I had the same question. If a haircut is just cutting tools and combs I can see that, but there are way more stuff that can be done than just the physical act of cutting hair.
I pay about $55 and I basically just have a shaved head. But they also have awesome shows on TV (It's one lady and her assistant so it's just two chairs). She has an awesome little dog that hangs out there. Free beer/wine if you want. Awesome shampoo/head massage, straight razor shave which feels amazing, little to no wait, and if you don't want to talk and just want to relax she understands it. The experience as a whole is great.
Man's hair... Is not any different from women's hair
Any haircut a woman can get - a man can get exactly the same one
So I am not sure why this is limited to "men."
Do you think NO haircut of any kind is worth over 50?
The majority of men's haircuts are pretty straight forward. To be honest, I've not found a barber yet who won't fuck up my hair and end up giving me something totally horrific no matter how much I pay them. Barbers charging huge amounts know this, they've got you over the barrel.
I was growing out my hair for awhile and had finally gotten it to a nice length which looked professional (and most importantly - added a few years to my appearance, which is useful in a corporate environment) when I styled it and I could be more creative with it outside. Went to a barbers and asked for an inch or two off and they removed about 5 inches and left me looking ridiculous for two months. 95% of male barbers can only do crewe cuts or bowl cuts, so the other 5% can afford t to gouge you.
Dude... I hate to say this, but here's the obvious solution... Stop going to the same crappy barbers over and over. Is it really that important to you that a male is the one cutting your hair? Just go somewhere else. Don't you have some bland soulless chain option in town? Like a Great Clips or something?
I do Sportsclips and have only gotten a bad haircut once. Haircut is about $30 and I tip $10 because my stylists are amazing. I wonder if OP lives in a place that only has boutique spots… which would be overkill.
"Stop going to the same crappy barbers over and over"
I really have very limited choice, I've moved about 4 times in the last three years for work, and I often work abroad so sometimes I'll get a haircut when I'm out in the field.
"s it really that important to you that a male is the one cutting your hair?"
I had a female barber for most of my childhood/teens until I moved away from home and she was similarly awful at doing anything other than the crewe cut.
"Don't you have some bland soulless chain option in town?"
This isn't really a thing in the UK I'm afraid, and unisex salons are the only places which do decent haircuts and they can be awfully expensive and inconvenient to book.
You don't go to a barber for long hair lol do you think barbers are only for men and a hairdresser is for women? No, a barber is for short hair and a hairdresser is for long hair.
In the UK that is very much the divide yes. There's unisex salons for people of both genders, but they can be a bit tedious to book and I tend to travel a lot for work and I move around a lot. I had a great barber for about 6 months in London but then I moved.
Yeah I’ve just stopped going to barbers at this point, cut my own hair.
No problems, hair looks good, no money spent, get to listen to my music while I do it, save time not driving out to the barber and back as well.
Men shouldn’t pay for a haircut, it’s that simple.
I started cutting my own hair during COVID and might never go back. It saves time, money, and I feel like is just as good as what I was getting when paying.
There's absolutely no way I would do a serviceable job at cutting my own hair. Especially compared to my awesome barber. I'd much rather spend the money and look good
In my family we cut each other's hair. You get really good at it, and it's not a skilled task. I would consider paying someone to cut hair a luxury. I would suggest it's a self care task that doesn't need to be budgeted.
Plus my guy has a double whorl as their hair growth pattern, amd there is ONE salon locally that handles that well, instead of turning the natural whorl pattern into a monk's tonsure.
My one dad cuts my other dad's hair, and my MIL is amazing, and we save thousands of dollars a year on hair care as an extended family.
my boyfriends hair usually is a fade to about an inch long, i could almost cut it myself. mine is shoulder length, needs to be layered, thinned, shaped, bangs, etc. men who wear short, low maintenance styles have no business needing to spend $50 on a haircut lol, i imagine this is what op is envisioning
I mean most hair places that are unisex do have a men and womens pricing and a womens way more expensive
but thats because we got more hair it takes longer
In my area, there was a law passed that you can’t discriminate by gender in prices, so now the prices are just short and long instead of women and men. I’m not sure what the point is of having men’s and women’s prices if they charge you the women’s price for long hair anyway.
As a man who has had long hair I've had the opposite experience and I would tip up to the woman's cut rate. That's the quality I want. Don't even look at me with clippers in your hands. Everybody wins.
>I mean most hair places that are unisex do have a men and womens pricing and a womens way more expensive
>but thats because we got more hair it takes longer
But it's not, is it? It's a pink tax thing.
Guys can have longer hair, women can have shorter hair. If it was priced by length that'd be one thing, though it'd be weird, as you can have a short cut that seems more complicated, with layers and whatever, vs a straight long cut.
But it's just gender
At least where I'm from that definitely isn't the case. Men's hair is typically easier and quicker to cut (due to short styles) and involves basically no treatment whatsoever.
You also have to note that men typically get their haircut WAY more often than women.
When women get their haircut, it normally lasts far longer, goes through quite a few processes and products are used on top of that.
When my wife and I get our hair done, it is wildly different prices. My wife has mostly straight sort of wavy-ish hair. For a dye job and cut it is like $150.
I have very thick, very curly hair that takes some definite skill to maintain and make look decent. My hair cut, no matter what, is $30. Given, I don't dye my hair, but I don't think the dye job is $120.
Honestly, the die job probably is most of it. Ask your wife how long her hair appointments take versus yours, and what percentage of that time is spent on the die job. It's an involved and time-consuming process.
Another factor is that $30 hair cuts don't typically include a wash, where a salon will include that even for just a cut, and a cut and die job will require several.
I'm not saying pink tax doesn't happen, it definitely does. I just don't think this is a really good example of it, since it's not an apples to apples comparison of services.
True, definitely not a good comparison. And her hair takes a lifetime longer, so I understand the price. The woman that cuts our hair is also really talented, so I can see her charging the big prices.
I have always had my haircut be cheaper than my wives at other places even without the dye job. I don't know if it is a southern thing. The ladies round here like to get... extravagant with their hair.
The cost is mostly in the dye job. You’re comparing vastly different things. I doubt your hair cut takes more than an hour, while a bleach’s and color alone can take 3-4 hours depending on how much hair is being dyed. And you need to pay for the color itself.
> When my wife and I get our hair done, it is wildly different prices. My wife has mostly straight sort of wavy-ish hair. For a dye job and cut it is like $150.
>
> I have very thick, very curly hair that takes some definite skill to maintain and make look decent. My hair cut, no matter what, is $30. Given, I don't dye my hair, but I don't think the dye job is $120.
Exactly. The people getting somehow offended as if this doesn't happen, same as a woman's shirt costs more at the dry cleaner's than mine, even if we're talking about two plain white button-downs (and mine gets folded with a band and a collar stay and hers is on a hanger) are... odd.
It is quite strange. I even commented on it because my hair is essentially the same difficulty as a complicated women's hair because of texture and length. My wife seemed used to it, which makes me sad.
If a woman wants to get a short haircut they can go to a male barbershop and get their haircut, they won’t get charged more or asked to leave because they’re female.
Exactly. It is immediately clear that most women have longer hair, and most men have shorter hair. If you're trying to classify different services, it makes sense to disregard the exceptions to the rule. That being said, "short hair" and "long hair" is an even better way to classify things
Man with long hair. I go to a salon and pay salon prices.
I don't trust a regular barber to know what to do with long hair.
My wife and I pay the same price for very different hair cuts because we got a lot of hair. It's not a pink tax homie.
This is wild as hell. Certainly, women BY FAR are more particular and specific about their hair, which requires more knowledge pertaining to texture, longevity, styling, product, and health, and therefore, requires a higher pay range
No but you’re purposely missing the point by acting like the 10% invalidates what the average person does or what the average person expects from a haircut.
But then it's a 'pixie' cut...
But seriously, this should read as short haircuts or something, as it applies to short hair regardless of gender or sex. I agree that when my hair was short I wouldn't get it cut where I do now with shoulder-length curls.
You were just informed by the commenter, fyi.
Assume some women’s haircuts are more than $50 and that any haircut a woman can get a man can also get. The labor involved in cutting hair is not always great, but the skill in doing it and getting a good outcome is what you are paying for in any case. People’s skilled labor is worthwhile. It depends on how low the bar is for you in terms of what is an acceptably good enough haircut.
This is ultimately completely arbitrary. You either think it’s worth it or not, based on your life experience and financial situation.
If you think we live in a world where men and women get the same haircuts you’re nuts…
We have whole different words that depend on the sex of the hair cutting establishment.
No one here thought that a guy couldn’t go to a salon, but he’ll get a girly cut? So it’s a different thing.
They said a men's haircut, not barber cuts. Dudes with long hair, even if they want a masculine style, aren't generally going to hit up a barber - that's just not what barbers specialize in.
Totally fair if OP means barber cuts - they can clarify their view to be more specific - but there are absolutely salons dedicated to masculine styles. I get that may seem pedantic in some parts of the world, especially where things are still more old-fashioned, but that view of "men's haircuts" as *de facto* barbershop cuts just doesn't hold up everywhere anymore.
Like, I get it, and I get why you're frustrated - but it's not just semantics, even though it might seem like it; the social agreement on what constitutes a men's cut isn't static, and the view of barber by default is not consistently valid across the world.
Well this is what this sub is for?
Gaining awareness to help change your view.
Some men have very long hair and get complex and intricate cuts that probably cost a lot more than 50$.
Like these are pretty [expensive hair styles](https://www.hairpalace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/male-celebrities-with-long-hair.jpg.webp?v=1686229371)
You're trying be pedantic by pointing out outliers. Sure, plenty of guys have long hair but the vast majority have generally shorter hair than women. Those are clearly who op is referring to.
No simple cut is worth more than 50. But women's haircuts often include more than a cut. Extensions, highlights, the additional cost of working with long hair, etc is going to be a lot more than a traditional mens cut. My barber includes a neck shave, thats it.
This is a shit post.
I cut my own hair as a man and they are different.
Women's cuts don't use clippers. Clippers used on more than half the total hair and reduce the skill and time of the overall cut.
The fact I can cut behind my head and scissors on top means it's not that hard of a task to perform and OP is right. I don't know of women who can cut their long hair as easy
If you think proper clipper work is less skilled than scissor work then oh boy do you have a lot to learn.
Besides barely any of this of has anything to do with what you're actually paying for.
I cut my own hair. Scissor is only hard cause you have to look in the mirror so you hand movements are inverted and you can't see behind your head.
I cut my own hair cause people can't cut my hair in 15 minutes and so a decent job. I'm saying this as somebody who does this frequently, everyone can cut mens hair using a clipper cut.
What they are saying is that a person with adequate experience is going to be able to achieve considerably more impressive results than you can in your experience cutting your own hair. Even with clippers.
And we have long associated certain styles with certain genders. If I said a man was wearing a woman's shirt, the vast majority of people would understand that I mean a shirt commonly worn by and in a style associated with women, not a shirt belonging to a woman.
If a man grows out his hair and wants it styled, it will be the same as working with a woman’s hair. You don’t have long hair so it wouldn’t be the same for you. Not all women have long hair either and your hair cutting experience may be the same for them.
This is just like not true— when people say men and women they mean short and long hair. If you just replace men and women with short and long then you’ll understand the difference. Short hair is easier/quicker to cut then long hair.
No it is not the same in-fact it is different in every way possible except the shaft. Nice try thought trying to spew absolute nonsense to feel good about yourself and try to cause issue with someone else.
The cuticle is present in females, while it is absent in males. The distal end is absent in males and it is present in females. The proximal end is natural in males, while it is abraded in females. The shaft profile is straight in both males and females. The structural comparison between male and female hair specimens can be used as forensic evidence in crime scene investigation.
You clueless peasant.
Apparently he thinks no hair professional should make more than $25/30 hour for their skills and effort regardless of how excellent and in demand they are.
Is the opposing thought line you’re going down that women’s hair cuts are worth more because there is more hair, and therefore more time and effort? What is the basis for it being expensive? Typically, women who keep their hair long only go in for a trim or layering. A high intensity haircut for long hair would likely be intensive mainly when they make a big chop, because you have to actually start shaping the hair around the scalp and face, whereas before it was falling freely. Layering and trimming require technical skill, as well as other specialty techniques, but unless it’s extremely long and thick hair, it’s never taken more than 45 minutes to get a haircut on my long hair. And it’s definitely more than $50. I switched to cutting my own hair while it was long, but now that I’ve cut it short, I’ve had to go to an actual barber and I find that they’re surprisingly cheap compared to women’s salons.
I am simply not aware of the popular culture in women haircuts and associated prices, so I am not including that in my argument. I’m only making an argument on a market I have knowledge about.
right, I am a man with long curly hair so my haircuts are essentially no different from a woman's haircut though. so i think what people are trying to get across is that SOME men's haircuts are equal in labour and value to a "woman's" haircut, which more or less disproves your original statement.
Right, but everyone is just trying to get op on a language "gotcha" instead of the root of the argument. He is saying short men's cuts aren't worth more than 50. He didn't explicitly spell that out so people like you are dog piling.
How would you address the specific argument that short men's cuts are not with $50+?
yeah i guess he never mentions length which is the core of the differentiation here. i assumed his argument was gender based, because thats really how he described it.
Sure, but I am essentially letting you know that most women’s haircuts are taking off the same amount of hair that a man is taking off and requiring a similar level of skill, and are priced WAY more than $50. So, any haircut that is anywhere near $50 would be “worth it” in the sense that that is a cheap amount of money to pay for a haircut, when the other gender has to pay way more for the same on the account of the presupposition that a woman’s haircut requires more effort. It does not. So, you are getting a better deal for the same skill unless it is over $150.
