Fact check: Viral belly dance haircut video was not filmed in Dubai, but in Turkey

Dubai: A flashy video showing men getting haircuts while a belly dancer performs beside them has gone viral on social media, particularly Instagram. However, the widely shared claim that the footage was filmed in a luxury Dubai salon is incorrect. The video actually originates from Turkey.

The video, posted by Instagram account TV1 India Live, alleges that a high-end men’s salon in Dubai offers belly dancing as part of its VIP grooming experience, reportedly charging a whopping ₹47,000 (around Dh2,000) for a single haircut.

The clip has been viewed and shared hundreds of thousands of times, with many users reposting it without credit or context and without verifying its authenticity.

At first glance, customers sit in salon chairs while professional barbers work on their hair, accompanied by belly dancers and a DJ in the background. The setting shows no signage or any indication of the establishment’s name or location.

A closer inspection reveals a critical clue. Zooming into the video shows text on the mirrors and walls written in Turkish not Arabic or English, which are commonly used in Dubai.

To investigate further, screenshots from the video were reverse-searched using Google Images. One of the top visual matches led to an Instagram reel from a Turkish barbershop account.

The matching details from the barbers’ capes to the interior design and logo confirmed that the video was filmed at Barbers King, a salon based in Antalya, Turkey. The same account hosts several similarly staged and attention-grabbing videos, including the now-viral belly dancing scene.

The original video was posted on January 28, 2025, and has since amassed over 300,000 likes and 12,000 comments and over one million shares on Instagram.

Despite the video's persistent association with Dubai, there is no evidence to support this claim. None of Dubai’s luxury men’s salons even those offering VIP or premium services advertise entertainment acts like live belly dancing as part of their packages. And the ₹47,000 price tag? There's no documentation or credible source backing that figure in connection with any UAE-based salon.

The viral clip has been misattributed, likely to generate shock value and attract more clicks. It highlights how quickly sensational content can spread online, especially when it involves Dubai’s well-known reputation for luxury and unique customer service.

Social media users are urged to verify content before sharing, particularly when posts lack basic context such as a location tag, verifiable business name, or source.

In this case, a few minutes of digital sleuthing was enough to uncover the truth - the video wasn’t filmed in Dubai, and the belly dance haircut is just another bit of viral barbershop theatre, this time from Turkey.