Haircuts

Before coming to Israel I got a haircut hoping that I would not need one until I come back to America. Obviously this did not happen and I was forced to get a haircut a couple months ago.

To find a barber shop I went to our central shopping area (about 10 stores) and kept walking around looking at haircutting establishments that could possible be for men. After staring into one place for about 10 minutes a guy came out and said in Hebrew "Come in, this is a place for men to also cut their hair." I am unsure how he knew that was my concern, but I figured I would give it a try. I went back there for my second haircut today and I am now pretty sure that I have been getting my haircut at a women's salon.

What gave it away:

1) They offered me coffee or tea while getting my haircut. I have never been offered anything but cut hair at all barbers I have been to.
2) They insisted I get my hair washed before and after. I insisted I don't. They said that was very unusual.
3) They used the hair blowing thing a lot.
4) There was someone online with her hair wet and with soap in it. I don't know of any barber that will allow you to get up from the chair before finishing. Why wouldn't this lady just finish the haircut and then do whatever she had to do? Was she mid-shampooing and then was like, "Oh, I forgot to pick up potato salad for lunch tomorrow. One second, don't take the soap out yet, let me get up and get the potato salad and then I will come back and you will then take out the soap."? Or maybe she was like, "You know what, I will have some tea. Let's leave the soap in, I'll get out of the chair, have some tea, and then we'll continue. That'de be grand."
5) There were only women there, except for one barber guy, who I insisted be my cutter.
6) The haircut cost more than $10. (It was 50 shekel so thats about $15. And considering cost of labor is cheaper here, on US standards that's a $20 haircut. ) I splurged.
7) The fact that he knew I wasn't sure if it was a girls place.
8) All the pictures of people in advertisements on the store are female.
9) The name of the store is Sharon's Salon. Maybe in Israel it could mean Ariel Sharon, but I think that would be weird to name your salon after the prime minister. And also, a Salon is not a barbers shop. I am used to barber shops names like Chubby and Mikes
10) The real kicker was the conversation was around hair. I have never been to a barber where they discussed hair styles. I would imagine 95% of haircut style requests at barbers are either short or regular. I don't even know a name of a hairstyle if I wanted it. I've heard of mushroom cut actually. Boy, were those cool back in the day...

On the other hand, the smocks were blue and gray, so really it could have been a guys place. I guess I really just don't know.