Barber refuge a cut above the rest

I HAVE been away from home a fair bit during the past year.

While I’ve enjoyed my experiences abroad, time away has also allowed me to reflect on the things I’ve missed at home.

One item on that list is my fortnightly appointment with my barber.

It’s a place of refuge for me; somewhere for a chat and a laugh.

The half an hour or so spent in the chair once a fortnight is therapeutic, not to mention the shot of confidence it gives me after turning my look from scruffy to sleek.

The barber’s chair seems to be a spot where men are comfortable and willing to open up — even to someone who is a relative stranger.

Maybe is has to do with the touch of a barber or the closeness of clippers and scissors through your hair that creates a willingness to have a chat about life.

I’ve heard men unloading their baggage on barbers but there’s also been heaps of funny conversations about the habits of men. It’s not all serious in the barber’s chair. You really can be yourself, free from judgment. Experienced barbers seem to have many of the answers to life’s problems — maybe because they’ve had to offer advice to numerous clients before. The best ones I’ve come in contact with are always willing to lend a sympathetic ear and offer advice. I assume this is what happens within the walls of hair salons and that women share similar relationships with their hairdressers. Female friends who work as hairdressers have told me in great detail about the stories that flow while they have female clients in the chair. They vary between the mundane and the ultra sensitive.

About 2½ years ago, after moving from Melbourne to Geelong, I was recommended the Get Shorty barber shop in Little Malop St.

At the time the shop had just opened with only one barber working to build up a clientele.

Now, more than two years later, the shop has grown to three barbers and a steady stream of clients.

I’m always greeted with a smile when I enter the shop which makes me feel part of the family, and that in part is what keeps me coming back.

I’m sure if I had to get deep and meaningful with my barber he would be all ears.