Barber shops are a unique feature of old stations.
In earlier days, during steam days, trains used to halt at major stations for long times, for example in 1962-63 the Kalka Mail used to halt at Mughalsarai for about an hour......Passengers had a lot of free time, such shops came handy.
Source:- My Late Grandfather who was a Guard in Eastern Railway's Dhanbad Division from 1958-1993.