I love getting haircuts in foreign countries. It is something I learned from my good friend Terry, who is the savviest traveler I know. Whenever I’m voyaging abroad, I do my best to visit a salon or barber shop, even if I only need to get a trim.

The joy in getting your hair cut while traveling is that you are guaranteed to get a real local, non-touristy experience. If you stop and think about it, there are no tourist hair salons. Plus, you are guaranteed a 20-30 minute conversation with a local, that isn’t trained to give tourists the answers they think they want to hear. On top of it all, it is always just fun and interesting to observe the subtle differences and similarities in the whole protocol.

Yes, there is always a risk that you’re going to end up with a nasty military cut or worse – but luckily, as a guy, the downside risk is pretty small, and well worth it. And, some non-verbal communication can go a long way if you’re in a country where you and you’re stylist don’t jive in the same language.

The point of telling you all this is because today I had my first haircut of BPR in the mitte district of Berlin during our rest day. The shampoo followed the haircut – hmm, interesting, but I like it – gets all the small hairs out before you go. Cappuccino was served during the cut – not a bad touch for a 10 euro cut, but it was a bit tough to drink it with the cape on while trying to keep my head still. My stylist was a bit grumpy and really couldn’t care less about BPR, so not high marks on customer service there. Overall, I give it a “B-“.

My most memorable haircut of all-time was in Tibet. They somehow managed to do the entire shampoo process without using a sink. Quite a feat.