The classic ‘barbershop’ scene could be considered a staple of American cinema. The main character walks into the shop full of comical, wise barbers and hilariousness (or sagely advice) ensues. These businesses have long been considered safe spaces for men to be entertained, to unwind and unload their troubled minds. One of the most memorable lines from the aptly named 2002 film Barbershop is, “If we can’t talk straight in the barbershop, we can’t talk straight nowhere else.”
This week Southseas Healthcare youth group Bubblegum launched BTB Cuts, a barbershop where people of all ages can invigorate and restore their mental health while getting a fresh fade. For Bubblegum navigator Michael Ahsei, BTB (short for ‘By the Brothers, For the brothers’) encapsulates the type of space he wants for the store’s future customers.
“When I go to my barber, I just chat, even after the haircuts done I just about school, about life,” Ahsei says.
“He gives me advice sometimes. We want this shop to have that same kind of environment.”
BTB Cuts may have all the familiar hallmarks of other barber stores, but it’s the barbers themselves that puts BTB Cuts a cut above the rest.
“They’re specially trained in mental health to give advice, suicide prevention and all sorts of other things,” enthuses Ahsei.
With many Pacific communities still feeling the social and economic effects of the pandemic, fellow Bubblegum navigator Harleen Singh says that students in their communities needed a place to look after their wellbeing.
“It’s one of the problems we identified in the previous lockdown.”
“We found they needed a space where they felt safe and supported… We just want to create a real casual atmosphere in the barbershop, take away all that sense of negative stigma around mental health.”
While a barbershop is not a typical place one would go to receive mental health advice, Singh says “It goes back to the Southseas motto: no door is the wrong door.”
“We wanted to create a space where they can receive what is needed and not feel obligated to give or take anything in return.”
Bubblegum navigators and youth workers have been working tirelessly to launch the store before the start of the school year. All students are eligible for a free haircut and all other cuts are $5 for this week only. Singh says the profits made this week will go towards a raffle for two lucky students who will win stationary and uniform funds for the year.
Visit the BTB Cuts Barbershop at 26 Fair Mall, Ōtara. Check out BTB Cuts on Facebook or Instagram
