From the grips of death to successful barber: Jaya Vahua sets up barbershop in Rotorua

Jaya Vahua has come back to Rotorua from the Gold Coast to set up his own barbershop in Gold's Gym. Photo / Andrew Warner

It took a near-death experience and four months in hospital for Jaya Vahua to turn his passion for cutting hair into a new career.

Now, after three years of honing his craft in the Gold Coast, the father of three has moved his family back to his home town of Rotorua to open his own barbershop inside Gold's Gym.

Vahua sat down with the Rotorua Daily Post ahead of today's

grand opening of Frontline Barber to discuss how he got to this point and his plans for the future.

"In 2014 my life took a turn for the worst and I ended up on life support. I contracted a rare form of pneumonia and had a bacterial infection on top of that. I was in a coma for two months.

"I was 23 and in ICU in Auckland with the doctors saying they didn't think I would make it. But I pulled through and came out of the coma.

"I was in the hospital for another eight weeks and that's when I started teaching myself to cut hair.

"Cutting hair had always been a hobby but because I was sick and couldn't do a physical job anymore, I turned it into a passion.

"I taught myself through YouTube and I had a lot of nephews to practise on," Vahua laughed. "It gave me something to work towards and really helped me to get better."

Vahua and his family moved to the Gold Coast in 2017 where he worked in a barbershop until this year when he became self-employed because of Covid-19.

"When I had to start working from home it made me realise I could do this alone and it gave me the confidence to start planning to set up my own shop.

"We always wanted to bring the kids back to Rotorua so they could grow up with their roots and their culture so we decided to set up Frontline Barber here.

"Being my own boss means I can spend more time with my family, I can choose my own hours, I don't have to ask anyone for permission."

Vahua wasn't looking for a co-tenanted space but knew Steven Gardiner, the owner of Gold's Gym, who had a vacant space.

"I took a drive through town and there were a lot of vacant buildings and not a lot of foot traffic so when I found out there was a vacancy at the gym, I saw the perfect opportunity.

"The gym is in a prime location, it's cheaper and when you say Gold's Gym, people know where it is so it was a fantastic opportunity."

Vahua has spent the past two weeks fitting out the space, which he says has been made easier by the connections he already has in the city.

"It wasn't a total renovation but we gave it a fresh coat of paint, new flooring, new fixtures; we've transformed the space.

"Because we already knew a lot of people here we've had amazing support so far. People are really excited about us setting up and we were already getting inquiries before we even opened our doors.

"I plan on being booked out for at least the first week."

Vahua said community support for his new venture had been huge.

"The Rotorua community is so keen to support any local business at this time and we've had a really positive response to the news we were coming back with this particular skill set.

"The build-up of trust and excitement from locals has been overwhelming."

Vahua said he had added a second chair in his shop but was in no rush to hire another barber.

"We're just going to take our time, we have a plan and we will want to expand eventually but we're not in a hurry. This is a stepping stone to greater things."

Vahua's vision for Frontline Barber is that people would come in for the experience, not just because they had to.

"For many people, getting your hair cut is a chore. I want to give them a whole experience so they look forward to going to the barber.

"That's why we're offering additional services like hot towel razor shaves because it's a luxury service many businessmen want but isn't available in Rotorua at the moment."

Frontline Barber is officially open from today and is by appointment only.