Getting a baby’s first haircut at Harmony Barber Shop

This is a guest post about Harmony Barber Shop Kelly East. Here's Kelly...

Haircuts may seem like a mundane, everyday occurrence and are likely not on your must-do list for your next vacation. More than likely it is on your list of things to do at home in preparation for your next vacation so everyone is primped and looking their best in all those trip photos.

But did you know you could get your hair cut at Disney World inside the Magic Kingdom?

As you enter the park and stroll down Main Street, you may never even notice the quaint Harmony Barber Shop nestled between City Hall and the Emporium.

The Harmony Barber Shop Haircut Menu

For just $18 (child) or $19 (adult), getting a haircut is one of the few things in Disney World that is actually a pretty good deal. And if you see folks walking around the Magic Kingdom with a lot of glitter - I mean pixie dust - in their hair, this is probably where they came from.

There is one other option on the Harmony Barber Shop menu - the My First Haircut Package - that we did last year for our then 10-month-old little boy, Perry.

My First Haircut Experience

In addition to a haircut, the first haircut package comes with a printed certificate of bravery and a pair of commemorative Mickey ears that have “First Haircut” embroidered on the back. They even put a clipping of hair in a mesh bag for you to take home. A child’s first haircut is a big deal after all.

How much does this first haircut experience cost? Just $25 – just a couple dollars more than the cost of the Mickey ears alone, if purchased at the gift shop next door.

At 10 months, Perry was pretty young for a first haircut, but you can see from the before pictures that he grows hair well and was in dire need. The barbers that work there are wonderful. They are so friendly and so good at clipping little ones’ hair (and not their ears) and keeping them happy and distracted.

Perry was nearly covered head to toe in Mickey stickers by the end of his haircut, and they had a never-ending supply of bubbles and toys to keep him entertained. Perry did great but was too interested in what the barber was doing to his head and kept turning around to look.

Getting in

I read online ahead of time that reservations can be made but walk-ins are welcome. When I called a few weeks out from our trip I was told by a Cast Member that they were totally booked out and that they would probably not be able to accommodate walk-ins. I was super disappointed but did not let that stop me from trying to walk in and get a haircut while we were there.

We were going to be at Disney for a couple of days before leaving on a Disney cruise and getting Perry a haircut was pretty high on our priority list. The day we visited Magic Kingdom we had an early breakfast reservation, and immediately when we were done eating we walked to the barbershop and inquired about an appointment.

They could not have been nicer to us. The Cast Member very apologetically confirmed there were no open appointments and that there was a long wait - an hour and a half. We had already decided that this was a priority and we would wait as long as it took (he really needed a haircut). Then they said we could go and explore the park while we waited and come back in an hour and a half.

In my opinion that is an appointment - not a wait - but either way, it worked out wonderfully. I am sure they do not want people just sitting and waiting in the tiny barbershop with antsy children. So we went and rode Dumbo and did some other things, came back an hour and a half later, and they were able to cut Perry’s hair right away.

And then with a few snips of the scissors, Perry no longer had hair in his eyes or the beginnings of a baby mullet. We had a little keepsake certificate and bag of his red locks, and Perry had his first set of Mickey Mouse ears.

Whether it is a first, second, or two hundredth haircut, I would highly recommend the Harmony Barber Shop for a fun and off-the-beaten-path way to enjoy the Magic Kingdom. You can escape the crowds and take a step back in time in the old-fashioned setting, and if you get lucky you might also be serenaded by the barbershop quartet. It has to be the most magical haircut you could get.

A Few Tips

• Call and get a reservation if you can (call 407-939-7529 up to 180 days ahead). If no reservations are available, don’t let that scare you off. It is definitely worth trying to walk-in even if they tell you otherwise on the phone.
• If you do walk-in and have to wait your turn, you can go and play in the park while you “wait.”
• Don’t worry about your child being too little for a haircut. As long as they have hair to cut, go for it. They are wonderful with even the littlest of children.
• If you do the first haircut package, it will come with Mickey ears, so you can save the cost of buying other ones in the park.
• They will dampen hair with water if needed, but they do not shampoo prior to clipping, so make sure to show up with clean hair.
• The appointment itself is quick - probably 15-30 minutes in total. It is not going to take a huge portion of your day.
• Don’t forget the camera and to take before and after pictures.

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Thank you, Kelly! Perry is adorable and I appreciate you sharing your tips with us.