What Happens When Your Son Designs His Father’s Beard?

Before the Makeover

The idea came from a video we watched in which kids drew beard designs for their fathers and then proceeded to visit a barber who actualized the designs. Sounds like fun, right?

So when I asked my son to draw a beard design for his father, he was game. But then…he drew this.

It’s a heart-shaped beard, by the way.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t doable. And no matter how much we coaxed my son to draw a different design, he wouldn’t budge. So in the end, we got him to simply choose a beard design from a list of possibilities conveniently provided at Truefitt & Hill.

We first encountered Truefitt & Hill in Singapore and fell in love with the centuries-old London brand, known internationally as a premier gentlemen’s barber and perfumer. This would be our first time experiencing the brand in Beijing, and as you might imagine, they had quite a reputation to live up to.

Finding the store was the first challenge, because the English address is listed as Beijing INXX 01, which does not register on Didi. Luckily, the Chinese address – Yintai Center (No.2 Jianguomenwai) – worked like a charm. The below-ground shopping mall is linked to China World Mall if that helps you navigate a little easier.

The storefront embodies that iconic Truefitt & Hill look, with traditional royal blue and gold decor that just oozes elegance. Likewise, the barbers were decked out in their trademark black vest and pants.

My husband began with his beard shave first, keeping the design my son chose in mind.

Leon, the barber, started trimming and shaping my husband’s unruly, thick beard. My son and I gazed in awe as bits of hair drifted to the floor like curly clouds. Haven’t you always found cutting hair, regardless of which part of the body it grows from, therapeutic? Out with the old, in with the new.

Part of the essential Truefitt & Hill experience is the traditional hot towel wet shave, which relaxes you unlike anything else. The steam coming off of the towel opens up the pores in your skin and hair follicles, allowing the moisturizing cream and oils to really soak in. Also, it helps reduce the chance of razor burn.

This is how my husband, Jeff Rush, describes it: “The initial contact is exhilarating, albeit shocking! However, as you accept the warm embrace of the towel, a soothing and relaxing sensation envelopes your entire head.”

When Leon, in following the design my son picked out, carefully shaved off the little bits of beard to reveal parts of my husband’s skin that hadn’t seen the light of day for years, my jaw dropped. It was so different seeing the skin around his mouth! I just had to touch it, and boy was it soft.

After the shave, Leon moved on to the haircut. Around this time, my son’s barber, Leo (confusing I know) was ready to join us. What I found rather nifty was how each station had its own washbasin so all you have to do is swivel the barber chairs around and lie back to enjoy the wash, arguably the most serene part of a haircut. Unless you are a 6-year-old with self-diagnosed sensory issues, like my son. He shut his eyes tightly from the moment it began until it was over, and wore a grimace on his face the whole time.

For him, things went downhill from there. He absolutely hated having to wear the protective gown because it really bothered his neck. But once Leo started cutting his hair and the bits fell around – not to mention inside – the protective gown, he got irate, then angry. I tried to hurry the stylist while also being sensitive to the fact that good work takes time. Needless to say, when Leo finally took a step back to admire his handy work, my son was almost yelling. I see now why Truefitt & Hill generally doesn’t accept young kids at their stores.

Once he was free of the bonds of the hairdresser, our kid reverted to his carefree, happy self. He didn’t much care how his haircut looked, just that it was over. As for my husband, he is definitely going to be a regular at Truefitt & Hill.