Veteran barber Yuzzie Adahar has found a new way to continue his career after the closure of his former shop in Hougang Central in 2025. The business where he worked shuttered following a sharp rise in monthly rent from approximately S$7,500 to S$10,000. The shop owner subsequently relocated to a smaller nearby unit that could not accommodate all eight barbers from the previous location. The original space at Block 806 is now occupied by a licensed moneylender.

Faced with this challenge, Yuzzie, 61, turned to Angel Song, the owner of a manicure salon adjacent to his former workplace. Song also operates an eight-chair hair salon at neighboring Block 805 and agreed to rent him a chair on a daily basis. Yuzzie pays S$50 per day, works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and serves about a dozen customers daily while resting on Tuesdays.

Yuzzie’s setup within Song’s salon resembles having his own dedicated space. His business name, “Botak Your Barber,” is displayed on the mirror alongside his working hours and contact number, and he uses his own PayNow QR code for transactions. Outside Song’s H & A Hair Salon, a standing banner also promotes “H & A Malay Barber,” highlighting Yuzzie’s presence.

Yuzzie described the partnership as one requiring “guts and confidence” to maintain his livelihood. He said his take-home pay remains roughly the same as before. Despite language differences—Yuzzie, born in Beijing, is a Singapore citizen—they communicate effectively in basic English. Song has entrusted him with keys to the salon since he begins work earlier, creating a mutually beneficial dynamic. The early customers Yuzzie draws help boost traffic to the salon overall.

For Song, a salon owner for more than 20 years, supporting Yuzzie was a natural choice. She noted his skill and loyal clientele made it worthwhile to maintain the arrangement. “It would be such a waste if he has to stop working,” she said.

Several of Yuzzie’s customers have followed him to the new location, including IT professional Andy Lim. The 54-year-old has been a regular for over 20 years and often travels from as far as Tampines to continue receiving haircuts from Yuzzie. “I follow him because he knows my style,” Lim said, noting that the location change did not affect his decision.

In June 2025, Song also created a different arrangement for two of Yuzzie’s former colleagues, who pay her 40% of their weekly earnings instead of renting chairs by the day. One, 70-year-old Maksum Hashim, works later hours and serves about six customers daily. He makes roughly S$200 less per month but appreciates the flexibility Song offers him to arrive later due to medical needs.

Renting chairs within salons is not uncommon in the industry. Muhammad Jaya Nudin, founder of Fearless Image & Grooming in Race Course Road, started offering chair rentals about six months ago at his recently established salon. Though several stylists have expressed interest, none have committed yet. He described the model as mutually advantageous, helping salon owners reduce overhead while allowing stylists to operate their own business without leasing full premises.

However, Jaya Nudin emphasized that the arrangement works best for stylists with established client bases. Without regular customers, stylists might prefer commission-based systems linked to salon traffic rather than independent chair rentals.