Yesterday I accidentally learned why so many barber shop fronts sport red and white stripes as the main elements of their design.
Distinctive striped poles are also often drawn or attached near the entrance, in latter case spinning and producing the "endless spiral" effect.
The short and unlikely explanation of that is that during medieval times barbers also offered dental and bloodletting services, so even today the symbol of their craft is the metaphoric representation of white bandages and red blood.
That's cool.
