John and Tim - Barbers

GQ Magazine told me last week that all self respecting men should have a relationship with a barber, and, once a week, go and get their necks and sideburns trimmed. I don't really have sideburns, but I do have a neck, so I decided to try it out. I went to the Barbers Shop on K Road.

After waiting about 25 minutes, John stepped up and greeted me with a look of serious mistrust - I was at least 40 years younger than their typical clientele, and not balding, grey or bespectacled. I told him I just wanted my neck trimmed. He spoke to me with heavily accented Scottish English. "There's not much point, I'll have to charge you the same price because you'll be sitting in my chair." I replied that it was no problem, and sat down.

He shaved my neck in silence, with a sour look on his face, quite different from his loquacious interactions with the other customers. About three minutes later, he was done. He took the towel off, didn't wipe my neck or brush it off with their special neck brushes, and didn't offer to show me his handiwork with a mirror. "That'll be 10 dollars," he scowled. I paid him his money and left the shop.

At home, I admired the trim in a mirror. He hadn't even done a very good job.

Next week I might try Tim.