A Sultan, a Big Payday, and One Lucky Barber
At Kennedys All-American Barber Club, we pride ourselves at placing our customers in the lap of luxury at a very affordable price and yes, our barbershop franchise has been booming. Still, maybe were using the wrong business model.
Apparently, the real barbershop business to be in involves cutting Sultans hair.
But lets back up a moment - and begin with the former record-holder for most expensive haircut: that honor used to belong to high-class hair cutter (excuse us - hair stylist) Stuart Phillips, who is the superstar of hair salons in London. He cracked the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007 by getting paid a bit over 13 grand to give a Brit a proper trim (and for that kind of money, we expect it should be incredibly proper!).
Stuarts business is still thriving today, despite the recession. Of course, he does offer his clients bodyguards, dog walkers, a private chef, and interpreters even special scents piped through the ventilation system. So if you want to leave his salon smelling like a rose, you can be assured this man can make it happen.
Our new contender for Stuarts crown, however, has almost doubled the most expensive haircut record by getting compensated over $25,000 for one haircut. And yes, this is real money, not the kind you use when you play Monopoly.
The lucky barber in question? Well, its yet another London-based barber by the name of Ken Modestou. Apparently only the English know how to get away with overcharging to this degree, a talent we can only dream of possessing.
The Sultan of some place named Brunei (wasnt that the name of the last Sacha Baron Cohen comedy?) apparently wanted Ken to cut his hair and no one else. So he booked a private suite on a Singapore Airlines flight for Mr. Modestou (the Sultan supposedly wanted him isolated from the other passengers so he wouldnt contract the swine flu and no, we are not making this up) and flew him the 7,000 miles to Brunei (which we just found in Wikipedia good golly, it IS a country!).
Between the flight, the accommodations in Brunei and the actual payment for the haircut, the bill skyrocketed to over $25,000. By the way, dont worry yourself sick over the Sultans overspending getting him into financial trouble. Turns out hes worth about 20 billion. Give or take a hundred million.
And one final note on The Case of the Outrageously Overpriced Haircut. Modestous normal charge for a haircut at his London barbershop?
50 bucks.
This does proves, however, that there is real money to be made in the barbershop business.
Copyright (c) 2009 Kennedy's All-American Club
