This is common in Shanghai, Beijing and other Chinese cities, so maybe that's the source of this urban legend, if indeed it is one. They're called barbershop girls. They are very thinly veiled brothels, and most are only open in the evenings and early mornings. The girls sit around in the barber chairs and wait for the customers. Apparently the comb, scissors and other barber tools are just props, and these girls could not give a decent haircut if their lives depended on it. The girls are not that pretty and the cots in the back are dirty and grimy. These are not high end SPs in any sense, and are usually poor country girls who come to the big city for some easy work. They cater mostly to low paid Chinese men, often also from the countryside, not rich foreigners.
Anyhoo... enough of the multicultural pooning lesson. Which hair place downtown is this? Anyone know?