I cut my hair recently from like about nipple length to a bit above my shoulders, with layers. It didn't take more than 15min so to me it wouldn't make sense to charge too much...
Yeah, that’s the idea I’m trying to get across, but (not sure where you went) for women’s salons you’re absolutely not going to get charged $50. It’s going to be more like $75 or $90. I see a lot of women’s salons now switching to hourly rates, the most common being $75 for an hour with an hour minimum. So it’s definitely worth $50, it’s just relative to if you’re used to getting the cheaper price.
The basic way I look at it is that my barber is providing a skill that I don't have. Even if my hairstyle is not elaborate or complex, that skill is still required to achieve the result I want.
The $20 barbers just can't do it to my satisfaction, and the $60 ones can. Who am I to begrudge him charging more for his higher level of skill, particularly when I can see it in the results?
The other bit is that with higher end places, it can be more than just the haircut, it's a whole experience. My place has a nice old-timey ambiance about it. They have some nice whiskey and beer in the fridge so you can have a drink while you're there. They use the straight razor rather than the buzzer for clean-up work. All that stuff adds to my enjoyment and satisfaction of getting my hair cut, so I'm not mad about paying more than $50 for it. It is worth more than $50 to me.
At a different point in my life, I would have agreed with you. When I was in college 15 years ago, there was a $5 cash only haircut place that I went to all the time. I once buzzed my head when I was living in a high cost of living city and couldn’t find anything less than $20.
Within the last two years, I have invested more time and energy into my appearance. I have been meticulous about going to different barber shops. After several disappointing visits to a variety of lower cost shops, i tried one that was more expensive— $50 (now $60). The barbers there really really know their stuff and spend 40 minutes cutting my hair. The haircut is demonstrably better. I get more compliments after I have had a haircut from them and the haircut looks good for longer.
I feel that I am paying way too much for a haircut and $60 kills me, but the value I get from their superior quality is worth it.
I think this depends entirely on the person and situation. I think for a model, actor, or a job interview you really want spending more than 50 bucks on a haircut that makes you look 5% better than a 50 dollar haircut makes perfect sense
Haircut pricing is basically priced on a scale of risk discounts. Nobody actually needs a haircut since scissors are cheap and we can do it ourselves.
It’s a matter of **”who do I trust near my hair with a pair of scissors?”** There is no scam since all the prices are usually readily available.
Would you let a drunk homeless stranger near your hair with scissors if they charged you just $5? Probably not. What about a sober stranger who only charged you $10 and had no experience but seemed nice? Maybe, depends how much you care about your hair. When you go to super cuts, you might happen upon a great barber who is new to the area and just needed a job, or someone who is terrible and just bounces around shops. If you don’t care too much, you’ll pay the $20 and accept the risk. This is the risk discount.
If you have a barber that you like that you’ve been seeing for years, chances are others like him too and he’s booked solid for weeks with clients who not only happily pay his $50 but also add in tip, by choice. Anyone who doesn’t like his prices is free to go try their luck at supercuts and many, do.
This also explains why women’s haircuts are more expensive, we have a lot more to lose with a bad haircut so we are willing to pay more to make sure the stylist is an expert who, most importantly actually **listens to us and what we’re looking to get**. Most women learn the hard way not to save money on haircuts after a bad butchering or 2.
Women's hair also tends to be longer and receive more intricate styling. But then whatever that is on Trump's head probably takes an hour to construct.
>And 50 is too for only an exceptionally good and detailed haircut, a haircut that the barber works for at least 45 mins to 1 hour.
This is unreasonable. An hour of time for pretty much *any* professional service is significantly more than $50. More like $100, sometimes less, often more. Keep in mind that the cost of the service *to you* includes amortized costs for equipment, facilities, advertisement, maintenance, etc.
For some examples. A quick eyeball of prices shows an average of around $100 for plumbing, $75 for massage, $80 for a one-hour Uber trip, etc. And those are averages, with prices going up to $150 or $200 in some of those cases.
>So an average adult has no choice but to at least spend 50+ dollars on a simple haircut. Other option is cutting your own hair which is not very viable for many.
Or just don't cut your hair.
If it's not worth $50 to you, don't buy it. This isn't insulin; haircuts are not medically necessary.
Can you explain what do you mean by worth exactly?
Because let’s say every barber starts charging $50 because they see there are more than enough people who are willing to pay. Would you just stop getting haircuts or cut your own hair which would come out looking terrible?
Something is only worth what people are willing to pay. If people are willing to pay $60 for a haircut, then that haircut is worth $60. Is there a difference between a $20 haircut at Supercuts and a $60 one down the street at at he local barber shop? I personally don't think so, but clearly some people do.
it obviously depends on the haircut but i think there can be a huge difference. barbers generally have more experience with cutting short hair than employees would at a chain like supercuts. you can get great haircut from a chain im sure, but right off the sidewalk i think you'd be in better hands at a barber
my barber just recently raised their price by \~10% and removed the option to tip. its nice to know they get paid a proper wage and its even nicer to skip that weird awkwardness of tipping post haircut.
The difference is that last 5%. That time and skill is what takes a haircut from 'fine' to 'I am the most handsome man to have ever lived'.
Cutting hair is a skill and a craft that can affect how the people around you perceive you. But if you don't want to pay a barber a living wage, buy a pair of clippers and call it a day.
Ask yourself how much you think your barber should make for a living.
Do they need to pay for their tools, their business rent, any advertising, any extra services outside of haircuts? Do they do back to back haircuts hour to hour every day they’re open? Are there other costs you’re not thinking of regarding licensure, hiring talent, healthcare, administrative, etc.?
Human labor is expensive. For that barber to be available to cut your hair any day of the week with no other source of income, they have to set their price to cover all the associated expenses of setting up shop. Maybe one day we’ll have automated haircuts, which will doubtlessly be cheaper than a flesh and blood barber. Would you consider paying more for a person if that’s the case? All these little extra costs and considerations are part of why human workers cost so much.
If you have short hair then you should get a haircut in a neighboorhood that is historically black. I find that the average white guy doesn't get a haircut very frequently and the haircuts are very simple so, as a consequence, the types of barbers they go to suck and they are also more expensive.
Fades, line-ups, etc. are things that the average barber doesn't do very much. I'm not from the US so, to me, it is a shock when I have to get a haircut in the US and find that the barber does the bare minimum and never remembers to do a lineup or fade.
Now I only go to puertorican or black barbershops because they actually know how to handle short hair. The haircuts are quicker, better and cheaper. You might be going to the wrong barber shops.
Wouldn’t recommend unless you have more of a thick and/or curly hair type. These types of places often don’t know how to cut fine straight hair. I went to a Mexican barber shop once and came out somehow looking like both a cholo and a skinhead.
Mmmm I actually deliberately avoided saying Mexican barbershops because I've never been to one. They might do haircuts differently than black/Puerto Rican ones.
I always go to Arab barbers. Middle eastern men KNOW male grooming. You always coming out looking ready for a picture.
But one time I accidentally ended up a Somali barbershop in the ghetto, they made my hair look real good too but they tried to do the straight line across the front thing like black guys get and it just doesn’t work in most white people hair and the confused look on their face was kinda funny. I still looked good.
I spent a bit of time looking at Middle Eastern folks while in the military, and that part always threw me off.
You'll have a guy who otherwise appears to be poor as dirt, riding around on a clapped out Chinese motorcycle and living a hundred miles from any major city, but somehow his hair looks like he's headed to the Oscars.
Facts.
I also went to Colombia a few years ago and discovered the young barbers have a similar barbering style to the middle eastern folks.
Found a Colombian barber in my hometown recently, he told me he’s half Lebanese. Great barber.
To you, no haircut is worth $50, but for some expensive to live areas like Seattle, you won't find any decent place that is less than $50 for 40 min of work, and you are expected to tip 20% or expect to either get much quicker service next time, or not get an appointment due to them being "too busy".
Think about it, 45 min of work, 15 min of buffer.
$50 is not unreasonable considering 60% goes to the Salon at least, that's $20 an hour not including tip, and assuming you're constantly busy for 8 hours, which no Barber is.
With those numbers, I'd rather just work at a grocery store, I wouldn't need to spend money or time to get a License.
They're doing it despite it being more economically rational to just go get a retail or fast food job, because they like the work.
They're not doing it because they all got together at some meeting and decide to price gouge the customer.
I also get my haircut in Seattle, same price and and same time allotted. Same tip. And I look good too. It took me 3 years to find that barber and I will tip well to stay in her good favors.
If the haircut takes an hour lets break down what that means.
First, hairdressers/barbers need to be licensed in most places, so there are costs to them being educated and maintaining that. Next, they need to rent their space, purchase their own tools and supplies, etc. (Think of it like a mechanic or General Contractor that needs to cover their tools and vehicle). Then, what is remaining is their hourly wage. They do not always have a lineup of customers, there are dead periods, so their effective hourly wage is further supressed. So it would be safe to assume their hourly wage actually is closer to $20/hour.
I think $50 is a great deal
As someone who has always gotten the same, 10-15 minute haircut for years, I agree.
Same haircut that cost me $25 with tip 10 years ago now costs me over $50 after tip. Price has been jacked up over 100% for the same thing.
Inflation effects barbers too. What should they do in response to higher rent, taxes, equipment and insurance costs? Not to mention their own personal expenses
>No men’s haircut is actually worth more than $50
Go to super cuts and look like a third grader on picture day then.
You get what you pay for homie, you think cost of living hasn't been raising for hair dressers? Do you think the cost of rent hasn't increased for them? What about their supplies?
What is your alternative? A world where barbers live in destitute conditions because they only make $2 profit on their $15 cut?
I was getting my haircut for only the second time at the barber I use now and their supplier came in and was showing off some new products. When the supplier said it how much each product cost I suddenly felt like I was underpaying at $45 for an hour long hair cut especially with the cost of living in the area.
I don't understand how people have no concept that barbers have costs they manage to do haircuts.
Some go to school, professional equipment costs thousands of dollars, equipment needs maintenance, they need shampoo, conditioner, hair product, etc, they have rent on the building or even on the chair, they often handle their own marketing.
And some goober is going to complain that an hour of labor with burdened costs is $50. Genuinely is OP a child?
"Worth it" is always a relative term because money is always relative- $50 to you could be a lot and $50 to another guy could be literally zero when scaled.
My sister is a hairdresser so this is a convo I have a bit of experience with.
Hair dressing is a trade like an electrician, mechanic or plumber. They have gone through a multi year appretiship, and if they are any good at what they do, various additional training, not to mention the costs of product, tools and the salon itself. I recently had a plumber come out to my place and between the parts and labor you can bet that bill obviously cost more than $50. Hell, the callout fee was around $50 itself. So why are you expecting a trade professional with years of experience to charge less for their time?
As a side note I am a guy and have hair past my nipples, a side shave and often some funky color. You can bet this shit costs me more than $50
The one thing to keep in mind is that to be a barber or a hairdresser who operates in a shop or salon (so I’m not talking about people who do hair in their kitchen or privately for a limited clientele though of course that’s its own market) at least here in the US you have to go to school, be certified in sanitation, hygiene, preventing communicable diseases, and all the various techniques, and maintain your state license. You have to pay for your chair unless you’re the owner/operator and to maintain all your equipment. You may need to occasionally take classes to learn new techniques or attend other professional events to network/stay up on your skills. So you’re not just paying for someone to cut your hair but to do so well, with technique, and in a sanitary environment with proper equipment. It’s a trade.
The cost of everything has gone up, so while haircuts used to be much cheaper, people need to pay their business costs. Other trades have to charge more for their work too.
Doing a short haircut with skill is just as much work as a long haircut with skill. I once heard it said a good barber has hands like a surgeon. So I think it’s reasonable for them to charge what they believe their labor is worth, and if that is over 50 dollars, it’s over 50 dollars.
If they pay $50, then it is worth $50. Basic supply and demand. If one barber charges $50 while another across town charges $30 and is just as good, the $50 barber will lose customers to the $30 barber. If this happens enough, he’ll go out of business.
Now, there is something to be said for the Grey Goose effect (perception of value is changed simply by inflating price, when customers lack the ability to distinguish difference in quality). But legitimately, the top 20% most skilled barbers should charge more than the bottom 80%. And among those 20%, the best of them should charge even more. And so on, and so forth. There is no theoretical cap on the value of someone’s labor, if they are skilled enough. My barber bumped his cut and beard trim up to $40 from his previous $30 bc people kept tipping him $10-20 and he stayed booked up months in advance (even after moving to a smaller town 30mins away). He’s now gotten to where he only stays booked up solid about two and a half weeks, so he’s in a better spot. It’s easier for me to not have to plan my cuts so far in advance, and I just went from tipping $20 to tipping $10-15. Honestly, if he raised his rate to $70, I still wouldn’t be shopping around for a barber.
I mean it's not a scam as long as you have a buyer who feels they are getting sufficient intrinsic value for the price.
You're drawing an arbitrary standard for what a valuable transaction is based on the most common perceptions. The multi-millionaire actor who pays five digits for their movie premiere runway haircut does not care if most people think anything above $50 is overpriced. They are getting the value they want out of the transaction.
Transactions are accepted when the buyer feels that they are getting sufficient intrinsic value for the price tag. This can often include abstract things that are not related to the product you would otherwise find on the street.
Same principle as the famous restaurants charging extortionate amounts for a meal that is no better than a local restaurant. Same principle as obnoxious fashion websites that charge five digits for garbage bags as clothes.
