When we first started going to the Walt Disney World Resort, we didn’t pay a lot of attention to Main Street.
Pieces of Main Street were important. Particularly, the restaurants, shopping at the Emporium and the character meet and greets. In fact, Main Street was little more than a photo framing device for the castle and something to navigate as you made your way to the park proper.
I had been in the Magic Kingdom more than a dozen times before I realized it contained a working barber shop. The thought of Disney cutting hair had never even occurred to me.
A quick side story, when I was a freshman at Bloomington South, we had open campus at lunch, meaning kids didn’t have to go to the cafeteria. They could take their cars and run to Taco Bell or whatever as long as they were back in time for the next class.
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Those of us who were too young to drive could haul butt across a fairly major road to whatever we could find within walking distance.
One day, feeling particularly shaggy, I hustled out of class to a little mini-mall. I got my haircut sans appointment. I barely made it back in time, fresh and clean, walking into class looking significantly different than when I’d left.
Our teacher, being somewhat flabbergasted, quizzed me on the logistics of skipping lunch to get a haircut in the middle of the school day.
I say all that to say this: As someone with a history of odd hair grooming choices, I find the idea of getting a haircut at Disney both perplexing and oddly intriguing.
Read Also: Where to get the best breakfast at Disney World, a complete guide
Do they have barbers at Disney?
Yes. The Harmony Barber Shop isn’t some façade.
It’s a functioning barber shop with licensed cosmeticians ready for any guest who wants the world’s most magical haircut.
Is the barber shop at Disney open?
Yes. Harmony Barber Shop reopened this summer, having been closed since the park shut down.
Magical memories of the haircut variety are once again being made right there on Main Street.
Why does the Harmony Barber Shop exist?
Well, it makes sense. Back when Walt Disney created Main Street, he wanted a throwback to a bygone era of a classic small-town American downtown. What downtown worth its salt didn’t have a barber shop?
Apparently, there was a particular barber shop from his Missouri youth that inspired Old Walt to build one in Disneyland. When Disney World opened, it had the one, too.
Beyond that, the Harmony Barber Shop exists because people like it. It is supported by the demand of a certain subset of Disney fans who like the nostalgia of the thing.
People consider it a rite of passage for their children to get their first haircut at the barber shop.
How much is a haircut at Disney?
Harmony Barber Shop has four packages available.
Remember, prices are subject to change:
- Child’s haircut: A cut and simple styling with spray: $20
- My First Haircut package: Haircut, commemorative Mickey ears hat, keepsake lock of hair and an official milestone certificate: starts at $28
- Adult haircut: Haircut and simple styling with spray: $21
- Beard trim: Starts at $8
Can I just walk in and get a haircut?
Maybe. Reservations are strongly recommended. You can go first thing in the morning and try to make a walk-in appointment, but there’s no guarantee.
The shop is open from 9 am to 4:45 pm and there are a limited number of reservations daily. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance online or through the My Disney Experience app.
You must have a park ticket and a Magic Kingdom reservation to get into the park and get your haircut.
Do the Dapper Dans visit the shop?
Disney’s Barbershop quartet does not have scheduled appearances at the shop. They perform nine sets a day, starting in the morning on the horse-drawn carriage.
But they do perform all over Main Street in the afternoon. And they are certainly free to pop into the shop as they did for VIP YouTube celebrity Tim Tracker, who was a big fan of the Harmony Barber Shop and was the first customer when it reopened.
They even shared in a little extra special pixie dust sprinkle for the ceremonious haircut.
The Dans, a world-famous barbershop quartet, actually have 12 members at both Disneyland and Disney World to have backups and make sure there is availability for the performance without over-taxing the singers.
If they do come in, see if you can get a couple of choruses of the Barber of Seville. I know it’s more of a Looney Tunes staple, but a few Figaroes never hurt anybody.
Where is the Harmony Barber Shop at Disney?
The Disney barber shop is tucked away in the corner next to the Emporium, just past City Hall in Magic Kingdom.
If you’re coming through the main entrance, it’s over in the far left corner. The classic red-striped barber pole is easy to spot.
Read Also: 14 best quick service places at Magic Kingdom, where to find them
I think I want to get my haircut at Disney, is there anything else I should know?
Yes. There is no shampoo service. The Disney barbers will wet your hair down, but if you’re going to get your hair cut, they request that you show up with clean and dry hair.
Don’t make a reservation for 4:30 pm in the afternoon some July, get to the park at rope drop and then spend all day in the sun before showing up for your treatment. That’s just rude.
Also, bring cash to tip your barber. A $10 charge will apply for no-shows or cancellations within one day of your reservation. Guests under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Finally, be prepared to chat. The whole point of this isn’t the haircut, it’s the experience. Sitting silently in your chair as a barber wearing a Disney apron snips away negates the entire point of the exercise.
The Disney barbers are trained to banter as an old-timey barber would. Have fun with it. Come ready to gab.
Have you gotten a haircut at the Disney Harmony Barber Shop? Let us know in the comments.
