First Haircut

Last Sunday I decided that my hair was getting far too shaggy...it had been 6-7 weeks since I last had it cut. And Phil is coming soon! I need to look GOOD for my long lost husband. So, I consulted with several students and faculty and ended up being take to a hair cut place by a faculty member.

She picks me up about 3pm on Sunday and we tromp through alleyways, smaller alleys and finally end up in the end of another alley. A small shop is on the main floor of the house. This is pretty typical for Vietnam. The main floor--of a 3-4 story building is the 'living room' sans beauty shop, convenience store, restaurant or whatever type of commercial activity the family does to supplement its income.

So....in this house is a hair cutting chair with a mirror on the wall. I leave my shoes at the door (again very typical) and sit in the chair. I hold my fingers about 1/2 inch apart and say only cut this much. Who knows what she interpreted. But she picked up a spray bottle of water and sprayed my head..then used an ancient pair of scissors to start snipping away at my hair. It was somewhat of a daunting experience. She didn't speak English...and of course I couldn't say anything in Vietnamese. I kept telling myself that hair grows back....and I will be fine. So I left it up to her. Amazing enough, it turned out pretty darn well! I think she did almost as good as my hair stylist in Columbia--who I have gone to for the past 25 years!

After the haircut, the GREAT part of this experience started. You get your hair washed after they cut it...and also you get your face washed and a head and face massage! WOW! I loved it. She washed my hair and spent about 10 minutes giving me a head massage. Smacked my head with her hands in a way that shook my spine and I think part of my soul!!! Anyway, it was good. Next came the face wash. She carefully washed my face, eyes, neck, and ears...boy did she do a number on my little ol' ears. Rubbed and scrubbed every nook and cranny. It felt wonderful and I was in hog heaven. Heck, I am going to go back just for a shampoo and face wash. This part of the haircut took about 20 minutes.

So next the bad news....I had to pay for this wonderful experience. Cost of haircut, including shampoo and face massage/wash. 35,000 dong....or $2.12 to be exact. Geez....what an experience for almost nothing! I can hardly wait for my next haircut!

Just another amazing day in Hanoi. Can you tell that I am becoming attached to this place...at least I feel "at home" now and can easily deal with the little daily snags that are just a part of life here.

Phil arrives soon....so I will make him use this blog too. We will be the Yin and Yang of geoasian.blogspot.