Bar manager accused of shaving woman’s head over unpaid bill

A  bar manager is facing backlash after a viral clip showed him shaving a female customer’s head with clippers over an unpaid bill, a case that has drawn calls for a police investigation and concern for the young woman’s welfare.

The case was brought to light by Chalida Phalamat of the Pen Nueng Foundation, who on Aug 27 shared footage of the manager shaving the woman’s head before taking her to a police station and accusing her of running up a bill without paying. The bill reportedly came to 60,000 baht and some claim the woman has done this many times before.

According to the bar’s account, the woman had used a fake ID to enter the venue on Aug 25 and had no money to cover the bill. The woman had a reputation of avoiding paying to a couple of venues. The manager then reportedly had her sign a contract agreeing to sell her hair, cut from root to tip, for 3,000 baht.

Chalida said she sympathised with the bar’s losses and the manager’s financial responsibility for the employees, but called the head-shaving excessive and unlawful, questioning why the bar did not simply file a police report instead of taking matters into its own hands. 

She also raised doubts about whether the woman’s “consent” was genuine given the circumstances and questioned the bar’s explanation that the shave was for a hair donation, noting the woman’s hair had already been scissorsed short before shaving.

Chalida said the manager told her that he will contact the woman’s family for apologies and compensations.

She also urged the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to check on the woman’s welfare, saying she may be below the age of 20 and that it is unclear whether she is a minor or has underlying mental health issues.

The woman’s mother has since disputed the bar’s version of events, saying she had offered to pay the bill in installments but was refused. She also alleged signs of physical violence, including bruising and said she would take her daughter to file a report at Bang Yai Khan police station on Friday.