New wave Barbers reviving the lost art of Barbering.

[Trainfriend]

Before joining B&B I checked out straight edge and double edge technique on YouTube. I found a couple of videos there that really stuck with me. I've shown them to quite a few freinds and they've all been pretty impressed. While these two videos don't strictly fall under the shaving category they are none the less interesting and entertaining.

In the first video while speaking of Barbershops, Donnie Hawley of Hawleywood's Barbershop states, "Some doors are meant for a man to walk through." I couldn't agree more. I can recall my first visits to the barber's as a child and as a teen. Then it became fashionable for men to visit Salon's and Barbering was beginning to become a lost art. I for one am please as hell to see this art getting resurrected in a lot of cities I travel through these days.

A place where a man can be a man...

I hope you enjoy these videos:

(Donnie Hawley)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj1z7hShgfg

(This Barber, Richie The Barber, is a real caricature of himself. A new age "throwback" Barber. Get past the music and check this guy out!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z08EZE4mhSY

 

[JCinPA]

Fun! Thanks for the links!

 

[Ducati Scotty]

I agree! I'm strictly a barbershop man now. I've left salons (and almost everything else from the 80s) behind. Whenever I move to a new place I need to find a good barbershop and a good grocery store before I feel settled.

Scott

 

[rebos]

I've heard to many horror stories about pisspoor shaves.

If legit barbershops come back I hope that drive-ins and soda jerks come back too. Or maybe my American Graffiti dreams are for naught.

 

[Go West Young Man]

There's an entire league of guys playing 1880s rules baseball with authentic gear and uniforms out here.

That's hardly makes for a trend or a movement, its just hipsters being pretentious.

 

[BigKev77]

There's an entire league of guys playing 1880s rules baseball with authentic gear and uniforms out here.

That's hardly makes for a trend or a movement, its just hipsters being pretentious.

That is pretty close to dead on. It would be nice to see more somewhat classic barbershops though. I even thought about barber school at one time but my darn carpel tunnel and arthritis decided against it. It is hell being an old man at 35. Anyway, anytime I see a person under 40 drinking a Pabst blue ribbon I try to avoid them. They took a classic redneck beer and somehow made it even less appealing.

 

[BRITD]

I have seen a number of brand new barber shops open in my city in the past year including a chain of them opened by a local hair salon franchise. When I walked by one down the street from me, it had more female clippers than male. Not to be sexist, but how does that work because last time I was in a authentic old time Barber shop, given the type of reading material, what was playing on the overhead TV and the conversation content, it was no place for a women to be and a place for mankind to feel uber comfortable?

 

[Ron Scott]

I afraid all this is just going to be another high priced, trendy thing, and not what it used to be; a standard neighborhood thing where a quality shave and haircut could be had in a clean and friendly shop for less than half what your wife paid.

i bet the new crew talks to you about grooming techniques instead of sports.

Before he became a "barber" his name was "Mr. Bruce"?

I'm probably just too jaded. Maybe this will all turn out great and the local barbers will get hip to it and up their act.

 

[hillcpa]

There's an entire league of guys playing 1880s rules baseball with authentic gear and uniforms out here.

That's hardly makes for a trend or a movement, its just hipsters being pretentious.

Honestly, I'm not trying to be a smart-***, but how is that different than a bunch of guys in the 21st century shaving like it's 1950?

 

[Go West Young Man]

Honestly, I'm not trying to be a smart-***, but how is that different than a bunch of guys in the 21st century shaving like it's 1950?

I'm not shaving like it's 1950 because it's cool or counterculture, I'm using a combination of tradional and modern tools and techniques because that gives me the best results.

 

[Curlingfly]

Honestly, I'm not trying to be a smart-***, but how is that different than a bunch of guys in the 21st century shaving like it's 1950?

I understand your comment and from the outside looking in, it's not. However, most of the members here (if not all) are shaving this way, not because it's cool or it's hip, but because it's results driven. This just happend to be a method that works for them. I suspect most here will contine shaving in this way long after the coolness and hipness wears off for these hipsters.

 

[Ducati Scotty]

Not to be sexist, but how does that work because last time I was in a authentic old time Barber shop, given the type of reading material...

My barber always has two copies of Playboy, usually kept in the cabinet rather than left out because they are a family shop. I was wondering why they had tow subscriptions so I asked. They get these free. Apparently if you open a barber shop, Playboy sends you free subscriptions. I was very entertained when I found this out.

