Kimbowa at work . She she enjoys her job depsite what people think about a woman being a barberWASHING and shaving men’s hair are some of the services she offers. She also does a ‘mean’ (great) neck and head massage that will feel you totally relaxed.
But more than that, her charming smile will steal your heart and get you going back over and over again to Queencie Salon and beauty spa in Entebbe town. She is said to be one of the best barbers in Entebbe.
But more than that, her charming smile will steal your heart and get you going back over and over again to Queencie Salon and beauty spa in Entebbe town. She is said to be one of the best barbers in Entebbe.
Catherine Kimbowa leaves everyone aghast at how a woman can be a barber. Clients will more than willingly part with the sh4,000 for a super wash and sh5,000 for a shave and massage.
Kimbowa, 23, started doing men’s hair by the age of 19.
Orphaned at the age of six, she was brought up by her grandfather who, unfortunately, could not afford her school fees. So, she found ways to earn a living.
She says she dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but lack of money shattered that dream. So, she turned to hair, and something she has come to love.
Kimbowa has made it her first love, giving it 101%. She says she is not in a relationship because of the nature of her job. She doubts many men would be comfortable with her being ‘intimate’ with so many men.
“I love to see people looking smart and neat. I always wished that I could have been the one to make them look like that,” Kimbowa says about the love for her job.
She attributes her skill to boss Ibrah, who trusted and let her use the shaving machines.
“I trembled the first time I grabbed the shaving machine, more so it’s vibration scared the hell out of me. My hand quivered, I was wondering whether I held the machine right,” recalls Kimbowa.
She says being a female barber comes with a lot of misconceptions. She has been a victim of verbal sexual harassment from impolite men, although it is rare.
Nonetheless, she is glad she has managed to look after her siblings and grandfather using the money she earns from being a barber.
Her relatives and friends discouraged her from becoming a barber because they perceived it as a job for a “spoilt girl”.
“My grandfather was worried that my clients would bother me and even abuse me sexually, which is not true,” says Kimbowa. “Anyhow, working with the guys is so interesting and I have always liked it because guys are much more appreciative than women.
Even when I started working at Queencie Salon in the women’s parlour, I was not comfortable until I joined the barber side,” says Kimbowa.
Although she realised shaving hair was a man thing, she went ahead and did it. She believes women should embrace job diversification, instead of being idle.
She says has discovered that there are things men desire in the salon.
“I discovered men love tenderness. That is why they come to me. When I shave and massage a man’s head gently, he appreciates it, and this boosts my self-esteem. They also tip me. This adds to my salary of sh80,000,” says Kimbowa.
Jessie, 30, a client at Queencie Salon, says being worked on by Kimbowa is like heaven because she has a very polite persona and she is patient with her clients, a characteristic lacking in most male barbers.
“When I need a shave, I dash to Entebbe town from Kitubulu to feel Catherine’s magic hands,” he says.
As if that is not enough, her female workmates give her the thumbs-up for her braveness and expertise to work on male clients - something they dread for fear of being sexually harassed by them.
Kimbowa, 23, started doing men’s hair by the age of 19.
Orphaned at the age of six, she was brought up by her grandfather who, unfortunately, could not afford her school fees. So, she found ways to earn a living.
She says she dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but lack of money shattered that dream. So, she turned to hair, and something she has come to love.
Kimbowa has made it her first love, giving it 101%. She says she is not in a relationship because of the nature of her job. She doubts many men would be comfortable with her being ‘intimate’ with so many men.
“I love to see people looking smart and neat. I always wished that I could have been the one to make them look like that,” Kimbowa says about the love for her job.
She attributes her skill to boss Ibrah, who trusted and let her use the shaving machines.
“I trembled the first time I grabbed the shaving machine, more so it’s vibration scared the hell out of me. My hand quivered, I was wondering whether I held the machine right,” recalls Kimbowa.
She says being a female barber comes with a lot of misconceptions. She has been a victim of verbal sexual harassment from impolite men, although it is rare.
Nonetheless, she is glad she has managed to look after her siblings and grandfather using the money she earns from being a barber.
Her relatives and friends discouraged her from becoming a barber because they perceived it as a job for a “spoilt girl”.
“My grandfather was worried that my clients would bother me and even abuse me sexually, which is not true,” says Kimbowa. “Anyhow, working with the guys is so interesting and I have always liked it because guys are much more appreciative than women.
Even when I started working at Queencie Salon in the women’s parlour, I was not comfortable until I joined the barber side,” says Kimbowa.
Although she realised shaving hair was a man thing, she went ahead and did it. She believes women should embrace job diversification, instead of being idle.
She says has discovered that there are things men desire in the salon.
“I discovered men love tenderness. That is why they come to me. When I shave and massage a man’s head gently, he appreciates it, and this boosts my self-esteem. They also tip me. This adds to my salary of sh80,000,” says Kimbowa.
Jessie, 30, a client at Queencie Salon, says being worked on by Kimbowa is like heaven because she has a very polite persona and she is patient with her clients, a characteristic lacking in most male barbers.
“When I need a shave, I dash to Entebbe town from Kitubulu to feel Catherine’s magic hands,” he says.
As if that is not enough, her female workmates give her the thumbs-up for her braveness and expertise to work on male clients - something they dread for fear of being sexually harassed by them.
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