The barber industry is at a crossroads. Somewhere between innovation and tradition, the barber experience is changing. This spectrum ranges from having a cold beer with a haircut to plenty of men cutting their own hair due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With all of the restrictions placed on the service industry, people are desperate to sit down in the chair with their favorite barber just like old times. However, the barber industry could be changed forever; that is, if you are looking to revolutionize it entirely.

Personally, this past year has left me forgetting how good customer service can feel. For men, barbershops are the epitome of what good customer service can look like. Men typically do not have many one on one close interactions with other men where they can open up about their lives. But something changes when they sit down in the chair and the razors start buzzing. I don’t know… maybe it’s something they put in the Barbicide that makes men more willing to share personal information, but it is certainly true that most men look forward to chopping it up with their barber (pun intended).

With the service industry struggling in the past year, barbers are faced with a very unique opportunity. This is the opportunity to go above and beyond customer expectations when they get back in the chair. Going back to the fact that men are more willing to open up to their barber than some are to their wives, barbers are situated to be more than just a professional in the hair world, but as a holistic health guide as well. Why is this? Simply put, men lack education when it comes to their health.

Barbers as Educators
Need proof of this? Just picture a typical woman’s bathroom compared to a man’s. While yes there is an oversaturation of products for women, there is clearly a difference in the education. This gap is where barbers come in.

The bridge between education and customer service is a great opportunity to introduce men to other services outside of hair care. In particular, the most natural fit is to introduce men into proper skin hygiene. Since barbers are already beard experts, it only makes sense to continue up the rest of the face. This is a chance to introduce men to proper cleansers at the beginning of a treatment as well as offering basic mask treatments or beard facials. The best part about these services is that they naturally fit into what barbers are already doing.

Barber + Skincare Treatment
Start with a 30 second facial cleanse
Haircut
Beard (if applicable) and face facial
Trim beard
Moisturize beard and face and provide anti-aging solutions to the face

It’s that simple. And most men are going to feel like they are in paradise getting a full treatment like this. While men are still more hesitant to go to a spa and receive a facial treatment, a barber giving a basic facial feels entirely normal and men will absolutely love it. Men come to a barber to walk out feeling good about themselves. Introducing skincare into barbering services helps men leave with good looking hair and healthy skin from the one person they trust most. With the rising demand for men’s skincare in the beauty industry, barbers are best situated to capitalize on this as skin services can easily integrate into what the shop is already doing.
Michael McGuire
GM Revolution