Female Barbers
My first experience with a female barber came when i just move towns.At the time,a friend was hosting me.On this particular day, the host wanted to lay some pipe so like Matiang'i just before Wantam was sworn in I had to exile. Unlike Matiang'i, I was happy for my bro but a little frustrated. Quick fast no wanting to be left behind, decided to hit up Spider-man girl - Mary Jane aka Wajakoya(no homo).
After a quick session, feeling high in mind, spirit and thought, I decided next time I would be the one doing the exiling. A great step toward that future would be looking good. My hair hadnt been touch by another barber for a while had me looking Chewbacca.
Strolling around the area high , looking into barbershops along the streets. I had to use the people that were already in the barbers chair as a reference point of if the barber was any good. Walking around,I come across this big banner of a barber shop with a sticker of the famous American rapper/actor Ludacris shave,I felt I had landed on the right place. A kinyozi with those posters have never let me down. Another banner with a shawarma joint in the same "business park" also helped.Munchies had started to hit.
Got into this containers business park gate. It had one huge entrance that also served as its exit.I spotted the shawarma joint first. My eyes spotted it first instead of my nose.This was already signs of disappointment as i expected my nose to be hit first and lead me to the source like I had seen in numerous cartoons. Still held hope and inquired at the counter and was informed there was only Uji power,cassava and the abomination samosa with potato fillings. Shook of the disappointment fast sighting the doors of the barbershop.
The barbershop was at the furthest end with a saloon being the opposite door.Got to the door, peeped in and saw these fully braided ladies seated on the barber shaving chairs. Before I could even ask where the barber was,i was quickly invited inside harmoniously and in unison."Karibu customer"
My mouth was about to reply 'Nilikuja kutafuta barber sio mamaaz' but was quickly silenced by the feminist part of my brain believing in equal opportunities for men and women and quickly seconded by my lower head sensing some attraction. In a sense, I had a chance to get a snack and be a snack. Killing two birds with one stone was back on.
15 months on,she is still my official barber. Her skill has also greatly improved especially after bringing on a male barber on as a counterpart - who i have on a number occasions “cheated “her on with cause he is like 18% better than her. I had to figure out on what times and days she is not on. I don't have the guts to have the conversation of switching barbers officially.
Today, she is out for a bit and it becomes one of those cheat days.This man walks in needing a haircutHe has to wait, he is okay with waiting. The male barber calls in the lady barber. She gets in a few and starts prepping. The man talks to the male barber in the local dialect which I gathered was something along the lines, 'Is she the one going to shave me. Is she okay?'.The male barber reassures him she is great and speaks to the lady barber in the local dialect. The man realising the mistake, tries to recover kinda mentioning the price being the cause of his reservations.
I am not judging the man.I also had more or less the same human reaction. It however got me thinking, do male saloonist also get the same treatment as the female barbers? I see huge number of male saloonist compared to female barbers,as dreadlocks techs and nail techs for women and doing well.
What is your experience as a female barber dealing with first time client, a client of a female barber?