When you see Seahawks safety Earl Thomas at the Super Bowl Sunday, he’ll be sporting a freshly cut head of hair, courtesy of his good friend Mark Baysinger, owner of On the Mark barbershop in Kennewick, Washington.

Baysinger’s relationship with the Seahawks began on Instagram, as first reported by the Tri-Cities Herald. Baysinger reached out to cornerback Brandon Browner when the Seahawks came to the Tri-Cities area in July. Baysinger offered to give Browner a haircut. The Seahawk liked it so much he invited Baysinger to come to Seattle a few weeks later. While there, the barber gave Earl Thomas his first proper haircut after the safety cut his famous dreadlocks.

Though his shop in Kennewick is more than 200 miles from Seattle, Baysinger began making weekly trips to the city each Tuesday throughout the season to give players a cut before games.

Though Baysinger describes his connection with the Seahawks as “business” and charges players for cuts as he would any other customer, he has gradually become close friends with Thomas and his brother.

“It’s become a close personal relationship,” Baysinger told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s one of the best men I know on and off the field.”

Baysinger will fly to New York on Friday, and plans to be busy leading up to the big game. He regularly cuts anywhere from six to eight players — his clientele includes Bobby Wagner, Cliff Avril, Malcolm Smith and Derrick Coleman — but has given cuts to as many as 15 players in a given week. Baysinger will also be giving cuts to Thomas’ family members, before watching the game from inside MetLife Stadium with a ticket courtesy of the team.

“You’ve got to take care of the family,” Baysinger added. “It’s a business trip.”

It’s been a surreal experience for the barber, who grew up in a family of Seahawks fans in Sunnyside, Washington, just a few hours outside Seattle.

Baysinger says giving haircuts to the Seahawks is a time-consuming process, and certainly not as simple as your average trip to the barbershop. He’s meticulous about his work, and wants to make sure the players are looking and feeling good heading into a game.

“One thing is, you don’t mess with a man’s hair.”