A Barber is one of the world's oldest professions which should come as no surprise as humans have always had hair. Razors have been found that trace back to 3500 BC. The role of the barber has changed significantly over the years. Today we envisage a barber shop performing men’s haircuts and the occasional shave. In early times barbers performed the work of surgeons and were considered medical professionals. Another service they performed was dentistry.

The role of the barber can be traced throughout history. Ancient monuments in Egypt show people being shaved and it is believed that Egyptian priests were totally shaved every 3 days. it is well known that public baths in Ancient Rome was a big part of everyday life. As with the baths, the barber or tonsor was a part of a Romans daily routine as was a popular source of gossip and news. In Europe, Barbers performed bloodletting up to the end of the 18th century which was used as a standard treatment for almost every ailment.

It was the Barber role to perform medical procedures until, in 1745, in London bill was passed to separate the role of barber and surgeons, however, it was not until the end of the 18th century that the last barbers stopped practicing medicine.

Imagine walking into a barber shop today and asking for a Haircut, shave, a tooth filling and some blood letting!