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Have you ever had a moment like this? You're sitting in the chair at a hair salon, the stylist asks what kind of cut you want, and you can't get out a single word.

I'm Xiao Yue, and I run a little dessert shop in Hangzhou. Today I'm not making cakes, I'm going to get a haircut. While I get it cut, I'll tell you what hair salons in China are like.

I haven't had my hair cut in over three months. A few days ago a friend took a photo of me, and when I looked at it, my hair had almost grown down to my waist, and it made me look a bit tired. And summer is this hot, so I finally decided: cut it!

The salon is right downstairs from my place, only a five-minute walk away. I pushed the door open, it was lovely and cool inside, with the music turned up just right. The girl at the front desk asked me: hello, do you have an appointment?

I said I didn't. She glanced at her book and said: no problem, just wait about ten minutes. So I sat down on the sofa to one side, drinking water and watching other people get their hair cut.

While I waited, I read the price list on the wall. A cut is sixty-eight yuan, a wash-cut-and-dry is eighty-eight, and a perm costs over three hundred. Salons in China usually put their prices up on the wall, so take a look before you go in and you'll know what to expect.

Ten minutes later, it was time to wash my hair first. Lying back in the shampoo chair, with warm water running over my head, he asked me if the temperature was okay, and I said it was just right. Honestly, those few minutes felt so good that I almost fell asleep.

When you get your hair washed in China, they usually give you a massage too. He pressed my scalp with his fingers, then worked on my shoulders, not too soft and not too hard. I sit making cakes all day, so my shoulders are always stiff, and after a few minutes of that, my whole body relaxed.

After the wash, I sat down in front of the mirror. My stylist was a man surnamed Li, first he put the cape around me, and then he asked that hardest question of all: what kind of cut would you like today?

Honestly, that question stumps me every single time. It wasn't that I wanted to say whatever, it was that I really had no idea how to put it. I thought about it for ages and got out just three words: a bit shorter.

Master Li smiled and asked: a bit shorter, so how much shorter? I held my hand up level with my shoulder and said: about to here. But I could tell he still wasn't quite sure.

Then I thought of a good trick. I took out my phone, found a photo and showed it to him: I want it cut like this. Master Li took one look and said right away: got it. One photo is more useful than a hundred sentences.

And so the cutting began. Stylists in China like to chat with you while they cut your hair. Master Li asked me what I do for work, and I said I run a dessert shop. The moment he heard, he said: then you must be great at making cakes!

And just like that, we got talking. He said he'd been working on this street for six years and knew a lot of people around here. I realised that a hair salon is actually a really lively place.

Halfway through the cut he asked me: would you like to get a membership card? With a card, every haircut after that is twenty yuan cheaper.

You'll run into this question at almost every salon in China. I didn't want one, but I didn't want to make him feel bad either, so I smiled and said: let me think about it, thank you. That line is really handy, no matter where you are, it lets you turn someone down politely.

I looked down and there was already a little pile of hair on the floor. Watching my own hair get shorter bit by bit, I felt both happy and a little nervous. Happy because I'd be nice and cool soon, nervous because I still didn't know how it would turn out.

After the cut came the blow-dry. The hairdryer was so loud that I could barely hear a word Master Li said, so all I could do was nod. Little cut hairs fell onto the cape and my neck felt itchy, I kept wanting to move but didn't dare.

He blew my hair dry and shaped both sides with his hands. The me in the mirror slowly turned into someone a little different.

To be honest, the first time I saw it, I felt a flash of regret, because it was quite a bit shorter than I'd pictured.

But after looking a while longer, I found it actually looked good, and I looked much fresher too. It turns out that sometimes we're simply not used to the new version of ourselves, it isn't that it looks bad.

It came to eighty-eight yuan, and I paid by scanning the code. Master Li walked me to the door and said: come and find me next time.

Stepping out of the salon, the breeze hit my neck, cool and fresh, and it felt wonderful. With shorter hair, even walking felt a little lighter.

Finally, let me teach you the three most useful lines at a salon. Line one: I want it cut like this, and then show them the photo. Line two: just a bit shorter is fine, and don't just say whatever. Line three: if you don't want a membership card, smile and say, let me think about it.

All right, I need to get back to my shop and make some cakes. Thanks for coming along with me to get my hair cut today, and I'll see you next time.