P

eople say barbershops are created for men who hate regular hair salons.

Because most barbershops in Jakarta serve only common male hairstyles with ordinary service, where do stylish men who want to avoid salons get their hair cut?

But Anindita Dwi Lestari, 26, thinks barbershops can be good business.

She opened her barbershop, the Cutbox, in Kemang, South Jakarta, earlier this year.

“Men who are fashion conscious choose my shop instead of the classic type. And it’s absolutely not a salon,” Anindita told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. She said that her shop served around eight regulars a day.

Anindita mentioned that customers were mostly in entertainment such as band personnel and people from artist’s management as well as youngsters. “My eccentric barber, Yossi, is very talented at trimming men’s hair. We also offer unique and bizarre haircuts. Our customers are those who are confident with their appearance,” she said.

The Post visited when a customer arrived. Yossi fastened a scarf over his mouth and nose. He began trimming the customer’s hair, playing with his scissors and comb.

“Sometimes I do crazy stuff while cutting men’s hair. It is fun and I love cutting hair,” Yossi, whose real name is Andy Swandhy, said.

His customer, Deny Irawan, told Yossi that, “It’s up to you. I want a new hairstyle that suits my face-shape and personality. You know me.”

Yossi who had formal hairdressing training, has been styling men’s hair for almost 10 years.

He began hairdressing when his friends from a band asked him to cut their hair. He said he used his instincts to create different styles for each customer.

“I match regulars’ faces and characters with their requests. So, every haircut is different,” he said, adding that he provided a more “extreme” cut to those bravehearts. “Sometimes the cut is so bizarre, more like hair styled for stage performance,” he said.

Different from the Cutbox, a barbershop called Di Hoek, also in Kemang area, offers convenience.

“We provide haircuts with ser-vices such as massages,” the manager of the shop, Wenda Wildayan, 30, said.

He said he believed comfort would keep customer’s coming back.

“It takes around 40 minutes for a hair cut, including the massage. So, we build a cozy ambience providing Wi-Fi service and a small coffee bar,” he said. “A guest once came here just to have a coffee and use the Wi-Fi without having his hair done,” he added.

Customers include expatriates, teenagers, band personnel and young musicians, young businessmen and executives, as well as neighbors. “Some older men are also regulars,” he said.

“We chose [to outfit the shop with] tables, sofas and lamps from recycled material such as straw, sacks and a metal drum. Our expatriate regulars love the concept,” he added.

The owners, who established the shop four years ago, operate with two barbers and one staff member on call. The shop offers classic male haircuts as well as more eccentric styles.

“One of the owners hated hair salons and could not find a good classic barbershop with a nice ambience.

“So, he, along with two others, established the shop in 2006,” Wenda said.

The shop was quite busy with 20 guests a day, he said.

“It’s a good business. Most barbershops in Jakarta offer classic styles only. We offer something different,” he said. (ipa)