Posted by alexb on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

A few days ago I decided to experience what it would be like to get an Italian haircut. I have noticed that the haircuts here in Sicily are much more fashion forward than most in the states. For guys, they are often shorter on the sides and longer on the top than American guys, where fades are still common, but a tight haircut is popular as well. I wanted to get a fade haircut, so I did some scoping around and found a very nice looking barber shop in the center of town. Although the owner said that I would have to wait, I decided to sit down in the corner and observe everything that was going on around me.

There were 3 barbers, one of which was an apprentice, taking notes on how the older barber cut hair. The first cultural difference I observed was how they greeted their customer. It was an assumed process where they see you, and you sit down and wait. In America, I find that there is usually someone standing at a desk to greet you and ask which service you want. In Sicily, it’s assumed what you want.

While I was waiting, I observed how they cut hair. Here, they seemed to be slightly speedier with their clients. In the states, I find that most barbers constantly pause and ask their customer if this is what they want. Here, they did not even take a minute to pause. They just cut the hair expertly and then moved on to the next person. This shows the decisive manner in the community. How everyone trusts one another and they do not hesitate to leave the styling of their hair up to the barber, whereas Americans need to make sure it is exactly how they like it.

There was one last thing that completely surprised me when having this experience. When I was getting my haircut, there were several locals that would just come into the shop, talk to the barber, give them a kiss on the cheek, and then leave. This shows the sense of community that is deeply rooted in Cefalú, one that truly cares for one another and is willing to take time out of the middle of their day just to converse. This confirms my ongoing thesis that the Sicilian’s value of friendship and family are unique and better than of those in America.

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This is the barber shop that I decided to write my experience about.

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