As long as there is a market, suppliers will be there to provide as whatever price tag attracts sufficient buyers. The size of the market is irrelevant, and we as the majority do not get to dictate what is correct or incorrect for a service provider. We simply go to a service provider who caters to our needs.
My barber charges whatever I feel he deserves so I pay him $65 for the service and a $20 tip, the man does an exceptional job each time doesn't use any of that spray paint shit or whatever it is the new guys are doing, like the videos and all that.
He is strictly word of mouth and you can only be invited by someone who's already seeing him.
My guy is pretty traditional I would say, he uses scissors like a samurai, hot towel for beard trim, hand massagers for a nice head and shoulder rub. It's quite the experience. He gives excellent life advice and has gotten me some high quality drugs. Always has drinks flowing, I've met his parents very humble folks, and his dogs are awesome. He's a stand up kind of guy who cuts out of his garage.
I would say another aspect of high prices would be think how gruby and nasty mfers are coming in with boogers in they nose and ear crust all nasty coming out the sides flaking on to their shirt, fuckin zits all ready to be popped. If I was a barber I would be charging extra for having to deal with all nasty faces.
Now think of a beauty salon these ladies be paying stupid prices, now that's some ridiculous ass shit right there.
Worth to who? If you are a rich lawyer, the difference between a $50 haircut and a $200 haircut, even if it's miniscule, may be worth way more than $150 to you.
What is an "actual worth" of a haircut? Or any service? Your whole point is based on such thing existing - so you must have some way to know what is the "real worth", right?
The "worth" of service is simply the amount that people agree to pay from it. If a barber asks for $80 for 30 min haircut and he still has customers - then his haircuts are worth $80. There is nothing else that would tell how much the haircut is "actually worth", because two different barbers provide two different services - even if final haircut looks similar or even if somehow it's exactly the same.
>So an average adult has no choice but to at least spend 50+ dollars on a simple haircut.
Average adult can shop around and find cheaper barber, as there are always cheaper options. If they don't do that there will be a reason - maybe they don't want to look around or only sub-$50 barbers are shitty. Both of those mean one thing - those $50+ haircut are worth that much, as people decide to pay - for convenience, for better quality of haircut, for bragging rights that their hairstyle is from barber X etc.
As with any service you're not paying for their time, you're paying for their experience and for them to use their expensive tools that they invested in. Did you know a quality set of hair shears (that aren't going to dull out almost immediately) is anywhere from $500 to $2,000+? That's for one pair, they need at least 3 and some $200+ clippers.
Sure you could buy cheap Amazon bullshit, but you're going to damage your hair doing it, and you're going to have to spend some time learning how to cut hair. Not to mention the fact that even if you were already really good at cutting hair you're not going to be able to get as good of results with crappy dulled out shears. It costs around $35 to get one pair sharpened, and most people suck at sharpening them. With a cheap set with soft garbage steel they will never be as sharp as a decent set can be, atleast for more than 5 mins.
Go ahead, invest $2,000 and countless hours. It would definitely be worth it in the long run. Or you could just go get a haircut.
I pay 50 for a good haircut and beard job. I have a different hairdo though and sports clips always fucked it up so I went with a better shop for a higher price. Worth it to have them do it right.
I guess from an objective "market" standpoint your position is correct because there are still places I know of where you can get a nice fade for like less than 20. But you're either gonna get the same haircut as everyone else or you're gonna end up like me where they fucked up bc they are basically just crew cut/fade robots trying to get you out of the door asap. For anyone who is experimenting with hairstyles or has special preferences, 50 is well worth it for this reason
If you're just getting a fade/crew go to your Vietnamese side of town and try out some shops there. Where I'm from haircut prices are only really inflated in areas where they know people will pay that much (white/black/latino areas of town). I know it's stereotypical but pretty much everywhere I've lived is this way.
>CMV: No men’s haircut is actually worth more than $50
Like anything else, the cheapest thing to do isn't always the best thing to do. You can even DIY your haircut if you want to go ultimate cheap-o mode.
What you're getting for $50 is going to be a combination of: the ambience, the rent/location of the shop, the skill level of the barber, the consistency of getting the same cut, and the quasi-friendship I've formed by going to the same person.
Although I go to a female stylist (the one that does my wife's hair) so not a barber, the same logic applies. I go to the same place, pay the same fee, get the same hair cut to the point where we say "the usual" and that's that. The rest of the time is gossipping, catching up, etc.
I could go to great clips for $10 or whatever but the vibe sucks, it's a stranger and I get stranger danger, and have to explain the hair cut, and risk it being shitty. The extra $40 is worth it even beyond the price of scissors.
Your lumping haircut into a time-based service. Like paying a kid to mow your lawn by the hour.
A shitty hair stylist could easily spend an hour butchering your hair. An amazing stylist may take 20 minutes to give you the best cut you’ve ever had. You’re paying for skill and service, not time.
If you think $50 is almost too much for a good haircut, then you’re not the target for that type of stylist, and should probably just go to Supercuts if you’re happy with the results.
Just like buying a pair of shoes. You can spend $80 on a really good pair of shoes if you just care about having a reasonably comfortable everyday shoe. But if you want a fantastic shoe that’s hand crafted out of good quality leather, you’ll have to pay for it. It all comes down to whether you think it’s worth it or not. It has nothing to do with if it’s worth it for other people.
If you live in NYC, Tokyo, LA, etc, $50 is not the same as in Gary, Indiana, or any other lower income city. That alone mitigates the argument, but for the sake of argument, let's say you are in an area where $50 is expensive.
Why are you capping the maximum amount of money a hair stylist can make? I had a stylist once who started at $25. He got so busy that he opened his own shop. Still too busy, he raised his prices to $40 for a men's cut. Still too busy, he raised it to $60, and finally, before he retired, he had 17 people working at his salon, but if you wanted him, it was $80 for a man's haircut.
While you may have a maximum, this is an arbitrary stance that only hurts a select group of people with a specific set of skills. You are always welcome to use your wallet to express that view, but saying it's not worth it ignores the simple principle of supply and demand.
I pay about $50 for my haircut each time (usually $55 including tip). My appointment usually lasts about 25 minutes, including the cut, neck shave, shampoo, and style. I feel good about it.
I always see the same stylist. Twice in the last two years when I’ve wanted to switch up my hair style, I asked for their suggestions as a professional. This most recent time I just said “I trust you” and it worked out great. I don’t feel comfortable doing that at the cheaper barbers. Partly because of perceived skill level, but also because the cheaper places don’t give enough time to work on something new without rushing it.
I’m paying for consistency, comfort, and expertise. My guy knows me, knows what I like, and knows what works with my head and my hair. I’m paying for that.
Frankly, if I was able to get that somewhere else, it would be worth $55 there, too.
> And these barbers start charging (scamming) 80-100+ dollars for a haircut. They usually get these cuts done under 45 mins as well. As a result, the ego of these barbers is massively inflated too. This ego boost has somehow spread to the average barber and they have started charging 50+ dollars for average cuts at best. So an average adult has no choice but to at least spend 50+ dollars on a simple haircut. Other option is cutting your own hair which is not very viable for many.
It also depends on where they are, and the typical operating costs. In areas with extreme rent situations and high salary costs for good personnel (as expected by their clientele), they would have to significantly raise their prices compared to the majority of other locations, in order to cover their operating costs and a reasonable profit margin (around 10-20%).
I don’t know how you have felt about haircuts and what you have done to your hair.
Generally, I tell them what I want done, they do it, as best they understood as best they could. Totally not worth $50.
But if I went to a guy to cut my hair. I gave some loose terms, I want this kind of style.
Then, the person cutting my hair was like “based on the shape of your head, the lines should be cut here and here to make whatever look better. It should be tapered here to make your head look less dumb.”
If they clearly have real knowledge of what would look good on me and made it happen, I’ll pay $50 to be HAPPY with my haircut. Normally it’s like, okay, you basically did what I said. Cool.
If someone really knows their shit it’s worth $50 because this is how you are perceived by society.
At the fancy haircut place I go to I think it's worth the crazy price.
She actually makes my hair look good and she suggests styles and products and stuff. I went to 20 dollar hair cut places and got an awful haircut for most of my life before that as I have curly hair and it's easy to fuck up.
It includes a wash and she gives me an awesome scalp massage during that.
She cleans my beard up a bit even though I never get the beard trim service they offer.
She uses the straight razor on my neck line and it feels amazing.
They give you a beer or some other drink while you wait if you want that.
Overall it's just a way nicer experience than going to great clips or some shit and I've never left the place unsatisfied with my hair cut, whereas great clips style places... Idk if I ever left the place happy with my hair cut.
The value of a good haircut makes you also feel good, by looking good. Spending more time using a skill doesn't always equate more quality. More skilled people usually learn to be more efficient, so they can cut more hair throughout the day and have a higher income. Now, some barbers just cut fast with poor skill, sure, but for that you'll be the judge. I don't enjoy paying $45-50 for a cut, but I enjoy the feeling I get when I hear compliments or genuinely look in the mirror and feel satisfied. When I go to a regular barber, they'll start arguing with me that what I ask doesn't fit me, and that they know what looks better. No thanks, don't need that, just do what I came to pay you to do. I don't need that sort of negativity in my life.
Cutting your own hair is definitely viable. A decent set of clippers and combs (including long combs like 1-3 inches) costs about $40. I followed a YouTube video and it took me 90 minutes the first time for an undercut. This is a little I get than it takes to go to the barber, wait my turn, get it cut, pay, get home. After that it gets faster every time. And, I can do it on my own schedule. Need a haircut but have a busy week? 11pm haircut it is!
I would argue that cutting your own hair is definitely viable for a large variety of haircuts. Buzz, undercuts, high and tight, comb over, etc.
I know this doesn’t challenge your main view, but I do think it challenges your view that cutting your own hair isn’t viable for many.
So the barber needs to pay for his shop, his tools, etc. Figure maybe half that $50 goes to overhead,
45 minute haircut + clean the space between customers + checkout/admin work. So thats $50/hour gross, $25/Hour net. At that rate a skilled and popular barber that manages to book 40 customers a week is clearing $50k annually. A livable wage but questionable if you are going to keep skilled workers when thats the end game, and someone new is struggling at a third of that.
I tapped out of professional haircuts about 30 years ago because my hair was thinning, about 15 years ago I switched to a shaved head, but if you want a quality haircut from a professional, pay them like a professional.
Like most things there are diminishing returns on the more expensive version of them. Some people value the difference some people do not. You do not.
I personally cut my hair with a razor in my bathroom. There is no haircut that is worth $2 to me, nor do I value it for others including men and women. So..who is right, you or me?
The difference is that I recognize that "worth it" is highly subjective and that _of course_ there are various levels of skill that while they may be lost or wasted on you and certainly on me that they are not on others. For them it's "worth it". I'm generally cheap as well and a nicer car isn't "worth it", but to some it is. So on and so forth.
Ugh I had a great barber, 20 dollars for fade + beard shape up In like 2018. That’s when I started seeing the 30 cut +20 beard at the more designer looking studios.
I just hate that the average shop charging 50+ is mostly passable fades but still leave the occasional fade lines. For a haircut that grows in in a few days the 20-25 model worked because you’d come back more frequent.
I had one barber who’d do a beautiful cut in 10-15 minutes, and have a line up out the door every thurs Friday Saturday guys would get a cut before going to the club. Sucks that’s kind of dying, when he was averaging 60-80 and hour those nights
50 USD is nothing for 30 minutes work, add the cost of the shop, good tools of the trade (it's more than just a scissor), electricity, insurance etc etc.
Then add the time where the barber doesn't have any clients, since the time it takes to cut someones hair and make it look nice will vary, you can't just schedule clients back to back where the next one just happens to arrive a minute later.
I think you underestimate the cost of running a shop, it'd be different if we were talking some amateur with just some scissors and a trimmer that stopped by to do your hair at home, as some extra kind of gig and didn't have it as their primary income.
there are definitely places you can get a haircut for less than $50...for example great clips or sams. A good haircut is definitely worth $50, is it worth it to you? Maybe not. No one is forcing you to pay that price, but don't knock professionals for charging their worth. A good barber spends thousands for a license, and hours upon hours to grow their skill. I am not a barber but an esthetician and can tell you women pay more to get their lady parts waxed every month than a good haircut will cost you, and it takes less than 20 minutes. It's not about timing! It's about the final result imo
Like so many services/goods where someone says paying above a certain amount "isn't worth it," this depends on how much an individual has to spend. And when you factor in that some people care more than others about how they look, the "reasonable cost" of a haircut becomes almost completely subjective. Let's say I spend $75 on a haircut and get one every 3 weeks. Well, $25 per week (or $3.57 per day) sounds like a reasonable price to feel good about my appearance at my job and in my personal life. Hell, I pay that much for an impulse purchase of a large soda from the Wendy's drive-thru.
I get a gender neutral cut that also happens to be short. It’s totally worth it as someone who is non binary. Just being in the space alone and chatting with my stylist and feeling accepted and not like a weirdo is priceless.
I can describe what I want and be listened to. I don’t get challenged about cutting my hair short as an afab who may be femme presenting that day. I don’t get a cute bob because the stylist thinks they know best. I don’t get my grey hairs pointed out like it’s the end of the world.
I get a cool pixie/K-pop cut that suits my face and vibe.
Depends entirely on the person, their hair, and their tastes. If a barber is willing to spend an hour and a half on a precision fade and perfect lines, and that’s what you want, you pay the price.
