Evening star., 1895-10-12
BARRIERS IN EUROPE
They Can't Hold a Candle to the Profesh
in This Country.
An American's Experience During a
Tour in Europe In the Barber Shops
of Various Countries.
Written for The Evening Star

|
in many respects until We have made tour
| through foreign countries And just Low,
when there is a lull in the flow of humorous
in the newspapers about the "loquacious
| barber, may be the time to say a good
! word for that too-much ridiculed and very
| useful citizen of the United States.
| Often during the past warm weather the
| adul! male in this city has saunterel INTO a
| BARRIERS saloon, where he was politely re-
| ceived and helped off with his coat. He
| then sank into chair on which he might
| recliEe al full length, with his feet comfort
| ably elevated, while an electric ;an cooled
| the atmosphere. 1t no doubt often hap
| penci that the customer remembered only
| the beginning of operations by the ton
SDrIai artist and fell into sweet slumber,
| on;y to be Weakened by the announcement
| that he mad been shaved, with u request
| that he sit up in the chair, when his Iace
| was washed, then powdered, his moustacne
waXed and perfumed, his hair bay rummed
| ana then carefully combed and brushed into
| the style most becoming to him. While mis-
| client slept the barber had. of course,
| turned the chair ON its pivot and ABUSED
| it vertically, SO as to bring his customers
| face into the best position to be operated
upon, and all was done 50 quietly that the
| dreams OF the customer had not been even
| Disturbed. And all this for one dime.
! That had been my experience in 4 barber
| shop III this city for years. and even during
| the early part of the season just gone. But
| like most of our good people who have sim
| liar attendance, L used to manage to find
| fault with some trivial matter in the shop
! or with the barber. l simply did not know
Wnen l was well off.
| Early last summer 1 went on trip to
Europe and now believe will never again
| find fault with barber in this country.
My 1irst experience was on the steamer
going over. That experience was not so
| very peculiar, except that l was charged a
| fnra yar Gh
Search for n Shop.
| In Amst tardam, however, needed a shave
| badly, and 1 could not find a barber shop.
| for there is not a barber pole nor colored
barber in Holland. Belgium, Germany.
! Switzerland, Italy, France, England. Scot
| land or I1eland-at least, 1 did not see one.
AS 1 speak no language but English. 1
| would have had difficulty in finding a
! barber in Amsterdam had not also needed
| a hat. So 1 went into hat store. and
there found an attendant who spoke En-
giish slightly. and who, after my pur-
| chase took me TO barber shop short
distance away.
| AS the only sign the shop was Par
! fuinerie," l might have passed it dozen
| times and not known it was barbery.
On going in L was directed to a seat in a
| chair. 1t was an ordinary arm chair. with
out head rest or foot rest. 1t was in front
| OF n waShStand, the lower portion OF which
| was cut away so the patient could place his
, feet under the washstand and still rest
| them on the floor. The barber then placed
| a black cloth over my chest Il have not yet
found out what fOr), and tucked a white
| towel about my neck and over the black
cloth.
He then lathereI my face and shaved me
| in a manner that gave me the impression
| the young man was only an apprentice.
| After he had shaved me he told me by
| words and gestures and 1 never would
! have compreherled either had l not no.
| t.Ced how a customer had been finished off
in the adjoining chsiD, to get up and wash
| my face. l obeyed, and was then handed
a towel to dry my face. When through
| that Operation, and while still standing
| the barber sprayed some cologne on my
face. He then gave me comb and brush
| and told me to comb my hair and mus
| tache. which operations 1 also performed
| for him.
| The Barber's Basin.
And this is the general practice. with
| some slight variations, among BARRIERS
| through most of the countries L have
named. In Italy the barber after shaving
| him, generally hands his customer a basin,
| with water and a sponge to wash his face.
| the basin having a portion cut out at one
| side so as to fit about the neck.
In most cities the BARRIERS would, with
| ar interrogative expression, generally make
| some remarks toward the close of the ope-
| rations. As l could not, as 1 have already
| said. understand their languages, 1 usually
| replied by shaking my head. supposing they
were asking me if l would not have oil on
| my hair, perfume for my mustache or
| something of that nature. AT Florence
| however, a barber who had just shaved
| me asked me something that sounded like
| ''fritchie." l thought l would give him a
| chance, SO l nodded my head acquiescent-
| ly. To my surprise he took a pair of hot
| curling tongs-they are always kept ready
| heated in the shops-and curled my mus
| tache. then knew what 'frltchia' meant.
Nowhere, except in London and Paris.
did see a barber shop with more than two
| chairs. and no shop that l saw could ap-
| proach for neatneSS and comfortable fur
| nlsh.ngs any of dozen barber shops IN
| this city. Nowhere did l see a reclining
| chair, nor one that turned on a pivot.
| Neither did l find a barber anywhere in
| Europe. and l always went to the best
| shops, who shaved one SO easily and so
| well as the average Washington barber.
| In fact, the European shaves often re-
| minded me of an old friends Joke During
| the smallpox scare some years ago he was
| getting vaccinated. While the doctor was
scarlfying his arm he was asked how it
| just like my face feels when that barber
| around the corner is shaving me-
Cost of n Shave.
A Partisan barber however does what it
| would be well for our BARRIERS to adopt in
| the interest of their customers, who have
| no cups brushes and raZors of their own
at the shops. 1t is this: After each custom
er has been shaved the barber washes his
own hands. the cup and the brush before
| be ginning on another customer
The prices charged in Europe by BARRIERS
average as high as ours. and in England,
| Scotland and Ireland 1 paid six pence
| Q2 cents of our money! for a shave. In
| London 1 noticed on barber-shops signs of
| cheaper shaves, but did not like the appear
| ances of such shops.
In Dublin l was shaved by a barber, who
| had long full beard and large mustache
| He evidently did not know that he was dis
| couraging his own business.
The barber shops l saw in Europe are all
| very sparingly, even shabbily, furnished
| and nowhere did 1 notice any attempt to
| decorate or luXuriously furnish them. They
are frequently in the back rooms of build
| irgs. and even when they are in the front
| rooms the chairs in the rear portions
| of the rooms, and often there are screens
| on the windows or between the windows
| and the BARRIERS chairs.
| At first l was of the impression that an
| enterprising barber from this country might
| do well by going into business in London
| Paris other large European city, and
| showing the people how comfortably a bar
| Der shop might be made. After further ex-
perience and consideration, however, l have
| concluded that it would not pay, as the
| people over there seem so "set in their
1