Barbershop Reality Check

Went to get a haircut last night, and ended up getting talked into getting a massage too (not that kind of massage).  Barbershops in China are often like mini-spas; they have massage rooms in the back and you can get your nails and all that done too.  Anyways, the whole thing really made me realize just what a fortunate situation I'm in here as a foreigner.

First of all, a haircut there (with a wash and rinse) costs Y15.  That's like $2.50 back home.  And that's already more than some people are willing to pay, since a haircut at home is free (the Chinese are really cheap).  Y5 extra gets you a 10 minute shoulder/arm/back massage in the barber's chair.  The full-body massage I got was Y48, so just more than $7.  And that's really luxury treatment.  Most locals don't ever get the chance to get one.

During the massage, I got to talking to my masseuse, and man do I have it good.  My masseuse was 24, and had already been working for 4-5 years at various barbershops.  She actually moved in from a smaller town 3-4 hours outside Shanghai to look for work.  Turns out she lives in the same apartment complex (across from the barbershop) as I do, which surprised me since my spot (a 3-bedroomer loaned to me by a family friend) is pretty nice.  How does that work?  Well, it works if you share the flat with 9 other girls.  I didn't ask how much she made, but suffice to say it's probably not a whole lot.  She works 12-13 hours a day, 6 days a week.

Still, bar servers might have it worse.  A friend here used to work at a bar (for Y50 a night), and he said that the girls working there made Y35 (no tips) for an 8-10 hour shift.  A pint there costs Y40.

Update: A brave American blogger spent a month working at a local barbershop just to see what it'd be like; he wrote about it here.