I bit the bullet and braved the Korean barber...

And I'm never going back. I wanted to find a place to get my hair chopped since my last cut was the day we left Thailand (3 months ago) and my head was starting to hurt from the weight of my hair. So I ventured out across the nearby bridge where I spotted a barber pole. I worked my way through the maze of Korean shops down to a woman behind some glass (seemed high security for a barber). I made a scissor motion and she nodded and told me "e-chon-o-beck-won"- 2500W ($2.50). "Ok", I thought, that's a cheap haircut. She motioned to a door and I went in.

The place was empty besides a kid and two guys. It was actually a sauna-like-mens-club, not just a barber shop. I made my scissor mime again and they shuffled me over to a locker area where one guy mimed an instruction for me to remove my shirt. "What!? Why? I'm getting a hair cut and all but is this necessary? Perhaps they wanted to trim my chest hair..." I would've left, but I had already paid, so I removed my shirt. I think they were a little taken aback by my hair (most Korean men have hairless bodies). The kindy kids will rub my arm hair till the cows come home if I don't stop them - they call me a monkey.

The barber took me over to the haircutting area and sat me down. Thankfully, he wrapped a towel around me. The other man in the place had come over as well and freely felt the stubble on my face (a little awkward) and made some comment to the barber. Koreans don't have very thick facial hair so maybe he was jealous.

So the haircut began....the barber had awful B.O...and he had no inhibitions about farting loudly next to me. I couldn't explain what I wanted so I just let him at it. Miraculously he spared my side burns which most Korean barbers will mercilessly chop off. After the cut, he spread some shaving cream around my neck, ears, and the bottom of my sideburns. He used a straight edge and dragged it down my face, OUCH! I think it needed sharpening. He offered to shave my face as well, but I declined since I didn't want to lose a few layers of skin.

Afterwards, they wanted me to take a shower but I didn't come with that intention so I said no. They gave me a strange look but I just wanted out of there. The barber charged me another W8000 ($8) which was fine, but I thought I already paid. I guess I paid just to get in.

"Kamsa-hamnida, I'll never see you again."

So now I'm left with a little Korean boys haircut, which the Korean teachers at school blatently stated. No tact.