Bangladeshi Barbers

“Koto katbo?” (how much should I cut) asked the man behind the barber’s chair, scissors in hand. After over two months in-country my hair had become a bit shaggy. Somewhat tired of hearing “Your long hair looks very bad. Cut it.”, I broke down and heeded the frank advice. I went with my coworker, Ripon, to a barber shop in the nearby bazaar. No sooner had I told the man, Sobuj, how much to cut than he got to work with the scissors. No clippers could be seen or heard in this place. Bangladeshi barbers are masters in the art of scissor wielding and can cut any head of hair – no matter how short – perfectly without them. When it came to trimming around the edges he whipped out a straight razor, also used for their 10 Taka shaves, and with a few fell swoops was done. Finally, he asked if I wanted the optional 10 Taka neck massage. Having experienced it once, I’m a believer. From now on it’s a required part of barber shop visits. Between Ripon’s shave and my haircut with massage the total came to 70 Taka or one USD. When will this make it to the States?