Moroccan Barber’s €20 Haircuts Draw Queues in Southern France
In Auch, in the Gers department, Abdellah Essbaa knows his customers’ habits down to payday. The 56-year-old Moroccan barber has built a walk-in business where a haircut costs 20 euros.
At 10 avenue de la Marne, the “La Médaille d’Or” sign draws regulars of all ages. On Saturdays, the wait sometimes stretches outside. Inside, customers settle onto a long black bench and watch for one of the three available chairs, La Dépêche du Midi reports in a feature published on October 28.
Abdellah Essbaa learned his trade near Casablanca before working in salons in Toulouse and then Agen. He has been self-employed in Auch for ten years and has 40 years of experience. He likes the town for its peace and quiet: “It’s quieter here,” he tells the regional daily.
He works with three other barbers: Vullnet, originally from Kosovo, Mahmod, who came from Afghanistan, and Mohamed, also Moroccan. Together, they do American, Spanish, Italian and Afro haircuts. The shop is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday.
Paydays also set the pace
Young customers particularly like American fades, with very short sides and a gradual transition toward the top of the head. The “taper” cut, which leaves more volume on top, is also a regular request. A haircut costs 20 euros and a beard trim 10 euros.
Abdellah notices a peak in customers at the start of the month, “when payday has just come around.” Adults and children accompanied by their mothers also wait on the bench, alongside teenagers asking for the latest styles.
At 56, the barber still keeps up with the styles his younger customers like. His three children, Sarah, Ilyes and Ahmed, aged 14, 13 and 10, are among the first admirers of their father’s work.
