A haircut -- hold the bibbity bobbity

No time to get a haircut before heading to Walt Disney World? No problem!

 © Mary Liebman

You'll be humming a happy tune 

after a haircut at the Harmony

Barber Shop. 

Before our last trip to Orlando, my husband couldn't squeeze in the 20 minutes he'd need to get a trim. But there was no need for him to be shaggy all week.

While little princesses have the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, babies, boys — and not a few grown men — have the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street U.S.A., a real throwback to an earlier time, complete with old-fashioned barber pole outside.

I called for an appointment and sheepishly admitted it was not for a child, but for my husband. I had a good laugh with the woman taking reservations, who was not at all surprised that a grown-up would want to get a little pixie dust in his hair. Unlike dining reservations, it wasn't hard to get squeezed in at the last minute. The barber shop sees about 400 guests every week, according to Disney, and does accommodate walk-ins.

Stepping into the tiny shop with its battered leather-clad chairs and etched glass was like stepping back in time. When I was a child, my grandfather had a barber shop in Bayonne, N.J. Seeing those chairs — complete with the same little booster seats for the kids — instantly took me back more than 30 years. It was a wonderful, comfortable feeling.

And you don't have to have barbering in your blood to get that warm, fuzzy feeling. All it takes is chatting with the lovely barbers who cheerfully snip and sprinkle their pixie dust.

 © Mary Liebman

A first haircut is a breeze when Mickey Mouse is involved.

While we waited for my husband's turn, a little blond boy endured his first haircut, but he didn't flinch as the barbers skillfully distracted him with Mickey Mouse stickers. He left, as all the first haircuts do, with his new haircut covered by special "My 1st Haircut" Mouse ears.

When my husband's turn came, the staff was charmingly good-natured about the grown-up in the room. (There may have been one mom waiting for walk-in appointments for her brood who was peeved that an adult was prolonging her wait, but the staff was unfailingly cheerful.)

My husband left with a fun story to tell when he got back to work, and a nice haircut. Bonus: The may be the one thing in Disney World that costs about what you'd pay out in the real world. Prices range from $14 for children 12 and under and $19 for adults.

The Harmony Barber Shop is open to walk-ins daily from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. To make an appointment, call (407) WDISNEY or (407) 934-7639.

I doubt the barber shop would turn away a woman in search of a trim, but if you want a little more TLC, there's the Mandara Spa at the Dolphin resort. (You might also find references to the Ivy Trellis Salon at the Grand Floridian, but it is temporarily closed due to construction.)