In most cases the key is to be able to get on base. The access policies vary by base. Some allow civilians to enter (often because they have certain facilities or events open to the public) and some don't - bases often have this info online. The other variation is that some bases' barbershops officially state (on in-store signs or online) that they serve civilians (some even have an official civilian haircut price that's a few dollars extra but typically still very cheap), the vast majority are silent about it, and a few expressly bar civilians. The barbers don't seem to care (at least in cases where civilians aren't expressly barred) as long as you look and act like you belong there, come in with what looks at worst like a grown-out regulation cut, and ask for a cut within regs (even enlisted personnel often go in in civvies if they're just running errands on base during liberty).
A few additional notes:
These barbershops often have a reputation for low quality cuts, which is why many enlisted personel will prefer to go off-base despite the cheap prices on-base. In practice, the quality depends on the particular barber you get and how busy things get (there's pressure not to keep people waiting). The best thing is to go once at a very busy time (like Sunday afternoon or Monday morning) to observe the barbers to see who's better, then come back at a less busy time for the actual cut.
Don't expect a traditional barbershop experience. Often most or all of the barbers are women. There's no straight razor cleanup, although in many bases they will use an electric shaver, including on the sides if you get a medium or high fade. In others they don't go closer than a bare clipper blade.
The shops usually have you take a numbered slip if there's a wait, and often if you want a particular barber you simply give them your slip to hold on to. On many bases they'll use vacuum clippers. Except to some extent in facilities belonging to the Navy (where the hair regs are slightly more liberal), the barbers' natural tendency (unless instructed otherwise), is to cut the sides very short (a medium skin fade seems to be the most common cut) but to leave the top 1-2" long ( ie not buzzed). If you want something different (like a low fade) it's especially important to go at a busy time to observe which barbers actually listen to customer requests and do these cuts well. Even the better barbers won't spend a lot of time asking detailed questions to figure out what you want so it's good to be very specific (e.g. don't just say "low fade", show the barber exactly where you want the fade to start and whether you want bare skin showing). It's an interesting experience worth trying at least once if you can get in!
HTH
Does anybody know if civilians can pay to get buzzed by a military barber?
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