Hair cut

With class cancelled yesterday, it was the perfect opportunity to head into Tsim Sha Tsui to get a long overdue haircut.

The salon was on the first floor of a narrow, dirty building in the heart of Kowloon's bustling streets, just of the massive Nathan Road. From the outside it looked like it was abandoned, and if it wasn't for the fact that my Taiwanese friend who accompanied me had been there before, I would have missed it. Inside, however, it was spotless. There was an air of professionalism, and it instantly reminded me that Hong Kong property prices are sky-high. There is more to a book than just its cover.

The service industry is remarkably different from in Denmark. There are different prices according to who cuts your hair, with novice being the cheapest and master being the most expensive. Most hairdressers were male, young, and service minded, and were hired to train under a master till they themselves were qualified. They spoke surprisingly good English, but they had jobs such as shampoo and head massage, as well as styling, blow-drying, and clearing up. The actual stylists, as well as the master, only cut the hair, which meant that he could have a considerable number of customers a day.

I spoke little Mandarin, so my friend acted as a mediator. We got the best guy in the building, a rocking 30-something year old named Max, who cut first my friend and then me in the space of 45 minutes. While I was waiting I had a 15 minute shampoo and head massage, as well as a cup of tea. We were out of the door within an hour, paying 158 HKD each.

Sometimes I wonder whether Denmark might learn something from the hierarchical system of China. Perhaps this is one of them. It seems a waste to have fully trained hairdressers wash, dry, cut and style hair - especially since consumers pay premium prices for the service. But there is no way a Dane will take a job for a couple of years just washing hair in the hope that they might become a "real" hairdresser. That shows the complacency and perceived comfort that Danes have with their jobs. In China there are often thousands and thousands of applicants for individual jobs, and even people working in McDonalds have university degrees. The competition is so fierce, that people will literally work to extremes during their school years in order to try to secure a job when they are done - giving them the image of being workaholics. This also means that service and quality of East Asian businesses is impeccable - just like my new Asian hairstyle.:)