, "yes, okay" (because more people recognize "okay" than "yes"), to which she said "I like you too." This caused her friend, whose English was slightly better, to laugh hysterically for a good 5 minutes.

After shampoo number two, they sat me back down again to dry my hair and touch it up. The woman in charge of this process (I'm now on care-of-hair-taker number four here) asked me what I do, but didn't understand the English word "law." After a few failed attempts, I tried to explain that when the police (a word she knew) arrest you (for which I made the international sign for having my hands cuffed), I help (no reason not to embellish a little, right?). She looked very upset, until Eun Su explained what I meant. I think she thought that I was either a cop or, more likely, an escaped criminal.

After about an hour in their incredibly capable hands, I paid and left. The total cost was 13,500 won, which is less than $15. I felt great and refreshed, with a pretty good hair cut to boot. I love Eun Su and her friends. I'm planning on getting my hair cut every single week I'm in Seoul.