The Price of a Haircut

Just Finished Reading: The Radioactive Redhead by John Zakour & Lawrence Ganem

I got my hair cut today. Nothing fancy, just your typical cut, no shampoo, parted on the side, short, etc. I got to the counter to pay, tipped my hairdresser and it occurred to me: we pay more to have our dogs groomed than we do on ourselves.

You think I'm kidding? Hair for hair it costs more to have your dog's hair cut than your own. I'm not talking about the extremes of course. Forget those guys in Hollywood who charge 200 bucks just to run fingers through your hair. And forget the pampered pooches in New England who don't go to a dog groomer so much as they go to a doggie day spa.

On our price list, to have a small dog washed, JUST washed, nails trimmed, ears cleaned, that's going to run you 20 bucks. If you want a sanitary trim, which means shave the belly, trim the butt hair and the hair on the feet, that's an extra 5 dollars. So we're talking 25 bucks to have your yorkie trimmed. And it goes up from there. The bigger the dog, the more complicated the cut, the higher the price.

I suppose you could argue that you can do people hair faster than dog hair. I was in and out of the chair today in 15 minutes, maybe 20. To do a dog, full bath and dry, we're talking maybe 45 to an hour. But on the other hand, the dog won't say stupid things or hit on you, but people tend to tip a hairdresser more often than a dog groomer and there's very little chance that, as a hairdresser, you'll be bitten by a client.

Still, it's kinda funny when you think about it. I can get my hair cut for 12 bucks but if I want to get either of the dogs done, prices start at $30.

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