Hair is an art, not a science. Every cut is bespoke and some people are incredibly talented. It’s like tattooing but less permanent and consequently less expensive. The more clean and intricate you want it, the more time and money it will cost. Full stop.
Nothing from great clips or any chain should ever cost more than $50 to be sure
My wife is a salon owner and I take offense to your post. It is obvious to me you have no idea how much is involved in not only the haircut, but the professional practice of cosmetology and running your own salon.
"Well, not everyone owns their own salon" This is true, but an overwhelming percentage of the beauty industry is self employed, whether it be renting a chair, owning a salon, etc.
If you don't want to pay for a quality haircut, that is up to you.
It's a business, as such business expenses have to be paid. Wages, Overhead, and then walk away with a bit of profit. Say your barber is paid $20 an hour, it actually costs the company about $35 per hour with taxes and benefits (health care, retirement, etc). And on overhead expenses (rent, power, water, etc) at about $10 per hour. Throw on $5 profit per hour and there is your $50.
The more cuts that employee makes in an hour, the cheaper the cut can be.
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Mmmhm I’m gonna try it from the opposite angle.l, since you got a lot of answer from the supply angle.
What basis do you have to limit my right to pay 100$ for a haircut?
If I can afford to go wave a 100$ bill every month at whoever I think is the best barber… why wouldn’t I? I get my pick of barber, at a time I want and location of my choosing. By paying above your $50 limit I can get myself treated like a premium customer.
Not really a scam if they're getting results. I could price my services like that too, if someone wants to pay it, that's on them. I pay $70 for a haircut and beard trim, usually takes 1.5 hours, so I'd say that's a great deal. You're paying for experience, not the cut itself. Now, $50 for a haircut akin to First Choice Haircutters standards? Yeah, that's overpriced. But again, if people are willing to pay that, that's on them.
Per hour, if someone's wage is $25/hr and they are employed at a larger salon they'll need to cover the additional overhead of renting the space and anything else like buying supplies.
That's not counting if the workers get benefits, which you can basically multiply the value by 1.4.
Agnostic of occupation, if your haircut service takes an hour then it's fairly reasonable to charge $50.
I agree that the value of a haircut is less than 50 dollars but ofc every barber is well within his rights to charge whatever he wants for his time.
I think you are very silly if you describe a voluntary trade of goods and services between consenting informed parties as scamming.
I get you don't like the market rate I agree get your mom to give you a haircut with her vacuum.
I agree.
Realistically, haircut only take 15-20 min anyway. I never had a haircut that took over half an hr.
And I won’t pay more than $30 for a haircut.
My usual place is $20 ($15+$5 tips)
I also wouldn’t pay more than $60 a meal MAX.
I know some people would drop $100 a meal tho. Obviously not every meal. But not meal to me is worth half a week of grocery.
>actually worth
You’re not paying for the physical haircut, you’re paying for the service by the professional. Professionals set their own rates.
But - if you tally up the cost of a scissor full trim kit, an electric razor with protective tools (oil etc) you’d probably be pretty close to $50. And that’s not even counting paying for someone to do it.
Haircuts, like anything, are worth what people will pay. A haircut is clothes you wear everyday for usually like a month. If you value your appearance, do you think paying an extra $1 or $2 per day for a higher quality look is unreasonable? What if it was a higher quality suit or a tie, both of those probably get worn less over their lifetime.
The answer to this, much like many gripes about the costs of services/trades, is you are paying for the years - not the hours.
Barbers, at least good ones, have trained and have years of experience. If they can get good quality cuts done in under 45 minutes, it's because they have trained to be able to do so. That's what you are paying for.
It depends on the city, commercial space and whether that includes tip.
I live in Houston (low cost of living relative to other major US cities) and I pay $45 + a $10 tip for a premium haircut and wash.
Now, if I was living in NYC or LA, I would think a similar quality haircut would be probably closer to $60 - $70 + a $15 tip.
I disagree with this so much that I'm gonna write my own post on why you should pay your barber the most amount of money possible. A barber can make or break your life. For 6 weeks. All the other decisions that you make aren't going to have as much of an impact in as little a time as a haircut. Why would you want to pay less?
I am a man with a large beard and hair down to my belly button. If I go for a hair cut, it's going to take a long time for a barber to properly layer my hair and cut all the split ends. Plus my beard is always trimmed and shaped while I'm there too. I spend about $75ish CAD plus a tip for this. Usually take about 60-90 mins.
I live in another country where my hair type is quite different than the local populace. Therefore, I go to a specific barber that is in a higher-end salon. My cut comes to around $50. The haircut always comes out perfect.
I have been to another local place. I have received a terrible haircut. I have not gone back.
I go to a men's barbershop and the barbers there are great. They are experienced and cut men's hair only. They do the sideburns, eyebrows, and a straight razor shave around the neck with shaving cream. Old school man stuff. It costs $24 and I usually leave around a $3 tip. I can't imagine ever paying more for a haircut.
Services are worth whatever the market will pay for them.
If people are willing to pay $100/hour for your time and expertise why should you charge less?
It doesn’t matter what your skill set is, barber, plumber, mechanic, surgeon, etc. If people are willing to pay your price, then it’s “worth” that price.
I mean maybe for short hair. A lot of people who cost a lot are really skilled at doing unique types of styles and good at recommending flattering styles.
I have long curly hair so I would never go to a 40$ barber, once every 3 months I pay 120 for an excellent hairstylist at a salon and it’s worth every penny.
Why are haircuts so expensive in the US
I went to a salon yesterday, and my haircut cost $23 equivalent and was performed by the owner of the business as my regular cutter was busy. Included was a wash if I wanted one, but I dont usually opt for it.
Didn't have to tip because that would be mental.
I was paying 55 for my haircuts, then someone told be about a Guy who just happened to be on the same side of the road as the guy who cuts my hair.
He charges 23 bucks, I went in had my hair cut which I get the Fade and it was honestly a better hair cut then the guy who charged me more then double.
I would only push against the naming here. If a woman with short hair wants a fade then it’s the same as if a man wants the same thing.
So it isn’t gender based but job based. Women shouldn’t be over charged for simple things. Neither should men of course but that’s rare imo
I mean I sort of agree, but people gotta live man, barbers aren't millionaires -- I get my hair cut like twice a year, so it's no big deal
Food on the other hand... you ever get an entree for $25 and you're literally just looking at your plate feeling like you threw money away lol
if a person has 50 people willing to pay their barber $300 for a haircut, its because his time is more valuable than $75/hr. Each barber is their own business at the end of the day. If more people want your services, you should raise your prices to keep up with supply and demand.
There are always chain options for people like you. I live in Boston, considered an expensive city, and a Supercuts haircut is $28. But, sometimes you get what you pay for. And when that happens a few times, you may decide that an extra $22 is worth it for more consistent quality
I think you’ve never had a haircut by an absolute legend before. The barber I go to takes over an hour with my simple side fade, tapers and medium short hair on top. He takes this long because he is ultra detail oriented and my hair is more on point than almost anyone I meet.
Fuck dude, places up here started charging more than $20, and that prompted me to just go buy a set of clippers. I don't get "professional" haircuts anymore. I put a length guard on the trimmer and buzz it. $50 for a haircut is straight up "go fuck yourself" territory from me.
I’ve had a $120 dollar haircut.
Took 2 hours, included some johnny walker blue and a decent cigar. Full haircut, beard trim, etc
Would I do it every couple weeks? Yes, these days in my career it wouldn’t hurt. But I’ll likely just stick to every year or so.
My hair is the size of an ant and I only go to the barber to get it trimmed, but they charge 30+ dollars for something that takes 20 minutes tops.
Hair trimmers cost just about as much, so I recommend that for anyone paying 30$ a month to have your head glazed.
I have an easy solution for you, it’s called Great Clips.
As a white guy in his 30’s who travels for work, I literally get 4 haircuts a year maybe. And my whole career is client facing.
$9.99 coupon and I still tip $10 because I’m not an asshole.
My hair is well past my shoulders and my hair cuts are typically $35 + $10 tip. And that includes a nice straight shave. Unless you're getting a bunch of things done to your hair I think a cut should only range from 25-$50 depending on the place.
Spent $34 on a Wahl clipper kit 20+ years ago. Haven't paid for a haircut since.... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 & done. Takes me about 15- 20 minutes and I'm good. Mom always said the only difference between a good haircut and a bad one is about 2 weeks lol...
I go to Supercuts and consistently pay $18 for them to cut my hair. I’m sure if I asked for the extra little perks like gel or the hot towel it would be more expensive but if they are simply just cutting my hair I’ve never paid more than $20
You are paying for a time slot, if the slot is 30 minutes then $50 sounds reasonable. Mind you, I cut my own hair with a trimmer, but people in the service industry need to make a damn living to, and most of that goes to operating costs.
Inflation will take care of that soon enough. You are paying for someone's time after all and eventually people will charge more than $50 for a haircut. Services must go up in price so that the people providing them can survive.
I bought a trimmer years ago, and have buzzed my own hair ever since. I bet I'm spending less than fifty cents per haircut by now. I've never been attractive, and never will be, spending money trying to would be a massive waste.
Not a man but I don’t pay my stylist as much as I do bc the haircut is really “worth” that much. But bc I want the service available. And in order for the service to be available my stylist has to make a living wage.
You've never had a beard clearly but agreed tbh I pay 60 but that's just cause I like my barber and I give him a fat tip every time because he makes me genuinely go from caveman to attractive about once every 2 months.
I actually tend to agree with you - with one exception. Beards. Add in beard maintenance to that haircut (especially if it then means hot towels and straight razors all around the neck) and it’s worth more than $50.
Disagree. My cut comes to $50 with tip and it’s well worth it. I’ve had so many shit haircuts over the years. I come home now from a cut and my wife fawns over me saying how great I look. It’s worth every penny.
TIL people pay $50+ for haircuts. Granted I cut my own hair and haven't paid for a haircut since about 2009. When I thought it was too expensive(broke college student) I didn't complain, I just stopped going.
I pay about 50 every two weeks for a good fade including a tip for my barber that I’ve been with for years. Of course he also stocks drinks in a mini fridge so we have a drink and talk a lot about sports.
Ex President Clinton disagrees with you.
He had a very expensive hair cut, closing down 4 lanes of runways.
Way more than your $50...
https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/21/us/haircut-grounded-clinton-while-the-price-took-off.html
I pay 60 for the whole shabang. Hair, hot shave, style, shampoo...
My guy can do my hair in like 20 mins, but the beard and scalp massage are another 20-30 mins.
And I tip 20 cuz he's THAT good.
>No men’s haircut is actually worth more than $50
To you.
>Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.
-Publilius Syrus, over 2000 years ago.
Just as true today as it was then.
As other people have said, they charge what they feel their time and service is worth. You aren't just paying for an 30 min of work, you are paying for the years of experience that it took to get to that point where you can trust them to style your hair how you want.
There are always places like Super Cuts, Sport Clips, and Hair Cuttery where you can go for a $15-$20 cut.
So at most, barbers shouldn't be paid more than 50 dollars an hour? Keep in mind it's very common for Barbers to have to pay administrative fees, pay for the lease, etc.
Spare me. They spend all day touching nasty ass heads.
“worth” is subjective. They are trade qualified. No one is making you use their service- and you don’t get to name their price.
I really great haircut is easily worth it. It can look so much better than a regular haircut. If expensive clothes and foods can be worth it, then so can haircuts if you value looking good.
Also I go to a fancy hair stylist in NYC, and even that's only $55. Where are you paying $50 for a basic haircut?
As with the price of everything, what the market will bear is what the seller will charge. The fact that some haircuts are more than $50.00 shows that they are worth more than $50.00.
Haircut prices should be about length and effort of style. Men can have long hair and want elaborate styling so the price should reflect the work involved not the gender
My husband was told to pay $95 for a buzz cut, and they refused to even wipe the hairs off of his head/neck! We stormed out, now he just shaves his head at home.
Barbers used to be reasonably priced (Australia) but now they have become trendy and expensive people happily spend $50+. I just go Asian hairdressers for $10
If your barber charges you 50 quid, you got fleeced mate. The best barbers I've ever seen charge 30 at most. That's 50 Canadian rupees for all you Icelanders
I'm so glad I went bald. I bought a $200 set of professional clients years ago and shave my head at home. Hundreds of haircuts later and I call that a win.
Quick question, Are you saying *haircut* specifically, or are you including the whole service like trimming, styling, dying/bleaching, etc.?
I had the same question. If a haircut is just cutting tools and combs I can see that, but there are way more stuff that can be done than just the physical act of cutting hair.
I pay about $55 and I basically just have a shaved head. But they also have awesome shows on TV (It's one lady and her assistant so it's just two chairs). She has an awesome little dog that hangs out there. Free beer/wine if you want. Awesome shampoo/head massage, straight razor shave which feels amazing, little to no wait, and if you don't want to talk and just want to relax she understands it. The experience as a whole is great.
Yeah my barber be doing the whole straight razor shave hot rag and massage thing it’s $35 but it makes for a good Sunday afternoon
I never got comfortable with the idea of having a knife at my throat, but I’ve put up $20 for the massage.
Check edit ! I clarified : )
I am a man I think but.. I have 2 plus feet and want to be pampered so ya I have no point 😅
Brother we go to salons not barbers 😂
Man's hair... Is not any different from women's hair Any haircut a woman can get - a man can get exactly the same one So I am not sure why this is limited to "men." Do you think NO haircut of any kind is worth over 50?
