How intimate is haircutting?

I do agree. If you used to be close and you no longer are, it might be painful for her. Any kind of grooming that humans do with each other tends to be done with those we love and trust the most.

I don’t think I would continue to do it, either.

It doesn’t matter why if that’s how she feels, right? You have to respect her point of view even if it seems obscure to you.

That being said, I do think that haircutting can be an act of intimacy, and I think that’s one reason people go to salons.

I also think getting a proper shave with a straight razor from a good barber is intimate, though not sexual.

I help my husband shave his head sometimes cause he can’t see the back. When I am upset with him I refuse to help him. It is a very intimate thing. I could never be a hairdresser because I would have to touch all those people and I am affection deficient.

yeh intimate but not sexual i reckon…i dont like going to hairdressers cus its weird for me to have a stranger touching me so much…especially since its your head there arnt many other circumstances in which a stranger would touch your face or head

Yes it is.

I often wondered this myself. I think to myself as I sit in the chair, trying to spark up conversation with the cute girl cutting me hair. Sometimes I feel as though they want to touch me, since their crotch (I’m tall, so that’s about where it is, lol) is rubbing my arm. I don’t move while I’m in the chair, but it seems like they’re making the effort to contact me sometimes. I dunno, maybe I’m just over analyzing.
Though, it does feel intimate.

@Axemusica That sounds much closer to sex than anything I’ve had in months. Wow, that is intimate.

Very intimate. I cut my husband’s hair, and give him a shave every now and again. I have to say I’d be extremely uncomfortable with an ex-wife or girlfriend performing that service for him.

Hm, I never thought of it in that way..but I do think it is intimate. My best friend is my hairstylist, and I always recommend friends and family to her. So she does my husbands hair. I think it being a past love would make it awkward though.

Reminds me of an MMA reality show (Ultimate Fighter?) episode where one fighter offered to cut the hair of his opponent that week. The opponent took him up on his offer (they might have been buds). When it came time for the fight, the guy who received the haircut just had no fight in him. In fact, both were pretty gentle but the cutter won rather easily.

It’s very intimate. fyi- the audio is shitty.

@Zen: LOLFR

I love the hair washing part. Definitely intimate.

A stylist I saw on a random visit off the street visit turned out to be super personable, confident and gorgeous. She was very touchy feely, and made it clear she wanted me to return again as she should, but she was definitely intimate with questions and touch to make me wonder.
I am reluctant to go back, even though it was a great cut.

@Garebo Could I get her number please?

I have to see if I still have her business card, but it definitely would be worth flying in for a haircut, no matter whether it was an intimate cut, or not.

I think it’s all what you make of it. I shave my husbands head in the kitchen with the kids running around. It’s not intimate. When my sister was doing hair she used to rub her boobs on my arm and stuff, just because they are big and she couldn’t help it. It’s just a haircut.

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Yes, it can be.

I just had my hair cut today after reading this question. I was sitting there and couldn’t help but notice I was paying a woman to be intimate(by your standard) with me, I guess it’s not really a good conversation starter to point that out to a woman so I just had to get back to fluther to share ;)

@markyy Well?!?

An ex? I totally understand her position. I’m surprised that she is even talking to you, much less being in your presence. How can she bear to cut your hair? No matter who broke up with whom, it’s got to be painful to be so near someone you were once intimate with, and now can not be or don’t want to be.

Do you really not get this, or is this just a conversation starter?

@daloon It’s been 10 years. We live close by, within walking distance. I raise the kids, one of them sleeps over there half the week, the other is home full-time.

We get along fine. Correctly. Not friends, just parents of kids who have been together since the late 80’s.

She used to cut my hair (shave it rather). Takes 5 minutes. One day she said it’s too intimate.

I just asked my duaghter to do it, and then my s/o (when we were together – see other question about s/o). No biggy. Just curious if anyone else experienced this.

K?

It is to me. An ex of mine used to call and ask me to shave the back of his neck and trim/pluck stray body hairs because he felt uncomfortable to let anyone else but I had to start saying no because it felt intimate and we were no longer.

@hungryhungryhortence Thanks. That’s what I was looking for.

@Zen: You’re welcome. I couldn’t edit but should add I felt awkward because I knew he equated the attention and closeness to us having a chance at resuming a relationship and I didn’t have the heart to keep brushing him aside so I stopped in order to save the feelings and integrity of both of us.