Tucked between the Car Barn and the Emporium at 43 Main Street USA of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is a hidden treasure that most park guests probably don't even know exists. But to dozens of patrons each day, the Harmony Barber Shop is a destination unto itself, serving as the place for baby's first haircut or a monthly trim for the shop's regulars.

As part of my recent vacation to Walt Disney World, a trip to the Harmony Barber Shop was near the top of my "To Do" list. I like doing things a little less ordinary on my visits to Disney theme parks and this was one of only two places for day guests to get a haircut (there's a similar shop at Disneyland Paris).

Harmony's decor featuring pinstriped wallpaper, pot-bellied stove and antique cash register. Haircut prices are posted on the wall - $12 for a child's cut and $15 for men.

I timed my need for a trim to the week I'd be visiting. I hate my hair getting too long and knew that by getting a cut at home about a month out would leave me with a do long enough to be cut but not so long as to bother me before I was able to.

It would be near the end of our week in Florida before I was able to make it to the Harmony Barber Shop, so I made sure that it would be one of the first things we did that day. I got to the shop just after its 9 a.m. opening and found myself at the end of a short line out the door. The two-station salon isn't that large anyway so guests filled the waiting area chairs with the remainder of us standing.

The antique cash register. Note the "Who's Next?" list ... Prince Charming, Donald, Mickey, Jafar, Geppetto, Liverlips, Peter Pan and Tigger.

I could see into the room where Michal and Maura worked on their subjects at hand. Casual conversation filled the air. I tried to check out the decor - a pot-bellied stove along one wall, an old-fashioned cash register against another. It was designed like much of Main Street - turn-of-the-20th Century with pinstriped wallpaper, dark wood cabinetry and even an old-fashioned phone. Items such as the American Express credit card machine and bright red fire extinguisher hinted that the shop was just a fantasy, as did the very 21st Century pricing of $12 for a "Child's" haircut and $15 for a "Men's."

An old-fashion phone and dark wood cabinets decorate the Harmony Barber Shop. The Mickey and Buzz toys are used to help calm children getting their first trims.

Lack of women's pricing didn't deter one of the guests before me. She was a teacher from Celebration and obviously one of the regulars. She chatted about her daughter's upcoming school year, among other things. It was apparent that the barbers' guest service did not stop at the end of their scissors.

The group of us waiting were mostly adults. When I first arrived, there were some children getting their hair cut. They emerged with colored gel in their hair and a dose of "pixie dust." Seeing them alerted me that I may be in for quite an adventure myself.

"Number Two clippers on the side and back, short on the top, please."

When I got to Maura's chair, she alerted me that her's was the color station. I smiled and said that I didn't think so. But she'd bring it up a few more times during my cut. My wife, Kathy, would laugh at the idea while taking pictures of me in the chair saying that I was "too conservative" to do such a thing as have this brightly colored gel applied to my hair. Perhaps because of this, I said that I'd go for some blue gel when it seemed apparent that I probably wasn't going to get out without an application anyway.

Maura applies blue hair gel to a "too conservative" Matthew.

Kathy laughed as Maura applied the gel. It was rather blue. After spiking and coloring my hair, it was time for the "pixie dust," colorful confetti liberally applied to the top of my head. I felt like a firework exploded in my hair. It was pretty cool. Though Kathy had been taking pictures throughout my trim, Maura put a special Mickey Mouse apron on me and posed with a large pair of prop scissors.

The rest of my day at the Magic Kingdom brought stares and a few comments. It was hard for people to understand the blue hair and pixie dust when many weren't even aware that there was a barber shop on property. It was good advertising for the Harmony Barber Shop every time someone would ask about the blue do. And I was more than happy to provide a glowing review.

Blue hair, pixie dust and a big cheese.

The theme song for the television show Cheers tried to explain the pub's appeal as a place "where everybody knows your name." After one visit to the Harmony Barber Shop, I doubt that anyone would remember my name but that feeling of being welcomed and the sense of belonging were evident in this quaint little corner of the World.

- Story by Matthew Walker; Photos by Kathy Walker
Posted

E-mail Matt at matt@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

We Were Started By A Mouse Too!  •  When In Cyberspace ... Disney Link Directory  •  

  •  Purchase Walt Disney World Tickets here - DISNEY TICKETS via DWTickets.com  •  

  •  Receive discounts on ORLANDO VACATION HOMES near Disney World from OrlandoVacation.com  •