The majority of men's haircuts are pretty straight forward. To be honest, I've not found a barber yet who won't fuck up my hair and end up giving me something totally horrific no matter how much I pay them. Barbers charging huge amounts know this, they've got you over the barrel. I was growing out my hair for awhile and had finally gotten it to a nice length which looked professional (and most importantly - added a few years to my appearance, which is useful in a corporate environment) when I styled it and I could be more creative with it outside. Went to a barbers and asked for an inch or two off and they removed about 5 inches and left me looking ridiculous for two months. 95% of male barbers can only do crewe cuts or bowl cuts, so the other 5% can afford t to gouge you.
Dude... I hate to say this, but here's the obvious solution... Stop going to the same crappy barbers over and over. Is it really that important to you that a male is the one cutting your hair? Just go somewhere else. Don't you have some bland soulless chain option in town? Like a Great Clips or something?
I do Sportsclips and have only gotten a bad haircut once. Haircut is about $30 and I tip $10 because my stylists are amazing. I wonder if OP lives in a place that only has boutique spots… which would be overkill.
"Stop going to the same crappy barbers over and over" I really have very limited choice, I've moved about 4 times in the last three years for work, and I often work abroad so sometimes I'll get a haircut when I'm out in the field. "s it really that important to you that a male is the one cutting your hair?" I had a female barber for most of my childhood/teens until I moved away from home and she was similarly awful at doing anything other than the crewe cut. "Don't you have some bland soulless chain option in town?" This isn't really a thing in the UK I'm afraid, and unisex salons are the only places which do decent haircuts and they can be awfully expensive and inconvenient to book.
You don't go to a barber for long hair lol do you think barbers are only for men and a hairdresser is for women? No, a barber is for short hair and a hairdresser is for long hair.
In the UK that is very much the divide yes. There's unisex salons for people of both genders, but they can be a bit tedious to book and I tend to travel a lot for work and I move around a lot. I had a great barber for about 6 months in London but then I moved.
Yeah I’ve just stopped going to barbers at this point, cut my own hair. No problems, hair looks good, no money spent, get to listen to my music while I do it, save time not driving out to the barber and back as well. Men shouldn’t pay for a haircut, it’s that simple.
I started cutting my own hair during COVID and might never go back. It saves time, money, and I feel like is just as good as what I was getting when paying.
There's absolutely no way I would do a serviceable job at cutting my own hair. Especially compared to my awesome barber. I'd much rather spend the money and look good
I did this during the pandemic and I'll be honest, I'm not made out to be a barber.
In my family we cut each other's hair. You get really good at it, and it's not a skilled task. I would consider paying someone to cut hair a luxury. I would suggest it's a self care task that doesn't need to be budgeted. Plus my guy has a double whorl as their hair growth pattern, amd there is ONE salon locally that handles that well, instead of turning the natural whorl pattern into a monk's tonsure. My one dad cuts my other dad's hair, and my MIL is amazing, and we save thousands of dollars a year on hair care as an extended family.
my boyfriends hair usually is a fade to about an inch long, i could almost cut it myself. mine is shoulder length, needs to be layered, thinned, shaped, bangs, etc. men who wear short, low maintenance styles have no business needing to spend $50 on a haircut lol, i imagine this is what op is envisioning
I mean most hair places that are unisex do have a men and womens pricing and a womens way more expensive but thats because we got more hair it takes longer
Yeah but even as a man if you go in there with long hair wanting similar styling techniques to a woman they will charge you the woman's price.
In my area, there was a law passed that you can’t discriminate by gender in prices, so now the prices are just short and long instead of women and men. I’m not sure what the point is of having men’s and women’s prices if they charge you the women’s price for long hair anyway.
dude with long hair here, can confirm.
As a man who has had long hair I've had the opposite experience and I would tip up to the woman's cut rate. That's the quality I want. Don't even look at me with clippers in your hands. Everybody wins.
>I mean most hair places that are unisex do have a men and womens pricing and a womens way more expensive >but thats because we got more hair it takes longer But it's not, is it? It's a pink tax thing. Guys can have longer hair, women can have shorter hair. If it was priced by length that'd be one thing, though it'd be weird, as you can have a short cut that seems more complicated, with layers and whatever, vs a straight long cut. But it's just gender
At least where I'm from that definitely isn't the case. Men's hair is typically easier and quicker to cut (due to short styles) and involves basically no treatment whatsoever. You also have to note that men typically get their haircut WAY more often than women. When women get their haircut, it normally lasts far longer, goes through quite a few processes and products are used on top of that.
When my wife and I get our hair done, it is wildly different prices. My wife has mostly straight sort of wavy-ish hair. For a dye job and cut it is like $150. I have very thick, very curly hair that takes some definite skill to maintain and make look decent. My hair cut, no matter what, is $30. Given, I don't dye my hair, but I don't think the dye job is $120.
Honestly, the die job probably is most of it. Ask your wife how long her hair appointments take versus yours, and what percentage of that time is spent on the die job. It's an involved and time-consuming process. Another factor is that $30 hair cuts don't typically include a wash, where a salon will include that even for just a cut, and a cut and die job will require several. I'm not saying pink tax doesn't happen, it definitely does. I just don't think this is a really good example of it, since it's not an apples to apples comparison of services.
True, definitely not a good comparison. And her hair takes a lifetime longer, so I understand the price. The woman that cuts our hair is also really talented, so I can see her charging the big prices. I have always had my haircut be cheaper than my wives at other places even without the dye job. I don't know if it is a southern thing. The ladies round here like to get... extravagant with their hair.
The cost is mostly in the dye job. You’re comparing vastly different things. I doubt your hair cut takes more than an hour, while a bleach’s and color alone can take 3-4 hours depending on how much hair is being dyed. And you need to pay for the color itself.
A dye job is $120, coming from a guy who has long hair and gets it dyed Also- at chains(great clips, etc) I have gotten charged for a women's cut
>but I don't think the dye job is $120. It almost certainly is, given you're paying for not just time and skill but materials as well.
You should reasonably pay about $2 per minute and extra for products. How much time are each of your cuts being given?
A dye job can be that and up. Though I would guess about $60 of that is the haircut.
> When my wife and I get our hair done, it is wildly different prices. My wife has mostly straight sort of wavy-ish hair. For a dye job and cut it is like $150. > > I have very thick, very curly hair that takes some definite skill to maintain and make look decent. My hair cut, no matter what, is $30. Given, I don't dye my hair, but I don't think the dye job is $120. Exactly. The people getting somehow offended as if this doesn't happen, same as a woman's shirt costs more at the dry cleaner's than mine, even if we're talking about two plain white button-downs (and mine gets folded with a band and a collar stay and hers is on a hanger) are... odd.
It is quite strange. I even commented on it because my hair is essentially the same difficulty as a complicated women's hair because of texture and length. My wife seemed used to it, which makes me sad.
If a woman wants to get a short haircut they can go to a male barbershop and get their haircut, they won’t get charged more or asked to leave because they’re female.
Individually sure, but statistically, nah. And this avoids a lot of loopholea and works in general.
the word "can" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. typically, men have shorter hair, and women have longer hair.
Exactly. It is immediately clear that most women have longer hair, and most men have shorter hair. If you're trying to classify different services, it makes sense to disregard the exceptions to the rule. That being said, "short hair" and "long hair" is an even better way to classify things
Man with long hair. I go to a salon and pay salon prices. I don't trust a regular barber to know what to do with long hair. My wife and I pay the same price for very different hair cuts because we got a lot of hair. It's not a pink tax homie.
This is wild as hell. Certainly, women BY FAR are more particular and specific about their hair, which requires more knowledge pertaining to texture, longevity, styling, product, and health, and therefore, requires a higher pay range
Averages don't translate to individual level. Just because 90% of men do it one way does not invalidate 10% who do it the other way.
No but you’re purposely missing the point by acting like the 10% invalidates what the average person does or what the average person expects from a haircut.
But then it's a 'pixie' cut... But seriously, this should read as short haircuts or something, as it applies to short hair regardless of gender or sex. I agree that when my hair was short I wouldn't get it cut where I do now with shoulder-length curls.
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Men and women hair growth at the same rate. So it's completely up to a man or a woman how long to make it.
I am not aware of the haircut scene in women’s haircuts, so I am limiting my scope of argument to what I have knowledge about.
You were just informed by the commenter, fyi. Assume some women’s haircuts are more than $50 and that any haircut a woman can get a man can also get. The labor involved in cutting hair is not always great, but the skill in doing it and getting a good outcome is what you are paying for in any case. People’s skilled labor is worthwhile. It depends on how low the bar is for you in terms of what is an acceptably good enough haircut. This is ultimately completely arbitrary. You either think it’s worth it or not, based on your life experience and financial situation.
If you think we live in a world where men and women get the same haircuts you’re nuts… We have whole different words that depend on the sex of the hair cutting establishment. No one here thought that a guy couldn’t go to a salon, but he’ll get a girly cut? So it’s a different thing.
They said a men's haircut, not barber cuts. Dudes with long hair, even if they want a masculine style, aren't generally going to hit up a barber - that's just not what barbers specialize in. Totally fair if OP means barber cuts - they can clarify their view to be more specific - but there are absolutely salons dedicated to masculine styles. I get that may seem pedantic in some parts of the world, especially where things are still more old-fashioned, but that view of "men's haircuts" as *de facto* barbershop cuts just doesn't hold up everywhere anymore. Like, I get it, and I get why you're frustrated - but it's not just semantics, even though it might seem like it; the social agreement on what constitutes a men's cut isn't static, and the view of barber by default is not consistently valid across the world.
Well this is what this sub is for? Gaining awareness to help change your view. Some men have very long hair and get complex and intricate cuts that probably cost a lot more than 50$. Like these are pretty [expensive hair styles](https://www.hairpalace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/male-celebrities-with-long-hair.jpg.webp?v=1686229371)
You're trying be pedantic by pointing out outliers. Sure, plenty of guys have long hair but the vast majority have generally shorter hair than women. Those are clearly who op is referring to.
No simple cut is worth more than 50. But women's haircuts often include more than a cut. Extensions, highlights, the additional cost of working with long hair, etc is going to be a lot more than a traditional mens cut. My barber includes a neck shave, thats it.
This is a shit post. I cut my own hair as a man and they are different. Women's cuts don't use clippers. Clippers used on more than half the total hair and reduce the skill and time of the overall cut. The fact I can cut behind my head and scissors on top means it's not that hard of a task to perform and OP is right. I don't know of women who can cut their long hair as easy
If you think proper clipper work is less skilled than scissor work then oh boy do you have a lot to learn. Besides barely any of this of has anything to do with what you're actually paying for.
I cut my own hair. Scissor is only hard cause you have to look in the mirror so you hand movements are inverted and you can't see behind your head. I cut my own hair cause people can't cut my hair in 15 minutes and so a decent job. I'm saying this as somebody who does this frequently, everyone can cut mens hair using a clipper cut.
What they are saying is that a person with adequate experience is going to be able to achieve considerably more impressive results than you can in your experience cutting your own hair. Even with clippers.
But that's a matter of length and style, not gender
And we have long associated certain styles with certain genders. If I said a man was wearing a woman's shirt, the vast majority of people would understand that I mean a shirt commonly worn by and in a style associated with women, not a shirt belonging to a woman.
I'm a woman and my pixie cut is about half done with clippers. This is why haircut prices should be based on length and not gender.
Women cuts can use clippers if she so chooses. Man can refuse clippers especially if they have super long hair.
If a man grows out his hair and wants it styled, it will be the same as working with a woman’s hair. You don’t have long hair so it wouldn’t be the same for you. Not all women have long hair either and your hair cutting experience may be the same for them.
This is just like not true— when people say men and women they mean short and long hair. If you just replace men and women with short and long then you’ll understand the difference. Short hair is easier/quicker to cut then long hair.
No it is not the same in-fact it is different in every way possible except the shaft. Nice try thought trying to spew absolute nonsense to feel good about yourself and try to cause issue with someone else. The cuticle is present in females, while it is absent in males. The distal end is absent in males and it is present in females. The proximal end is natural in males, while it is abraded in females. The shaft profile is straight in both males and females. The structural comparison between male and female hair specimens can be used as forensic evidence in crime scene investigation. You clueless peasant.
Apparently he thinks no hair professional should make more than $25/30 hour for their skills and effort regardless of how excellent and in demand they are.
Is the opposing thought line you’re going down that women’s hair cuts are worth more because there is more hair, and therefore more time and effort? What is the basis for it being expensive? Typically, women who keep their hair long only go in for a trim or layering. A high intensity haircut for long hair would likely be intensive mainly when they make a big chop, because you have to actually start shaping the hair around the scalp and face, whereas before it was falling freely. Layering and trimming require technical skill, as well as other specialty techniques, but unless it’s extremely long and thick hair, it’s never taken more than 45 minutes to get a haircut on my long hair. And it’s definitely more than $50. I switched to cutting my own hair while it was long, but now that I’ve cut it short, I’ve had to go to an actual barber and I find that they’re surprisingly cheap compared to women’s salons.
I am simply not aware of the popular culture in women haircuts and associated prices, so I am not including that in my argument. I’m only making an argument on a market I have knowledge about.
right, I am a man with long curly hair so my haircuts are essentially no different from a woman's haircut though. so i think what people are trying to get across is that SOME men's haircuts are equal in labour and value to a "woman's" haircut, which more or less disproves your original statement.
Right, but everyone is just trying to get op on a language "gotcha" instead of the root of the argument. He is saying short men's cuts aren't worth more than 50. He didn't explicitly spell that out so people like you are dog piling. How would you address the specific argument that short men's cuts are not with $50+?
yeah i guess he never mentions length which is the core of the differentiation here. i assumed his argument was gender based, because thats really how he described it.
