AsiaLIFE

You don’t have to go to an up-market spa or beauty parlours to be pampered. As AsiaLIFE discovers, one small shop close to the Independence Monument is continuing the traditional skills of a Khmer barber.

At first sight Khmer Barber looks just like any old fashioned barber’s shop in the West – except there are no packets of rubbers on sale. Underneath the Khmer music being played on the radio, deep down that’s precisely what the place is, only with a slight twist. For US$2, one of the six barbers will put a fresh blade in his cut-throat razor and don a white mask, more like an anaesthetist than a barber. Starting with a gentle shoulder massage, my barber, Chhen Chron, proceeded to remove all my unwanted facial hair. He even shaved places I was unaware of possessing hair – such as the bridge of my nose, immediately under my eye, and the outer curve of my ears. I had no idea I was in danger of morphing into a werewolf!

While admitting to some tension as the man in the mask yielded his bare blade close to my throat overall the experience was a relaxing one, especially when combined with a manicure and pedicure (US$3). While Chron made my face look ten years younger, one of the many female assistants started to soak my fingers in water before clipping away at excess nail and unwanted skin. Fortunately she took longer over her labour of love than Chron, who had clipped my final nasal hair before she she started on my feet. Those of a ticklish persuasion should probably make sure that the shave is over before the pedicure starts. One involuntarily kick, and you might end up with more than a minor snick.

We then went to the small room next door where the assistant shampooed my hair and gave me a head massage (US$3), the best ever cure for a hang-over. They also do foot massage (US$5) and full-body massage (US$10). Open for four years now, all the barbers have been practising their art for many years. The oldest, Pen Loan, has been in the trade since the age of 18 – more than 50 years ago now. If you are lucky, he will play you a quick tune on his mandolin on the way out. What barber shop in the West would ever provide you with such a final flourish?

Khmer Barber, 128 Norodom Blvd., Tel: 012 878 795 – open from 7am to 7pm, every day.