Barber Answers
First Time at a Barbershop: What to Expect From Booking to Paying
Short answer: On your first time at a barbershop, you book a service and a barber, arrive a few minutes early, and start with a short conversation about what you want. The barber cuts mostly with clippers and scissors, finishes the edges with a trimmer or razor, shows you the back in a hand mirror, and styles it. You pay at the end, and a tip for the barber is customary in Canada.
How a barbershop differs from a salon or a home cut
A barbershop is built around short and mid-length cuts, clipper work and sharp edges. If you are used to a salon, expect more clippers, less blow-drying and a lot of attention to the neckline, sideburns and hairline. If you have been cutting at home or letting a partner use the clippers, expect the sides to look genuinely blended rather than one even length.
The atmosphere is usually more relaxed than people imagine. Nobody expects you to know barber vocabulary, and describing what you like in plain words, or showing a photo, works fine. For a fuller side-by-side, see barber versus salon.
Your first visit, stage by stage
Here is the order things usually happen in at a booked barbershop like ours. The details vary by shop, but the rhythm is similar almost everywhere.
- Book: choose the service and, if you like, a specific barber. At Markcutit that is Booksy, a call or text to (647) 221-9795, or an Instagram DM.
- Arrive a few minutes early, hang your jacket, and let the barber know you are there.
- Sit down and get caped: a paper neck strip and a cape go on to keep hair off your clothes.
- Talk it through: the barber asks what you want and looks at your hair before touching it.
- The cut: clippers for the sides and back, scissors or clippers for the top, then blending.
- Detail: edges, neckline and sideburns cleaned up with trimmers and often a razor.
- Check: the barber shows you the back and sides with a hand mirror and asks if anything needs changing.
- Finish and pay: styling product if you want it, then payment and a tip.
What to bring and how to describe what you want
Bring your hair as you normally wear it, clean and dry, and a photo or two of cuts you like on someone with hair similar to yours. Photos of the back and side are more useful than a front-on selfie, because that is where most of the barber's decisions happen.
You do not need to know guard numbers. Words like "short on the sides but not skin", "keep enough on top to push it back" or "I don't want to see my scalp" are exactly what a barber needs. Everything else gets worked out in the consultation at the start.
- One or two reference photos, ideally including the side or back.
- A sense of how much time you spend styling each morning.
- Anything that went wrong with your last cut.
- Any skin sensitivity, bumps or scalp issues the barber should know about.
Choosing what to book at Markcutit
The Markcutit menu is short on purpose. Haircut Only covers any style, including a fade, a taper or a scissor cut. Haircut + Beard adds beard shaping and a lineup. Beard Only + Lineup is for when your hair is fine but your beard needs work, and Full Face Wax and Nose Wax are separate grooming services.
Every service includes a hot towel treatment, a hair wash and a head massage, so there is nothing extra to decide on. If you are torn between two barbers, the profiles of Mark Yousif and Marcel Shabo show their specialties.
Is conversation expected in the chair?
Only as much as you want. Some clients chat the whole time, others put their head down and switch off, and barbers are used to both. After the consultation, it is completely fine to say you are happy to sit quietly.
Speak up whenever something matters, though: if a spot feels uncomfortable, if you need to sneeze, or if you see the top getting shorter than you expected. For the unwritten rules on phones, head movement and feedback, read our guide to barbershop etiquette.
Paying and tipping at the end
Payment happens after the cut, usually at the chair or front counter, or through the booking app. Prices for Markcutit services are listed on Booksy, so you can see them before you book.
In Canada a tip for the barber is customary and appreciated rather than compulsory. Our page on how much to tip a barber covers the usual range and when to tip more. Before you leave, it is also a good moment to book your next visit if you liked the result.
First time at a barbershop: what to expect: common questions
Do I need to book for my first barbershop visit?
At booked shops like Markcutit, yes, it is the way to be sure of a chair. Same-day openings often exist, so check Booksy or call or text if you want to go soon.
What if I don't know what haircut to ask for?
Say so. Tell the barber what you do not want and how much effort you put into your hair, and let them suggest options.
Should I choose a fade for my first barbershop cut?
Only if you want one. A taper or scissor cut is just as common. If you do go for a fade, read what to expect from a first fade beforehand.
Will the barber wash my hair?
It depends on the shop. At Markcutit a hair wash comes with every service, along with a hot towel and head massage.