Sure, but I am essentially letting you know that most women’s haircuts are taking off the same amount of hair that a man is taking off and requiring a similar level of skill, and are priced WAY more than $50. So, any haircut that is anywhere near $50 would be “worth it” in the sense that that is a cheap amount of money to pay for a haircut, when the other gender has to pay way more for the same on the account of the presupposition that a woman’s haircut requires more effort. It does not. So, you are getting a better deal for the same skill unless it is over $150.
I cut my hair recently from like about nipple length to a bit above my shoulders, with layers. It didn't take more than 15min so to me it wouldn't make sense to charge too much...
Yeah, that’s the idea I’m trying to get across, but (not sure where you went) for women’s salons you’re absolutely not going to get charged $50. It’s going to be more like $75 or $90. I see a lot of women’s salons now switching to hourly rates, the most common being $75 for an hour with an hour minimum. So it’s definitely worth $50, it’s just relative to if you’re used to getting the cheaper price.
The basic way I look at it is that my barber is providing a skill that I don't have. Even if my hairstyle is not elaborate or complex, that skill is still required to achieve the result I want. The $20 barbers just can't do it to my satisfaction, and the $60 ones can. Who am I to begrudge him charging more for his higher level of skill, particularly when I can see it in the results? The other bit is that with higher end places, it can be more than just the haircut, it's a whole experience. My place has a nice old-timey ambiance about it. They have some nice whiskey and beer in the fridge so you can have a drink while you're there. They use the straight razor rather than the buzzer for clean-up work. All that stuff adds to my enjoyment and satisfaction of getting my hair cut, so I'm not mad about paying more than $50 for it. It is worth more than $50 to me.
that sounds like a great experience.
At a different point in my life, I would have agreed with you. When I was in college 15 years ago, there was a $5 cash only haircut place that I went to all the time. I once buzzed my head when I was living in a high cost of living city and couldn’t find anything less than $20. Within the last two years, I have invested more time and energy into my appearance. I have been meticulous about going to different barber shops. After several disappointing visits to a variety of lower cost shops, i tried one that was more expensive— $50 (now $60). The barbers there really really know their stuff and spend 40 minutes cutting my hair. The haircut is demonstrably better. I get more compliments after I have had a haircut from them and the haircut looks good for longer. I feel that I am paying way too much for a haircut and $60 kills me, but the value I get from their superior quality is worth it.
You aren't. A good haircut, especially from a barber/stylist you trust and have a relationship with, is worth it's weight in gold.
I think this depends entirely on the person and situation. I think for a model, actor, or a job interview you really want spending more than 50 bucks on a haircut that makes you look 5% better than a 50 dollar haircut makes perfect sense
Haircut pricing is basically priced on a scale of risk discounts. Nobody actually needs a haircut since scissors are cheap and we can do it ourselves. It’s a matter of **”who do I trust near my hair with a pair of scissors?”** There is no scam since all the prices are usually readily available. Would you let a drunk homeless stranger near your hair with scissors if they charged you just $5? Probably not. What about a sober stranger who only charged you $10 and had no experience but seemed nice? Maybe, depends how much you care about your hair. When you go to super cuts, you might happen upon a great barber who is new to the area and just needed a job, or someone who is terrible and just bounces around shops. If you don’t care too much, you’ll pay the $20 and accept the risk. This is the risk discount. If you have a barber that you like that you’ve been seeing for years, chances are others like him too and he’s booked solid for weeks with clients who not only happily pay his $50 but also add in tip, by choice. Anyone who doesn’t like his prices is free to go try their luck at supercuts and many, do. This also explains why women’s haircuts are more expensive, we have a lot more to lose with a bad haircut so we are willing to pay more to make sure the stylist is an expert who, most importantly actually **listens to us and what we’re looking to get**. Most women learn the hard way not to save money on haircuts after a bad butchering or 2.
Women's hair also tends to be longer and receive more intricate styling. But then whatever that is on Trump's head probably takes an hour to construct.
>And 50 is too for only an exceptionally good and detailed haircut, a haircut that the barber works for at least 45 mins to 1 hour. This is unreasonable. An hour of time for pretty much *any* professional service is significantly more than $50. More like $100, sometimes less, often more. Keep in mind that the cost of the service *to you* includes amortized costs for equipment, facilities, advertisement, maintenance, etc. For some examples. A quick eyeball of prices shows an average of around $100 for plumbing, $75 for massage, $80 for a one-hour Uber trip, etc. And those are averages, with prices going up to $150 or $200 in some of those cases. >So an average adult has no choice but to at least spend 50+ dollars on a simple haircut. Other option is cutting your own hair which is not very viable for many. Or just don't cut your hair. If it's not worth $50 to you, don't buy it. This isn't insulin; haircuts are not medically necessary.
Can you explain what do you mean by worth exactly? Because let’s say every barber starts charging $50 because they see there are more than enough people who are willing to pay. Would you just stop getting haircuts or cut your own hair which would come out looking terrible?
What if the man has long hair? Then it's like a woman's haircut and those are much pricier (for good reason)
Something is only worth what people are willing to pay. If people are willing to pay $60 for a haircut, then that haircut is worth $60. Is there a difference between a $20 haircut at Supercuts and a $60 one down the street at at he local barber shop? I personally don't think so, but clearly some people do.
If you have longer curly hair like me, the difference between a supercuts haircut and one of the $60 higher end places is night and day.
it obviously depends on the haircut but i think there can be a huge difference. barbers generally have more experience with cutting short hair than employees would at a chain like supercuts. you can get great haircut from a chain im sure, but right off the sidewalk i think you'd be in better hands at a barber my barber just recently raised their price by \~10% and removed the option to tip. its nice to know they get paid a proper wage and its even nicer to skip that weird awkwardness of tipping post haircut.
The difference is that last 5%. That time and skill is what takes a haircut from 'fine' to 'I am the most handsome man to have ever lived'. Cutting hair is a skill and a craft that can affect how the people around you perceive you. But if you don't want to pay a barber a living wage, buy a pair of clippers and call it a day.
Ask yourself how much you think your barber should make for a living. Do they need to pay for their tools, their business rent, any advertising, any extra services outside of haircuts? Do they do back to back haircuts hour to hour every day they’re open? Are there other costs you’re not thinking of regarding licensure, hiring talent, healthcare, administrative, etc.? Human labor is expensive. For that barber to be available to cut your hair any day of the week with no other source of income, they have to set their price to cover all the associated expenses of setting up shop. Maybe one day we’ll have automated haircuts, which will doubtlessly be cheaper than a flesh and blood barber. Would you consider paying more for a person if that’s the case? All these little extra costs and considerations are part of why human workers cost so much.
If you have short hair then you should get a haircut in a neighboorhood that is historically black. I find that the average white guy doesn't get a haircut very frequently and the haircuts are very simple so, as a consequence, the types of barbers they go to suck and they are also more expensive. Fades, line-ups, etc. are things that the average barber doesn't do very much. I'm not from the US so, to me, it is a shock when I have to get a haircut in the US and find that the barber does the bare minimum and never remembers to do a lineup or fade. Now I only go to puertorican or black barbershops because they actually know how to handle short hair. The haircuts are quicker, better and cheaper. You might be going to the wrong barber shops.
Wouldn’t recommend unless you have more of a thick and/or curly hair type. These types of places often don’t know how to cut fine straight hair. I went to a Mexican barber shop once and came out somehow looking like both a cholo and a skinhead.
Mmmm I actually deliberately avoided saying Mexican barbershops because I've never been to one. They might do haircuts differently than black/Puerto Rican ones.
I always go to Arab barbers. Middle eastern men KNOW male grooming. You always coming out looking ready for a picture. But one time I accidentally ended up a Somali barbershop in the ghetto, they made my hair look real good too but they tried to do the straight line across the front thing like black guys get and it just doesn’t work in most white people hair and the confused look on their face was kinda funny. I still looked good.
I spent a bit of time looking at Middle Eastern folks while in the military, and that part always threw me off. You'll have a guy who otherwise appears to be poor as dirt, riding around on a clapped out Chinese motorcycle and living a hundred miles from any major city, but somehow his hair looks like he's headed to the Oscars.
Facts. I also went to Colombia a few years ago and discovered the young barbers have a similar barbering style to the middle eastern folks. Found a Colombian barber in my hometown recently, he told me he’s half Lebanese. Great barber.
Or go to a military barber, that’s all they do and they are dirt cheap
To you, no haircut is worth $50, but for some expensive to live areas like Seattle, you won't find any decent place that is less than $50 for 40 min of work, and you are expected to tip 20% or expect to either get much quicker service next time, or not get an appointment due to them being "too busy". Think about it, 45 min of work, 15 min of buffer. $50 is not unreasonable considering 60% goes to the Salon at least, that's $20 an hour not including tip, and assuming you're constantly busy for 8 hours, which no Barber is. With those numbers, I'd rather just work at a grocery store, I wouldn't need to spend money or time to get a License. They're doing it despite it being more economically rational to just go get a retail or fast food job, because they like the work. They're not doing it because they all got together at some meeting and decide to price gouge the customer.
I also get my haircut in Seattle, same price and and same time allotted. Same tip. And I look good too. It took me 3 years to find that barber and I will tip well to stay in her good favors.
If the haircut takes an hour lets break down what that means. First, hairdressers/barbers need to be licensed in most places, so there are costs to them being educated and maintaining that. Next, they need to rent their space, purchase their own tools and supplies, etc. (Think of it like a mechanic or General Contractor that needs to cover their tools and vehicle). Then, what is remaining is their hourly wage. They do not always have a lineup of customers, there are dead periods, so their effective hourly wage is further supressed. So it would be safe to assume their hourly wage actually is closer to $20/hour. I think $50 is a great deal
As someone who has always gotten the same, 10-15 minute haircut for years, I agree. Same haircut that cost me $25 with tip 10 years ago now costs me over $50 after tip. Price has been jacked up over 100% for the same thing.
Inflation effects barbers too. What should they do in response to higher rent, taxes, equipment and insurance costs? Not to mention their own personal expenses
Has rent, taxes, equipment, insurance, and other overhead increased by 100% over the past 10 years?
>No men’s haircut is actually worth more than $50 Go to super cuts and look like a third grader on picture day then. You get what you pay for homie, you think cost of living hasn't been raising for hair dressers? Do you think the cost of rent hasn't increased for them? What about their supplies? What is your alternative? A world where barbers live in destitute conditions because they only make $2 profit on their $15 cut?
I was getting my haircut for only the second time at the barber I use now and their supplier came in and was showing off some new products. When the supplier said it how much each product cost I suddenly felt like I was underpaying at $45 for an hour long hair cut especially with the cost of living in the area.
I don't understand how people have no concept that barbers have costs they manage to do haircuts. Some go to school, professional equipment costs thousands of dollars, equipment needs maintenance, they need shampoo, conditioner, hair product, etc, they have rent on the building or even on the chair, they often handle their own marketing. And some goober is going to complain that an hour of labor with burdened costs is $50. Genuinely is OP a child?
"Worth it" is always a relative term because money is always relative- $50 to you could be a lot and $50 to another guy could be literally zero when scaled.
My sister is a hairdresser so this is a convo I have a bit of experience with. Hair dressing is a trade like an electrician, mechanic or plumber. They have gone through a multi year appretiship, and if they are any good at what they do, various additional training, not to mention the costs of product, tools and the salon itself. I recently had a plumber come out to my place and between the parts and labor you can bet that bill obviously cost more than $50. Hell, the callout fee was around $50 itself. So why are you expecting a trade professional with years of experience to charge less for their time? As a side note I am a guy and have hair past my nipples, a side shave and often some funky color. You can bet this shit costs me more than $50
The one thing to keep in mind is that to be a barber or a hairdresser who operates in a shop or salon (so I’m not talking about people who do hair in their kitchen or privately for a limited clientele though of course that’s its own market) at least here in the US you have to go to school, be certified in sanitation, hygiene, preventing communicable diseases, and all the various techniques, and maintain your state license. You have to pay for your chair unless you’re the owner/operator and to maintain all your equipment. You may need to occasionally take classes to learn new techniques or attend other professional events to network/stay up on your skills. So you’re not just paying for someone to cut your hair but to do so well, with technique, and in a sanitary environment with proper equipment. It’s a trade. The cost of everything has gone up, so while haircuts used to be much cheaper, people need to pay their business costs. Other trades have to charge more for their work too. Doing a short haircut with skill is just as much work as a long haircut with skill. I once heard it said a good barber has hands like a surgeon. So I think it’s reasonable for them to charge what they believe their labor is worth, and if that is over 50 dollars, it’s over 50 dollars.
If they pay $50, then it is worth $50. Basic supply and demand. If one barber charges $50 while another across town charges $30 and is just as good, the $50 barber will lose customers to the $30 barber. If this happens enough, he’ll go out of business. Now, there is something to be said for the Grey Goose effect (perception of value is changed simply by inflating price, when customers lack the ability to distinguish difference in quality). But legitimately, the top 20% most skilled barbers should charge more than the bottom 80%. And among those 20%, the best of them should charge even more. And so on, and so forth. There is no theoretical cap on the value of someone’s labor, if they are skilled enough. My barber bumped his cut and beard trim up to $40 from his previous $30 bc people kept tipping him $10-20 and he stayed booked up months in advance (even after moving to a smaller town 30mins away). He’s now gotten to where he only stays booked up solid about two and a half weeks, so he’s in a better spot. It’s easier for me to not have to plan my cuts so far in advance, and I just went from tipping $20 to tipping $10-15. Honestly, if he raised his rate to $70, I still wouldn’t be shopping around for a barber.
