We head to the Snickers Hungry Barber for a free haircut, worth every penny

The other day we reported that the people behind chocolate, peanut and nougaty munch-fest Snickers was opening up a barber shop in Tokyo’s trendy Omotesando. Dubbed the Snickers Hungry Barber, the shop boasts some of the strangest hairstyles in the world, and they’re all free of charge!

Our Japanese correspondent Yuichiro Wasai decided to take Snickers up on the offer and ordered an Omakase (“I’ll leave it to you”) from the shop’s scissor-wielding staff. Little did he know that he would receive a hair style so potent with animal magnetism that everyone he passed on the street seemed to want a photo of him.

First a little explanation of Snickers Hungry Barber. As the name suggests, it’s a barber shop opened for a limited time by the popular candy bar Snickers because…

…

We don’t know why, actually, but the concept seems to be that a hungry barber will give you a weird haircut…and I guess not charge you either. It’s a bizarre promotional campaign, but it certainly has tongues wagging. Here’s a promo video that kind of doesn’t really explain the concept at all, but it’s pretty funny nonetheless.

After making a reservation in advance, our man Wasai walked up to the store front of Snickers Hungry Barber and took a moment to peruse the menu.

The cuts all seemed to be way ahead of their time (which was never) and Wasai wasn’t sure which one was the best style for him. There was the mullet, the bakuhatsu (explosion), the madara (Pacific cod), and a messy mohawk to choose from, but Wasai decided to go with the omakase which is where the barber gets free rein over what to do with your hair.

As the purportedly hungry barber went to work, Wasai’s heart pounded with anticipation of what he would be transformed into. The barber skillfully slathered some brown stuff onto his barnet and then began to tie some rolled up tissues into it. Next, he inserted the secret ingredient. And then…

Presto!

It was certainly a radical change, but Wasai wasn’t sure how having three Snickers bars tied to his hair with tissues would go over with the masses of downtown Tokyo.

The only way to find out was to hit the streets and turn some heads!

As he stepped outside, Wasai immediately felt a very strange sensation. It was as if all eyes were on him. “This must be how all those celebrities feel when walking out in public,” he thought. As he stopped at an intersection, the eyes of all the women around Wasai were locked on him and his new hairstyle.

Not only that, random strangers also stopped to take photos of him! Wasai began to felt like he finally made it in life. He had blossomed into the hunk he had always thought he should be.

“Yes sir, things are going to be different from now on,” he thought to himself. “Or at least until the chocolate bars start to melt.” And with that, he marched off into the night, a new man with his future stretching out in front of him like an open road lined with admiring, smartphone-wielding onlookers.

Wasai would like to remind anyone who wants the same experience that the Snickers Hungry Barber is only open for a one more weekend (19-21 December). Remember, the haircuts are free but you really should make a reservation in advance if there are any spots left. You can get more details (in Japanese only, sorry) at the link below.

Also, he would like to remind you that, as its name suggests, the Omakase cut is left entirely up to the barber, which means that it doesn’t necessarily come with Snickers attached. So if you’re just looking to score some free chocolate you might be taking a gamble. Good luck!

Be sure to gawk at other Hungry Barber customers on their Facebook page

▼ Snickers Hungry Barber will be open three more days: Friday, 19 December from 1:00pm to 8:00pm, Saturday, 20 December from 11:00am to 6:00pm, and Sunday 21 December from 11:00am to 6:00pm