Alberto Olmedo is not a hairdresser for the faint of heart: he likes to use a sword to cut his customers’ hair. Sometimes two at once.
Olga, who’s come to his salon for the first time, gives a nervous little sigh as she spies the 80-centimetre-long blade flash past her head a little too close for comfort.
But when Olmedo’s finished she looks very happy with her reflection in the mirror.
“That looks great!” she says, as onlookers give a round of applause.
Olmedo has been perfecting his martial-hairdressing technique at his salon in the southwest working-class Madrid district of Carabanchel for the past 11 years.
As well as sabres and swords, he also uses fire, six pairs of scissors at a time, and a set of claw-like scissors which fit on his fingers and are somewhat reminiscent of the title role in Tim Burton’s cult film Edward Scissorhands.
Until now his fame has been limited to Madrid, and possibly neighbouring cities, thanks to word of mouth and the passers-by who often stop to stare speechless through the salon window.
But recently the 51-year-old became famous almost overnight, after a video by AJ+, Al Jazeera’s digital channel, was posted to Facebook. It was clicked on 100 million times in the first 24 hours.
A German TV channel then flew the long-haired hairdresser to Germany to test out his unusual methods.
His guinea pig for the broadcast was a model, Sarah Knappik. 
“She was ‘sceptical’ at first, but by the end she was really enthusiastic,” says Olmedo, showing off the 29-year-old’s business card.
The Germans are perhaps more reserved than the Spanish, he thinks, but also perhaps more open to new experiences.
Journalists from all over the world are still beating a path to Olmedo’s salon.
“It’s crazy,” says Olmedo, who was born in France to Spanish parents.
The list of news organisations who have come to interview him would make a Hollywood star envious.
“I’ve already spoken to the BBC and newspaper reporters from all over the world. Tomorrow there’s a team coming from the Brazilian television station Globo, the US channel Univision has invited me to Miami and [US television host] Conan O’Brien wants to talk to me too.”
“Back to the roots:” that’s Olmedo’s motto. “I use quite primitive, almost medieval tools,” he says.
As for his cutting technique, it’s rather 17th century. 
“Scissors aren’t bad. The problem is that there’s a lot of things you can’t do with scissors,” he says.
Only swords can cut hair evenly on both sides and give fine hair volume, he declares.
Olmedo also uses a blowtorch as part of his repertoire — he says it makes the hair stronger.
“What do you think my new customers’ faces look like when I say that after my haircut with a flame heated to 1,300 degrees Celsius they won’t need to brush or style their hair for four months?” he asks.
The women in his salon listening to the interview voice their approval loudly.
Olmedo loves the attention he’s been receiving.
“I’m getting calls from all over the world, and not just from the media but also from colleagues who want to try something different.”
The Spaniard also has some trainees, and one former employee has now opened another salon in Carabanchel.
“That was a few weeks ago and she’s already really successful,” he says. 
But how did he get started in the first place?
“I had a flash of inspiration at the end of the 1980s. You have to always use your head at work and try new things,” he says.
But as with so many things, the start wasn’t easy. Before Olmedo had his own salon, no one wanted to give him a chance.
“Colleagues criticised me, laughed at me as a ‘madman,’ and cursed me,” he says.
They also shut the door in his face at hairdressing competitions and seminars.
And some of his fellow hairdressers remain sceptical. One hairdresser working in central Madrid wrinkles his nose as he watches the video of Olmedo at work.
“I don’t know,” he says with a laugh.
“Of course my colleagues who use traditional techniques are worried that they’ll lose business,” says Olmedo. “But nobody can stop us now!”
He’s not keen to move to Hollywood, Paris or New York however. “I’m a boy from Carabanchel,” he says. —DPA