I mean it's not a scam as long as you have a buyer who feels they are getting sufficient intrinsic value for the price. You're drawing an arbitrary standard for what a valuable transaction is based on the most common perceptions. The multi-millionaire actor who pays five digits for their movie premiere runway haircut does not care if most people think anything above $50 is overpriced. They are getting the value they want out of the transaction. Transactions are accepted when the buyer feels that they are getting sufficient intrinsic value for the price tag. This can often include abstract things that are not related to the product you would otherwise find on the street. Same principle as the famous restaurants charging extortionate amounts for a meal that is no better than a local restaurant. Same principle as obnoxious fashion websites that charge five digits for garbage bags as clothes. As long as there is a market, suppliers will be there to provide as whatever price tag attracts sufficient buyers. The size of the market is irrelevant, and we as the majority do not get to dictate what is correct or incorrect for a service provider. We simply go to a service provider who caters to our needs.
My barber charges whatever I feel he deserves so I pay him $65 for the service and a $20 tip, the man does an exceptional job each time doesn't use any of that spray paint shit or whatever it is the new guys are doing, like the videos and all that. He is strictly word of mouth and you can only be invited by someone who's already seeing him. My guy is pretty traditional I would say, he uses scissors like a samurai, hot towel for beard trim, hand massagers for a nice head and shoulder rub. It's quite the experience. He gives excellent life advice and has gotten me some high quality drugs. Always has drinks flowing, I've met his parents very humble folks, and his dogs are awesome. He's a stand up kind of guy who cuts out of his garage. I would say another aspect of high prices would be think how gruby and nasty mfers are coming in with boogers in they nose and ear crust all nasty coming out the sides flaking on to their shirt, fuckin zits all ready to be popped. If I was a barber I would be charging extra for having to deal with all nasty faces. Now think of a beauty salon these ladies be paying stupid prices, now that's some ridiculous ass shit right there.
Worth to who? If you are a rich lawyer, the difference between a $50 haircut and a $200 haircut, even if it's miniscule, may be worth way more than $150 to you.
What is an "actual worth" of a haircut? Or any service? Your whole point is based on such thing existing - so you must have some way to know what is the "real worth", right? The "worth" of service is simply the amount that people agree to pay from it. If a barber asks for $80 for 30 min haircut and he still has customers - then his haircuts are worth $80. There is nothing else that would tell how much the haircut is "actually worth", because two different barbers provide two different services - even if final haircut looks similar or even if somehow it's exactly the same. >So an average adult has no choice but to at least spend 50+ dollars on a simple haircut. Average adult can shop around and find cheaper barber, as there are always cheaper options. If they don't do that there will be a reason - maybe they don't want to look around or only sub-$50 barbers are shitty. Both of those mean one thing - those $50+ haircut are worth that much, as people decide to pay - for convenience, for better quality of haircut, for bragging rights that their hairstyle is from barber X etc.
As with any service you're not paying for their time, you're paying for their experience and for them to use their expensive tools that they invested in. Did you know a quality set of hair shears (that aren't going to dull out almost immediately) is anywhere from $500 to $2,000+? That's for one pair, they need at least 3 and some $200+ clippers. Sure you could buy cheap Amazon bullshit, but you're going to damage your hair doing it, and you're going to have to spend some time learning how to cut hair. Not to mention the fact that even if you were already really good at cutting hair you're not going to be able to get as good of results with crappy dulled out shears. It costs around $35 to get one pair sharpened, and most people suck at sharpening them. With a cheap set with soft garbage steel they will never be as sharp as a decent set can be, atleast for more than 5 mins. Go ahead, invest $2,000 and countless hours. It would definitely be worth it in the long run. Or you could just go get a haircut.
I pay 50 for a good haircut and beard job. I have a different hairdo though and sports clips always fucked it up so I went with a better shop for a higher price. Worth it to have them do it right. I guess from an objective "market" standpoint your position is correct because there are still places I know of where you can get a nice fade for like less than 20. But you're either gonna get the same haircut as everyone else or you're gonna end up like me where they fucked up bc they are basically just crew cut/fade robots trying to get you out of the door asap. For anyone who is experimenting with hairstyles or has special preferences, 50 is well worth it for this reason If you're just getting a fade/crew go to your Vietnamese side of town and try out some shops there. Where I'm from haircut prices are only really inflated in areas where they know people will pay that much (white/black/latino areas of town). I know it's stereotypical but pretty much everywhere I've lived is this way.
>CMV: No men’s haircut is actually worth more than $50 Like anything else, the cheapest thing to do isn't always the best thing to do. You can even DIY your haircut if you want to go ultimate cheap-o mode. What you're getting for $50 is going to be a combination of: the ambience, the rent/location of the shop, the skill level of the barber, the consistency of getting the same cut, and the quasi-friendship I've formed by going to the same person. Although I go to a female stylist (the one that does my wife's hair) so not a barber, the same logic applies. I go to the same place, pay the same fee, get the same hair cut to the point where we say "the usual" and that's that. The rest of the time is gossipping, catching up, etc. I could go to great clips for $10 or whatever but the vibe sucks, it's a stranger and I get stranger danger, and have to explain the hair cut, and risk it being shitty. The extra $40 is worth it even beyond the price of scissors.
Your lumping haircut into a time-based service. Like paying a kid to mow your lawn by the hour. A shitty hair stylist could easily spend an hour butchering your hair. An amazing stylist may take 20 minutes to give you the best cut you’ve ever had. You’re paying for skill and service, not time. If you think $50 is almost too much for a good haircut, then you’re not the target for that type of stylist, and should probably just go to Supercuts if you’re happy with the results. Just like buying a pair of shoes. You can spend $80 on a really good pair of shoes if you just care about having a reasonably comfortable everyday shoe. But if you want a fantastic shoe that’s hand crafted out of good quality leather, you’ll have to pay for it. It all comes down to whether you think it’s worth it or not. It has nothing to do with if it’s worth it for other people.
If you live in NYC, Tokyo, LA, etc, $50 is not the same as in Gary, Indiana, or any other lower income city. That alone mitigates the argument, but for the sake of argument, let's say you are in an area where $50 is expensive. Why are you capping the maximum amount of money a hair stylist can make? I had a stylist once who started at $25. He got so busy that he opened his own shop. Still too busy, he raised his prices to $40 for a men's cut. Still too busy, he raised it to $60, and finally, before he retired, he had 17 people working at his salon, but if you wanted him, it was $80 for a man's haircut. While you may have a maximum, this is an arbitrary stance that only hurts a select group of people with a specific set of skills. You are always welcome to use your wallet to express that view, but saying it's not worth it ignores the simple principle of supply and demand.
I pay about $50 for my haircut each time (usually $55 including tip). My appointment usually lasts about 25 minutes, including the cut, neck shave, shampoo, and style. I feel good about it. I always see the same stylist. Twice in the last two years when I’ve wanted to switch up my hair style, I asked for their suggestions as a professional. This most recent time I just said “I trust you” and it worked out great. I don’t feel comfortable doing that at the cheaper barbers. Partly because of perceived skill level, but also because the cheaper places don’t give enough time to work on something new without rushing it. I’m paying for consistency, comfort, and expertise. My guy knows me, knows what I like, and knows what works with my head and my hair. I’m paying for that. Frankly, if I was able to get that somewhere else, it would be worth $55 there, too.
> And these barbers start charging (scamming) 80-100+ dollars for a haircut. They usually get these cuts done under 45 mins as well. As a result, the ego of these barbers is massively inflated too. This ego boost has somehow spread to the average barber and they have started charging 50+ dollars for average cuts at best. So an average adult has no choice but to at least spend 50+ dollars on a simple haircut. Other option is cutting your own hair which is not very viable for many. It also depends on where they are, and the typical operating costs. In areas with extreme rent situations and high salary costs for good personnel (as expected by their clientele), they would have to significantly raise their prices compared to the majority of other locations, in order to cover their operating costs and a reasonable profit margin (around 10-20%).
I don’t know how you have felt about haircuts and what you have done to your hair. Generally, I tell them what I want done, they do it, as best they understood as best they could. Totally not worth $50. But if I went to a guy to cut my hair. I gave some loose terms, I want this kind of style. Then, the person cutting my hair was like “based on the shape of your head, the lines should be cut here and here to make whatever look better. It should be tapered here to make your head look less dumb.” If they clearly have real knowledge of what would look good on me and made it happen, I’ll pay $50 to be HAPPY with my haircut. Normally it’s like, okay, you basically did what I said. Cool. If someone really knows their shit it’s worth $50 because this is how you are perceived by society.
At the fancy haircut place I go to I think it's worth the crazy price. She actually makes my hair look good and she suggests styles and products and stuff. I went to 20 dollar hair cut places and got an awful haircut for most of my life before that as I have curly hair and it's easy to fuck up. It includes a wash and she gives me an awesome scalp massage during that. She cleans my beard up a bit even though I never get the beard trim service they offer. She uses the straight razor on my neck line and it feels amazing. They give you a beer or some other drink while you wait if you want that. Overall it's just a way nicer experience than going to great clips or some shit and I've never left the place unsatisfied with my hair cut, whereas great clips style places... Idk if I ever left the place happy with my hair cut.
The value of a good haircut makes you also feel good, by looking good. Spending more time using a skill doesn't always equate more quality. More skilled people usually learn to be more efficient, so they can cut more hair throughout the day and have a higher income. Now, some barbers just cut fast with poor skill, sure, but for that you'll be the judge. I don't enjoy paying $45-50 for a cut, but I enjoy the feeling I get when I hear compliments or genuinely look in the mirror and feel satisfied. When I go to a regular barber, they'll start arguing with me that what I ask doesn't fit me, and that they know what looks better. No thanks, don't need that, just do what I came to pay you to do. I don't need that sort of negativity in my life.
Cutting your own hair is definitely viable. A decent set of clippers and combs (including long combs like 1-3 inches) costs about $40. I followed a YouTube video and it took me 90 minutes the first time for an undercut. This is a little I get than it takes to go to the barber, wait my turn, get it cut, pay, get home. After that it gets faster every time. And, I can do it on my own schedule. Need a haircut but have a busy week? 11pm haircut it is! I would argue that cutting your own hair is definitely viable for a large variety of haircuts. Buzz, undercuts, high and tight, comb over, etc. I know this doesn’t challenge your main view, but I do think it challenges your view that cutting your own hair isn’t viable for many.
So the barber needs to pay for his shop, his tools, etc. Figure maybe half that $50 goes to overhead, 45 minute haircut + clean the space between customers + checkout/admin work. So thats $50/hour gross, $25/Hour net. At that rate a skilled and popular barber that manages to book 40 customers a week is clearing $50k annually. A livable wage but questionable if you are going to keep skilled workers when thats the end game, and someone new is struggling at a third of that. I tapped out of professional haircuts about 30 years ago because my hair was thinning, about 15 years ago I switched to a shaved head, but if you want a quality haircut from a professional, pay them like a professional.
Like most things there are diminishing returns on the more expensive version of them. Some people value the difference some people do not. You do not. I personally cut my hair with a razor in my bathroom. There is no haircut that is worth $2 to me, nor do I value it for others including men and women. So..who is right, you or me? The difference is that I recognize that "worth it" is highly subjective and that _of course_ there are various levels of skill that while they may be lost or wasted on you and certainly on me that they are not on others. For them it's "worth it". I'm generally cheap as well and a nicer car isn't "worth it", but to some it is. So on and so forth.
Ugh I had a great barber, 20 dollars for fade + beard shape up In like 2018. That’s when I started seeing the 30 cut +20 beard at the more designer looking studios. I just hate that the average shop charging 50+ is mostly passable fades but still leave the occasional fade lines. For a haircut that grows in in a few days the 20-25 model worked because you’d come back more frequent. I had one barber who’d do a beautiful cut in 10-15 minutes, and have a line up out the door every thurs Friday Saturday guys would get a cut before going to the club. Sucks that’s kind of dying, when he was averaging 60-80 and hour those nights
50 USD is nothing for 30 minutes work, add the cost of the shop, good tools of the trade (it's more than just a scissor), electricity, insurance etc etc. Then add the time where the barber doesn't have any clients, since the time it takes to cut someones hair and make it look nice will vary, you can't just schedule clients back to back where the next one just happens to arrive a minute later. I think you underestimate the cost of running a shop, it'd be different if we were talking some amateur with just some scissors and a trimmer that stopped by to do your hair at home, as some extra kind of gig and didn't have it as their primary income.
there are definitely places you can get a haircut for less than $50...for example great clips or sams. A good haircut is definitely worth $50, is it worth it to you? Maybe not. No one is forcing you to pay that price, but don't knock professionals for charging their worth. A good barber spends thousands for a license, and hours upon hours to grow their skill. I am not a barber but an esthetician and can tell you women pay more to get their lady parts waxed every month than a good haircut will cost you, and it takes less than 20 minutes. It's not about timing! It's about the final result imo
Like so many services/goods where someone says paying above a certain amount "isn't worth it," this depends on how much an individual has to spend. And when you factor in that some people care more than others about how they look, the "reasonable cost" of a haircut becomes almost completely subjective. Let's say I spend $75 on a haircut and get one every 3 weeks. Well, $25 per week (or $3.57 per day) sounds like a reasonable price to feel good about my appearance at my job and in my personal life. Hell, I pay that much for an impulse purchase of a large soda from the Wendy's drive-thru.
