Transcript: Splitting Hairs With José Eber

This is a partial transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," June 27, 2005, that was edited for clarity.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: My next guest does not feel bad about charging a few hundred dollars for a haircut.

With us now from Los Angeles, world-renowned hair stylist José Eber.

José, good to have you.

JOSÉ EBER, JOSÉ EBER ATELIER: Nice to have me on your show, actually, Neil. And I don't believe you need a haircut. I like the way it looks.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: All right. Well, thank you very much.

Now, you charge male and females the same price. It can be up to $500, maybe more, right?

EBER: Yes. Personally, in my salon, I charge the same prices for male and female, which is around $500. And I believe I'm worth it, because I judge cutting hair. It's not just the haircut. I'm basing it on their lifestyle, their personality, their face shape.

And I believe that we are putting so much emphasis on hair, because, I mean, in today's society, hair obviously is part of your appearance. And appearance is very important. I mean, people are spending millions of dollars on plastic surgery (search). And before you do that, sometimes you can delay the process by having a great haircut. And it can make you look and feel younger. That's the way I feel about hair.

CAVUTO: Yes. Men, do they act differently, paying the $500, than women, or do they get the same thrill out of it?

EBER: No. In my particular case, they expect it. They know that it's one price for all. But in my salon, all my other stylists have different prices, because a man basically doesn't take as much as a woman. I mean, a woman, there's a lot styling involved and you do spend more time on a woman than you do spend on a man.

So, I mean, in my salons, actually, men are coming in and out in much quicker way. I personally spend as much time, because I take it almost like they are going through an experience. It's just more than a haircut.

CAVUTO: And you're an event. I know people who, you have cut their hair. I mean, you're an event.

And, also, you're not like a lot of these other phonies, who just show up, look at you, do one of these Hollywood Cecil B. DeMille things and walk away. You actually cut the hair, right?

EBER: No. I do cut the hair. And I spend a lot of time. No, I've been doing it for a very long time. And I take my profession very, very seriously. And I believe that anybody who walks into my salon, I mean, we owe it to them to give our best. And we are trying every single day. And I think price is not an issue when you can afford it. And even when you just visit our salon once a year, twice a year, because your budget doesn't allow you to come more often, it's OK, too. But when you want to go through this experience, yes, you do have to spend a certain amount of money.

CAVUTO: Let me ask you. I know you're very close friends or certainly you have been keen in the company of Elizabeth Taylor (search). Do you change hair patterns for when someone gains or loses a lot of weight?

EBER: Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Basically, no. No, absolutely not.

Like I said earlier, I mean, I'm known to kind of basically take hair, make a person look the best they can look.

CAVUTO: Yes, but, José, you deal with a lot of huge egos, right? Who has been — you're not going to tell me, but I...

EBER: No, I'm not going to tell...

CAVUTO: Who has been, like, the worst to deal with?

EBER: No, I'm not going to tell you anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

EBER: I mean, I have been around this business for so long, due to the fact that I keep my clients' privacy private. And I am not about to talk about my celebrity clients, special, and about...

CAVUTO: Who are the roughest? Who are the roughest to deal with, men or women?

EBER: Oh, men can be very rough.

CAVUTO: Really?

EBER: Are you kidding? Men can be pickier than women are, absolutely.

CAVUTO: Yes?

EBER: Absolutely. You know...

CAVUTO: Who are the best tippers? You don't need to worry about tips and all. But who are the best?

EBER: No, I don't want to be tipped.

Who is the best tipper? It depends. Women can be very generous. But women are generous, but men can be even more generous. When they love the haircut that they get, they can be extremely generous. Absolutely.

CAVUTO: Yes. Now, owing to your French ancestry and the fact you came here virtually penniless as a kid, was there any resentment toward you when we went through this whole anti-France thing? And or did your clients say, we love you; we love you, period?

EBER: Oh, no. I didn't get any resentment. Absolutely not. First of all, I have been in this country what, now, 30 years almost.

CAVUTO: Yes. You have been here a while.

EBER: And I have been here a while. So, I feel almost more American — I hate to say it — than French. I spend more time in America than I spend in France.

CAVUTO: All right. Jose, thank you very much. Good seeing you, all right?

EBER: No. Thank you.

CAVUTO: Do you know I pay more than $10 for this haircut, Jose?

EBER: Yes. I think it looks great, I think.

(LAUGHTER)

EBER: Continue to wherever you go. I mean, I like your haircut.

CAVUTO: Thank you, José. It was very good having you.

EBER: Thank you.

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