The Barbershop

[expatpipe]

Talked to my Dad on the phone and our old barber passed away, he cut my Grandpa's hair, my Dads first hair cut and mine, he cut my nephews hair for the first time too. Old funny nice guy that talked your ear off while a cig dangled from his mouth. Played the guitar or harmonica waiting on customers. I could drop in any time, have a cup of coffee and chat. I loved the man. Jerry will be missed.
The MANS Barbershop is a dying thing I guess. Hard to find a real barber that uses a straight razor around the ears, lathers the back of your neck and gives you an honest clean cut. Barbers are not even allowed to use a straight razor on you here. Forced to go to girly type places that charge you for a simple bad haircut that ammounts to a stupidly high price. I'm sure there are some left here and there back home and when I travel to more traditional places I try to find an old boys club type barber, Spain for example.
I have a new set of clippers and just did the job myself. Not too bad, and not too good either. Some things you just miss.

 

[unclearthur]

Don't even know if there still is a barber around here. The guy I used to go to passed on years ago.

 

[jcsnaps]

Wow, Arthur that is a really tempting post to comment on. Where's Hobiedog when quick wit is required. Oh well, just look at the avatar. I too miss the old days of warm lather and a little razor clean up to finish a fine haircut. Doing it yourself has two sides. Question What is the difference between a good haircut and a bad one....3 weeks.

 

[ohin3]

My Great Grandfather immigrated to the States when he was a young man. He suffered through a lot of shit like getting beat up, sleeping in bus stops, and being named Charlie Phillips for 6 years of his life by the immigration officer who could not understand Felippo Melillo at the time of issuing his green card. He persevered and became a barber. He built a home for our entire family and a barber shop on the front of that home. His son, my grandfather, became a barber and took over the shop when it was time for Felippo to retire. His brothers son Michael became a barber and took over the shop when it was time for Frank to retire and he still cuts hair in that same union barber shop complete with barbers pole, hot lather and straight razors, playboy on the magazine rack, a bottle of whisky in the corner for whoever wants to have a snort and the old original barber chairs with ash trays in the porcelain arm rests. I have always gone to a barber for my hair cuts. Now that I don't have all that much growing up there I use the clippers to cut my own, but I sure do have fond memories of that shop and a healthy respect for the dying breed that is the barber.

 

[wwtravlr1]

This is good stuff - This is a part of Americana that is slipping away - You guys were right, I can remember as a boy getting that fresh cut and then at first a close shave around the back of the neck and then in later life a close shave with a fine hand held straight razor. My boys have never seen that, and my grandsons have never had a male barber. Kinda a shame - as the commercial says "this was the highlife!"

 

[expatpipe]

ohin3, Great family history to be proud of. perseverance. Thanks for sharing.

 

[pstlpkr]

Every time I go to get a hair cut, I think of my old barber "Bob". He gave me the best hair cuts, and did the straight razor thing. I miss the cool breeze on the neck afterwards. He had a hole in the wall shop with two chairs, but never saw him use but one.

He gave me a crew cut the day before I went into the Marine Corps so I wouldn't have a rough time with the Boot Camp barbers. Bob, was stubborn he wouldn't let the CocaCola guys replace the machine in his shop. It held only the small bottles of Coke and cost a nickel. You know the one.... the one with the hole in the middle and you pulled the bottles out. He kept a box with nickels on top of the machine. The same 50 or so nickels went through that machine for decades.

 

[teamhavoc28]

Guys, You make me feel truly blessed. I have one of those barbers ten miles from the house. He is an ex-cop who took over his uncle's shop after he quit the police dept. I've known him for about 15 yrs now. I always hold my ears when I take a seat just to yank his chain. He doesn't cut to suit everyone's hair. but you get cigar catalogs and hunting magazines galore and always the lather and shave on the neck. We have several of those shops left in the area. In college, I'd always try to steer my buddies to go to a barber shop instead of a salon. You saved coins and walked out feeling you were a gentleman.

 

[schmitzbitz]

I too am fortunate enough to have a true barber-shop within spitting distance, a great place to go for a cup of coffee (or a snort), share a cigar, and shoot the bull for awhile. A motley pair, one of the barbers is an avid fly fisherman, the other a "greaser" from hotrod days gone by, so the shop itself is full of all sorts of ecclectic stuff they've collected over the years.

Oddly enough, they've actually rented two of the chairs to women...women who are not afraid to lather up the back of a neck, or reach for a straight razor, mind you. They also cut my wifes hair now, saves us $80 every couple of months, and she swears they do a better job than any pricey salon.

 

[loborx]

When I was a kid back East, my uncle was a barber and he always cut our hair in his little plaza shop. When my family moved to Vegas, it was Supercuts for decades. Finally about a year ago, after another in a series of bad haircuts, I said "screw this" and went on a search for a legitimate old time barber shop. I found one in my neighborhood called Oscar's and I've never looked back. Real barber chair, hot lather, straight razor, a brush of talcum powder and a splash of bay rum on the neck and I feel like a million bucks! Funny thing is, it's not run by an old timer. The guys and one gal who work there are all probably in their mid thirties. The clientele runs from retirees to toddlers. The tradition lives on but you sometimes have to do a little searching.

 

[sockmonkey]

For those of us in Houston proper, we have Doug's Barber Shop on 11th St. in the Heights.

(I was sitting in the chair when I took this picture.)
$12 gets you a haircut, a straight razor shave along the neckline/behind the ears, a quick scalp massage from one of those old-school vibrating scalp massager things, and some banter.
Can't be beat.

 

[pstlpkr]

Lucky Devil....

Looks comfy. :mrgreen:

 

[expatpipe]

Man, I imagine getting that 12 dollar treatment, walking outside, taking in the sun feeling the breeze, lighting up a pipe and feeling like a million bucks! Lawrence said it right, Lucky Devil.. )

 

[tanless1]

My barber doesn't charge me. Straight Razor & Hot Cream .

 

[nyed001]

My town's barber is 80something and still gives a great cut.Like some of you already mentioned he still uses the old straight around the ears and takes care of my neck with hot lather.The down side is that he rents the back end of his shop out to a hairdresser.Since he did so it just doesnt feel the same for some reason.

Just for kicks I bring him my straight razor,an old Double Duck,ever other month and have him whet and strop it for me.His cut is still 6 bucks and the whet and strop costs me 2.It doesnt get any better.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

To my knowledge there isn't a barber like that in Vegas. I just get my haircut with my fiance. She has her connections and so I luckily get a haircut from a pretty cool laid back funny guy. The only downfall is he's working in a Day Spa type of place with a lot of retired women who have nothing better to do than get their hair and nails done. Fortunately though he's sequestered himself in a room in the back corner away from most of the loud and gossipy women. He doesn't charge too much either. I don't think I've seen a barber here in Vegas that will do a straight razor shave, unless you count the one in I think it's Caesar's which will cost you an arm and two legs.