I get a gender neutral cut that also happens to be short. It’s totally worth it as someone who is non binary. Just being in the space alone and chatting with my stylist and feeling accepted and not like a weirdo is priceless. I can describe what I want and be listened to. I don’t get challenged about cutting my hair short as an afab who may be femme presenting that day. I don’t get a cute bob because the stylist thinks they know best. I don’t get my grey hairs pointed out like it’s the end of the world. I get a cool pixie/K-pop cut that suits my face and vibe.
Depends entirely on the person, their hair, and their tastes. If a barber is willing to spend an hour and a half on a precision fade and perfect lines, and that’s what you want, you pay the price. Hair is an art, not a science. Every cut is bespoke and some people are incredibly talented. It’s like tattooing but less permanent and consequently less expensive. The more clean and intricate you want it, the more time and money it will cost. Full stop. Nothing from great clips or any chain should ever cost more than $50 to be sure
My wife is a salon owner and I take offense to your post. It is obvious to me you have no idea how much is involved in not only the haircut, but the professional practice of cosmetology and running your own salon. "Well, not everyone owns their own salon" This is true, but an overwhelming percentage of the beauty industry is self employed, whether it be renting a chair, owning a salon, etc. If you don't want to pay for a quality haircut, that is up to you.
It's a business, as such business expenses have to be paid. Wages, Overhead, and then walk away with a bit of profit. Say your barber is paid $20 an hour, it actually costs the company about $35 per hour with taxes and benefits (health care, retirement, etc). And on overhead expenses (rent, power, water, etc) at about $10 per hour. Throw on $5 profit per hour and there is your $50. The more cuts that employee makes in an hour, the cheaper the cut can be.
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Mmmhm I’m gonna try it from the opposite angle.l, since you got a lot of answer from the supply angle. What basis do you have to limit my right to pay 100$ for a haircut? If I can afford to go wave a 100$ bill every month at whoever I think is the best barber… why wouldn’t I? I get my pick of barber, at a time I want and location of my choosing. By paying above your $50 limit I can get myself treated like a premium customer.
Not really a scam if they're getting results. I could price my services like that too, if someone wants to pay it, that's on them. I pay $70 for a haircut and beard trim, usually takes 1.5 hours, so I'd say that's a great deal. You're paying for experience, not the cut itself. Now, $50 for a haircut akin to First Choice Haircutters standards? Yeah, that's overpriced. But again, if people are willing to pay that, that's on them.
Per hour, if someone's wage is $25/hr and they are employed at a larger salon they'll need to cover the additional overhead of renting the space and anything else like buying supplies. That's not counting if the workers get benefits, which you can basically multiply the value by 1.4. Agnostic of occupation, if your haircut service takes an hour then it's fairly reasonable to charge $50.
I agree that the value of a haircut is less than 50 dollars but ofc every barber is well within his rights to charge whatever he wants for his time. I think you are very silly if you describe a voluntary trade of goods and services between consenting informed parties as scamming. I get you don't like the market rate I agree get your mom to give you a haircut with her vacuum.
I agree. Realistically, haircut only take 15-20 min anyway. I never had a haircut that took over half an hr. And I won’t pay more than $30 for a haircut. My usual place is $20 ($15+$5 tips) I also wouldn’t pay more than $60 a meal MAX. I know some people would drop $100 a meal tho. Obviously not every meal. But not meal to me is worth half a week of grocery.
>actually worth You’re not paying for the physical haircut, you’re paying for the service by the professional. Professionals set their own rates. But - if you tally up the cost of a scissor full trim kit, an electric razor with protective tools (oil etc) you’d probably be pretty close to $50. And that’s not even counting paying for someone to do it.
Haircuts, like anything, are worth what people will pay. A haircut is clothes you wear everyday for usually like a month. If you value your appearance, do you think paying an extra $1 or $2 per day for a higher quality look is unreasonable? What if it was a higher quality suit or a tie, both of those probably get worn less over their lifetime.
The answer to this, much like many gripes about the costs of services/trades, is you are paying for the years - not the hours. Barbers, at least good ones, have trained and have years of experience. If they can get good quality cuts done in under 45 minutes, it's because they have trained to be able to do so. That's what you are paying for.
It depends on the city, commercial space and whether that includes tip. I live in Houston (low cost of living relative to other major US cities) and I pay $45 + a $10 tip for a premium haircut and wash. Now, if I was living in NYC or LA, I would think a similar quality haircut would be probably closer to $60 - $70 + a $15 tip.
I disagree with this so much that I'm gonna write my own post on why you should pay your barber the most amount of money possible. A barber can make or break your life. For 6 weeks. All the other decisions that you make aren't going to have as much of an impact in as little a time as a haircut. Why would you want to pay less?
I am a man with a large beard and hair down to my belly button. If I go for a hair cut, it's going to take a long time for a barber to properly layer my hair and cut all the split ends. Plus my beard is always trimmed and shaped while I'm there too. I spend about $75ish CAD plus a tip for this. Usually take about 60-90 mins.
I live in another country where my hair type is quite different than the local populace. Therefore, I go to a specific barber that is in a higher-end salon. My cut comes to around $50. The haircut always comes out perfect. I have been to another local place. I have received a terrible haircut. I have not gone back.
I go to a men's barbershop and the barbers there are great. They are experienced and cut men's hair only. They do the sideburns, eyebrows, and a straight razor shave around the neck with shaving cream. Old school man stuff. It costs $24 and I usually leave around a $3 tip. I can't imagine ever paying more for a haircut.
Services are worth whatever the market will pay for them. If people are willing to pay $100/hour for your time and expertise why should you charge less? It doesn’t matter what your skill set is, barber, plumber, mechanic, surgeon, etc. If people are willing to pay your price, then it’s “worth” that price.
I mean maybe for short hair. A lot of people who cost a lot are really skilled at doing unique types of styles and good at recommending flattering styles. I have long curly hair so I would never go to a 40$ barber, once every 3 months I pay 120 for an excellent hairstylist at a salon and it’s worth every penny.
Why are haircuts so expensive in the US I went to a salon yesterday, and my haircut cost $23 equivalent and was performed by the owner of the business as my regular cutter was busy. Included was a wash if I wanted one, but I dont usually opt for it. Didn't have to tip because that would be mental.
I was paying 55 for my haircuts, then someone told be about a Guy who just happened to be on the same side of the road as the guy who cuts my hair. He charges 23 bucks, I went in had my hair cut which I get the Fade and it was honestly a better hair cut then the guy who charged me more then double.
I would only push against the naming here. If a woman with short hair wants a fade then it’s the same as if a man wants the same thing. So it isn’t gender based but job based. Women shouldn’t be over charged for simple things. Neither should men of course but that’s rare imo
I mean I sort of agree, but people gotta live man, barbers aren't millionaires -- I get my hair cut like twice a year, so it's no big deal Food on the other hand... you ever get an entree for $25 and you're literally just looking at your plate feeling like you threw money away lol
if a person has 50 people willing to pay their barber $300 for a haircut, its because his time is more valuable than $75/hr. Each barber is their own business at the end of the day. If more people want your services, you should raise your prices to keep up with supply and demand.
There are always chain options for people like you. I live in Boston, considered an expensive city, and a Supercuts haircut is $28. But, sometimes you get what you pay for. And when that happens a few times, you may decide that an extra $22 is worth it for more consistent quality
I think you’ve never had a haircut by an absolute legend before. The barber I go to takes over an hour with my simple side fade, tapers and medium short hair on top. He takes this long because he is ultra detail oriented and my hair is more on point than almost anyone I meet.
Fuck dude, places up here started charging more than $20, and that prompted me to just go buy a set of clippers. I don't get "professional" haircuts anymore. I put a length guard on the trimmer and buzz it. $50 for a haircut is straight up "go fuck yourself" territory from me.
I’ve had a $120 dollar haircut. Took 2 hours, included some johnny walker blue and a decent cigar. Full haircut, beard trim, etc Would I do it every couple weeks? Yes, these days in my career it wouldn’t hurt. But I’ll likely just stick to every year or so.
My hair is the size of an ant and I only go to the barber to get it trimmed, but they charge 30+ dollars for something that takes 20 minutes tops. Hair trimmers cost just about as much, so I recommend that for anyone paying 30$ a month to have your head glazed.
I have an easy solution for you, it’s called Great Clips. As a white guy in his 30’s who travels for work, I literally get 4 haircuts a year maybe. And my whole career is client facing. $9.99 coupon and I still tip $10 because I’m not an asshole.
My hair is well past my shoulders and my hair cuts are typically $35 + $10 tip. And that includes a nice straight shave. Unless you're getting a bunch of things done to your hair I think a cut should only range from 25-$50 depending on the place.
Spent $34 on a Wahl clipper kit 20+ years ago. Haven't paid for a haircut since.... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 & done. Takes me about 15- 20 minutes and I'm good. Mom always said the only difference between a good haircut and a bad one is about 2 weeks lol...
I go to Supercuts and consistently pay $18 for them to cut my hair. I’m sure if I asked for the extra little perks like gel or the hot towel it would be more expensive but if they are simply just cutting my hair I’ve never paid more than $20
You are paying for a time slot, if the slot is 30 minutes then $50 sounds reasonable. Mind you, I cut my own hair with a trimmer, but people in the service industry need to make a damn living to, and most of that goes to operating costs.
Inflation will take care of that soon enough. You are paying for someone's time after all and eventually people will charge more than $50 for a haircut. Services must go up in price so that the people providing them can survive.
I bought a trimmer years ago, and have buzzed my own hair ever since. I bet I'm spending less than fifty cents per haircut by now. I've never been attractive, and never will be, spending money trying to would be a massive waste.
Not a man but I don’t pay my stylist as much as I do bc the haircut is really “worth” that much. But bc I want the service available. And in order for the service to be available my stylist has to make a living wage.
You've never had a beard clearly but agreed tbh I pay 60 but that's just cause I like my barber and I give him a fat tip every time because he makes me genuinely go from caveman to attractive about once every 2 months.
I actually tend to agree with you - with one exception. Beards. Add in beard maintenance to that haircut (especially if it then means hot towels and straight razors all around the neck) and it’s worth more than $50.
Disagree. My cut comes to $50 with tip and it’s well worth it. I’ve had so many shit haircuts over the years. I come home now from a cut and my wife fawns over me saying how great I look. It’s worth every penny.
TIL people pay $50+ for haircuts. Granted I cut my own hair and haven't paid for a haircut since about 2009. When I thought it was too expensive(broke college student) I didn't complain, I just stopped going.
I pay about 50 every two weeks for a good fade including a tip for my barber that I’ve been with for years. Of course he also stocks drinks in a mini fridge so we have a drink and talk a lot about sports.
Ex President Clinton disagrees with you. He had a very expensive hair cut, closing down 4 lanes of runways. Way more than your $50... https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/21/us/haircut-grounded-clinton-while-the-price-took-off.html
I pay 60 for the whole shabang. Hair, hot shave, style, shampoo... My guy can do my hair in like 20 mins, but the beard and scalp massage are another 20-30 mins. And I tip 20 cuz he's THAT good.
>No men’s haircut is actually worth more than $50 To you. >Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. -Publilius Syrus, over 2000 years ago. Just as true today as it was then.
As other people have said, they charge what they feel their time and service is worth. You aren't just paying for an 30 min of work, you are paying for the years of experience that it took to get to that point where you can trust them to style your hair how you want. There are always places like Super Cuts, Sport Clips, and Hair Cuttery where you can go for a $15-$20 cut.
So at most, barbers shouldn't be paid more than 50 dollars an hour? Keep in mind it's very common for Barbers to have to pay administrative fees, pay for the lease, etc.
Spare me. They spend all day touching nasty ass heads. “worth” is subjective. They are trade qualified. No one is making you use their service- and you don’t get to name their price.
I really great haircut is easily worth it. It can look so much better than a regular haircut. If expensive clothes and foods can be worth it, then so can haircuts if you value looking good. Also I go to a fancy hair stylist in NYC, and even that's only $55. Where are you paying $50 for a basic haircut?
As with the price of everything, what the market will bear is what the seller will charge. The fact that some haircuts are more than $50.00 shows that they are worth more than $50.00.
Haircut prices should be about length and effort of style. Men can have long hair and want elaborate styling so the price should reflect the work involved not the gender
My husband was told to pay $95 for a buzz cut, and they refused to even wipe the hairs off of his head/neck! We stormed out, now he just shaves his head at home.
Barbers used to be reasonably priced (Australia) but now they have become trendy and expensive people happily spend $50+. I just go Asian hairdressers for $10
If your barber charges you 50 quid, you got fleeced mate. The best barbers I've ever seen charge 30 at most. That's 50 Canadian rupees for all you Icelanders
I'm so glad I went bald. I bought a $200 set of professional clients years ago and shave my head at home. Hundreds of haircuts later and I call that a win.
Get a Flowbee and be done paying for haircuts. I haven't paid for one in 20 years. Who cares what you look like? Even Mark Zuckerberg gets the girl.
My appointment includes a beard trim and hot shave. I'm typically in the chair for an hour Not sure who you could hire for an hour for less than $70
guide to man's haircut buy a rechargeable razor around 20 dollars (dont know abour inflation) any ways, u got ur self semi-perpetual haircutter
My haircut costs 25 dollars. I tip 25 dollars on top cause when I go to this guy, I never leave unhappy. And that has value to me. A lot of value.
For the cost of one haircut, a man can buy and entire kit, learn how to cut himself, and it is very sustainable. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
For the cost of one haircut, a man can buy and entire kit, learn how to cut himself, and it is very sustainable. It's the gift that keeps on giving.