I’m fairly plain in my appearance. I don’t have a stack of cosmetics. I wear my natural hair. A few years ago, I stressed about my thinning eyebrows, so I went to a permanent makeup artist.
Because I had little knowledge of the beauty industry, I wasn’t aware of many of the conversations happening within the community.
In 2021, I was introduced to Terrence Graham, a former videographer who was looking for a writer for his new magazine, The DMV’s Illest Barbers. He asked me to interview highly skilled barbers throughout the DMV and tell their stories.
Easy! Right up my alley.
In speaking to more than 20 barbers and crafting their stories, I learned nearly all of them had a few things in common:
- Many are artists. Their creativity just happens to come through haircuts. Ask your barber to get creative and watch them go to work!
- Loyal clientele takes years to build. If your barber is booked and busy, understand that many clients schedule well in advance to secure their appointments.
- Skill and demand influence pricing. Experience, consistency and the quality of service all contribute to what a barber can reasonably charge. Whether that price works for a client’s budget is another matter.
- Many barbers work for themselves. The money you pay doesn’t go directly into their pockets. It supports an entire business, including expenses most clients never see.
Below is an example of what I mean:
My partner is a barber and salon suite owner. He operates two separate businesses because, apparently, his entrepreneurial spirit won’t rest.
Watching him manage both has given me another perspective.
When I was on social media, there were big debates about whether barbers should charge more than $20 for a haircut. Yikes!
That’s roughly $20,000 a year after taxes and expenses…based on our scenario.
I don’t think they realize this would mean the person they trust with their grooming would have to pick up a second job.
…Or raise their prices to enjoy a reasonable living wage.
I understand the frustration. Everything is more expensive, and consumers have every right to decide what they can afford.
But I also wonder how many people understand what goes into providing that $50 or $65 haircut.
My partner spends no less than 45 minutes with each client, has a 5-star rating from more than 300 clients on his booking app, and offers privacy, snacks, drinks, good conversation outside of his services.
I pay my therapist $90 per Zoom session by comparison.
So, a barber in demand offers much more than $20 of their time.
There’s skill, time, business expenses, taxes and the physical demands of doing that type of work day after day.
Just because a service is outside someone’s budget doesn’t automatically mean the person providing it is charging too much.
Did this post stimulate your mental? 🙂