Scott

 

[BrookR1]

Lots of places like that around Boise because a large portion of the population is still stuck in the 50s. The only difference is that most places like that are run by old guys. No one around here is trying to be hip.

 

[mattdenicola]

I afraid all this is just going to be another high priced, trendy thing, and not what it used to be; a standard neighborhood thing where a quality shave and haircut could be had in a clean and friendly shop for less than half what your wife paid.

i bet the new crew talks to you about grooming techniques instead of sports.

I think these shops are indeed providing just that - quality cuts and shaves for less than half what your wife paid. I go to one of these new barbershops - actually it is a place where Richie from the video works sometimes. They are great people. Greet you when you walk in the door, and always offer a drink - coffee, espresso, water, beer, root beer on tap ... you name it. Big screen TVs always with some game on. Nice conversations - definitely not about grooming techniques. And the cut and shave are $25 a piece. It's a ludicrous price for a shave, IMHO, and I haven't partaken. But they offer military/student discounts, and also offer late night "happy hour" until 2AM, where the shave is half off and cuts are $20. So it would actually be easy to get a cut and a shave for $32. It might sound like a lot, but at West Hollywood prices, that is absolutely well less than half what your wife would pay at a salon. Even at full price shave and cut, it's still about half salon costs. So I'm not sure the pricing is all that bad. But really, these places seem to be more about the haircut itself - having traditionally trained barbers providing high quality traditional haircuts for men. Tapers, crew cuts, fades, high and tights, ivy leagues, etc. Sadly, it's hard to find this service anywhere, let alone in a friendly shop with free drinks and friendly conversation for $25. So I'm very happy these places are popping up.

 

[BigKev77]

I dropped my barber when prices went to $12. $25 for a haircut would be WAY out of line here in Arkansas for me but it seems everything costs more over your way. Never got a free drink either, but always good conversation.

 

[OMEN]

I bet Richie has some stories. We used to have barbers around here but now it's all electrics. If you don't say #3 or#4 they won't get it. I wish my Toni&Guy did this kind of thing as eShave would be the perfect, modern match for them and some of their male staff are trained barbers, they could make money easily.

 

[gd9704]

Sorry, but the face tats and piercings are just too distracting for me. Love the derby hat and 1890's mustache, but it clashes with the giant ear hole thing and horrific ink.

 

[CubReporter]

There's a pretty cool barber shop near me. Sure, it attracts hipsters. But the guys there do a damn good job with the haircuts and I can't complain about the shaves. In any salon, I can go in and get what they call a haircut for $20 in about 10 minutes. I can go to my barber shop of choice where the guys take time with the haircut and I don't walk out for a crewcut I didn't ask for.

I think new barber shops are bound to attract people who want to be cool through vintage tastes. But if the guy with the shears makes you look good by the time you leave, who cares about the clientele?

 

[Jefebadskin]

I'm lucky to have a new "old-school" barbershop. We talk sports, tell jokes, general guy stuff. I'm real glad I found this place.

 

[mattdenicola]

I dropped my barber when prices went to $12. $25 for a haircut would be WAY out of line here in Arkansas for me but it seems everything costs more over your way. Never got a free drink either, but always good conversation.

Nothing in Los Angeles costs under $12. Nothing.

Sorry, but the face tats and piercings are just too distracting for me. Love the derby hat and 1890's mustache, but it clashes with the giant ear hole thing and horrific ink.

Everyone in Los Angeles looks like this. Everyone.

There's a pretty cool barber shop near me. Sure, it attracts hipsters. But the guys there do a damn good job with the haircuts and I can't complain about the shaves. In any salon, I can go in and get what they call a haircut for $20 in about 10 minutes. I can go to my barber shop of choice where the guys take time with the haircut and I don't walk out for a crewcut I didn't ask for.

Precisely. I can go to the local Cuts-R-Us, wait in a too brightly lit, stuffy lobby with a bunch of moms and kids, and get a haircut I don't like for $20. Or, I can go hang out with some fun, free-loving guys and gals who have a few tats and a few fun stories, get some beer and hang out with their dog, and leave with a flatout awesome haircut for $25. No brainer.

Seriously, though, the very first time I went to this barber, several people at work and at home commented how nice the haircut was. I get compliments all the time. NEVER happened with the local $15 guy or the $20 Cuts-R-Us shop. Didn't even happen when I would go to the Tony/Guy academy. So, again, I'm very glad these places are popping up, if only because they actually know how to cut a guy's hair.