By by Titus Mogusu
The rise of modern barber shops. -By Mogusu Titus
Remember the old-school barber shop ‘Kinyozi’? While we cherish those magical memories,well, today’s modern barber shops are a whole new brand, redefining male groomingandbecoming more of a class of art, style, relaxation, and exemplary service delivery.
Modern barber shops in Nairobi are significantly impacting and revolutionizing thegroomingindustry and lifestyle in the city. Men are being offered a premiumservice andexperiencesthat go beyond what they used to have back then.
Back in the days getting a haircut was just as simple as washing your face, peoplewouldgoto the barber shops which were simple and smaller in size with not much equipmentandutmost two barbers compared to what we have in the modern era stocked withmodernequipment and a couple of staff personnel each performing a specialized duty.
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Getting a haircut back in the days was often quick and simple; it would roughly take about 40minutes
for a toddler to get a clean bald shave, and maybe one and a half hours for an adult male. But withtheevolution of grooming into the modern era, more services have been added to the haircut routinetomake it more classy and cool. Today, it may take up to 5 hours for an adult man to come out of thebarber shop.
This has often become a trend and a way of life to many people who like the modern cut services, notonly getting groomed or clean shaves, we have seen a variety of services introduced to the routine. Customers can now get other services such as facials, pedicure, massages, and even waxing cateringtoabroader range of men’s grooming needs under the same roof.
With all the sparkling new services, the barbers mustfinda
way to remain relevant and keep up with the latesttrends.
This is quite evident as we have seen a rise ininfluencer
barbers such as ‘Carlo the Barber, Geometric Barber,and
Grace Anne Rieko’. These barbers are using social media
platforms to promote their services and get intouchwith
their audience, and exchange thoughts andideas. Youmay
find them on platforms like InstagramandTikTokLive,
engaging with the audience while working at the same time.
As influential as it looks for one to be able to fit in or compete in the modern grooming market, onemust be artistic and creative enough for him/her to capture the customer’s attention becausemoderngrooming is not only all about hair cut but an art.
HOW DO THEY STAY ONTOP?
To stay on top as a modern barber, one needs to meet some conditions such as;
- Focus on customer satisfaction: Most modern barbers emphasize excellent customer serviceandcreating memorable experiences that will make them come again. If a customer enjoys theserviceoffered/they become a member of the barber shop and make it their place for themtogetgroomed on casual occasions.
- Adapting to the changing trends: Modern barbers are constantly on the lookout to learnnewtrending styles and techniques that they employ to feed their customers, which makes themrelevant in the ever-evolving industry, as we know our world surrounding us changes graduallyovernight.
