# What does a barber pole mean to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002 "2009-02-15T22:41:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/21 "2009-02-16T15:29:43Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > To me, it means that there’s probably some old Italian guy in there cutting hair. You can always trust an old Italian barber. > > My favorite barber shop memory was the “three old Italian guys” shop. The youngest looking barber there was 70. I’d often get the really old looking guy with shaky hands. It’s the end of the cut, he’s got out the straight razor, jiggling up and down threateningly as he goes for my neck… _swip_ perfect shave! > > Ahhh… good times. Yeah, and the cool talc on the back of your neck after the shave. That’s the best. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/22 "2009-02-16T15:55:17Z")
At my barbershop, I tell the barber, “Out of the eyes, off of the collar, off of the ears.” What does “#2” mean? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/23 "2009-02-16T15:59:30Z")
A barber pole means a barber shop, of course. And a barber shop means no appointments, sports magazines and newspapers (and sometimes, a _Daily Racing Form_), and a barber who knows what you mean when you say things like “a number 2 all round.” And if you’re really lucky, a barber pole also means a place where you can get a proper straight-razor shave from a guy who’s been doing them for years and knows how to do them right. I went to a place like that for years, then moved across the country. Now, when I’m back in that city, I always make a point of stopping in for a trim. No appointment, of course. It may have been a year or two since I was last there, but they always remember me and the barber always says, “Same as last time, Spoons?” Now _that’s_ a barber shop. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/24 "2009-02-16T16:03:08Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > What does “#2” mean? It refers to the size of the clipper blade- you get a haircut you like length-wise, then ask what blade size he used so you can request it next time. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/25 "2009-02-16T16:13:45Z")
My barbers use scissors more than clippers. I guess I’m a damn hippy. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/26 "2009-02-16T16:15:10Z")
I grew up on Army bases. Never paid more than $3.80 for a haircut until I hit 23 year old and lost my post privileges. Old fashioned barbershops were not only mandatory at every PX, but could also be found tucked away in strange locations. Back when I was in third grade my father got his once-a-month-whether-he-needed-it-or-not haircut in the basement of the building where he worked…a building that had no other stores or vendors of any kind. The last post where we lived had a barber shop in the officer’s club. Like so many other things about one’s childhood, such things were regarded as perfectly normal at the time and only seem strange in retrospect. But yes, these spots were just like in the O.P. Revolving poles, comfy leather seats, stacks of _Popular Science_ and _TIME_ magazines, the frequent “wheek wheek” of the straight razor being stropped, and the manly scent of aftershave. A scene out of Norman Rockwell. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/27 "2009-02-16T16:27:04Z")
A chance to snag a locationless cache! [http://www.terracaching.com/viewcache.cgi?C=LCJT](http://www.terracaching.com/viewcache.cgi?C=LCJT) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/28 "2009-02-16T16:40:29Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > Old fashioned barbershops … could also be found tucked away in strange locations. You’re right about that. The strangest place I’ve ever seen a barber shop was under the stands at a horse race track. One chair, one barber, and he often had a customer. Guess if you hit the Daily Double, you might celebrate with a haircut, but it just seemed an odd place to have a barber shop–really, it’s not much different from deciding to get your hair cut at the ball park or football stadium. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/29 "2009-02-16T17:42:08Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > A barber pole means to me that I’m probably watching an old film and this scene involves a barber. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in real life. It would be helpful to know your location. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/30 "2009-02-17T02:28:32Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > It refers to the size of the clipper blade- you get a haircut you like length-wise, then ask what blade size he used so you can request it next time. The numbers are eighths of an inch. A number 2 is be-mistaken-for-military short. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/31 "2009-02-17T03:48:22Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > When I was younger, my father would take me to his honest-to-goodness real barber. He always gave me candy and I was always absolutely fascinated by the giant vacuum hose that was attached to the counter for easy stray hair removal. I’ve never been to another barber or salon that had one of those. You didn’t grow up in or around Altoona, PA, did you? That sounds just like the barber in the Juniata section of town that my dad took me to throughout my childhood, down to the candy (DumDum pops). It’s weird because I was just thinking about that vacuum thing today…I went to a professional barber shop for the first time in almost 15 years. No vacuum thing, though… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/32 "2009-02-17T04:01:39Z")
To me, a barber shop is fairly small, maybe two or three chairs, maybe two barbers. The barbers are older, in their 50s or 60s, and they have those near-medical white tunics on. The smell of bay rum. The barber shop I went to as a kid had old comic books along with the Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. This was mid-70s to mid-80s. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/33 "2009-02-17T05:37:35Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It would be helpful to know your location. Los Angeles. Before that, suburban NC. (I used to have a location field before I got downgraded to guest status, sigh) ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/34 "2009-02-17T05:56:25Z")
It means that it’s a men’s salon, where we can go to get a buzz and a shave. As for the pole itself, however…I definitely think of bloodletting. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/35 "2009-02-17T12:48:06Z")
A barber pole should be attached to a barber shop and not a styling salon. The place where I go has three male barbers and one woman, but they are all just plain, old fashioned barbers. About the only ‘custom’ hair cut they do is a flat top. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/36 "2009-02-17T13:18:12Z")
I went to manly men’s barber shops for years. Then finally, a few years back, I needed a special haircut for a church play so the lady director made an appointment for me at a salon. There, I had cute girls half my age cut & style my hair & fondle my scalp & face. Third most erotic experience of my life. Never been to a barber shop since except for one time I needed a haircut & both my salons were booked up for a week. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/37 "2009-02-17T16:57:39Z")
I agree that a barber pole should be attached to an actual barber, however, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that was. My barber is in an old storefront that’s been on the main street for decades, right next to the Mason Lodge. Ms. Catherine, the owner (yes, an actual female barber) inherited it from (I think) her father-in-law. She runs it with two of her sons. I can get a good hair cut and leave a decent tip for less than $20. You have to wait your turn and you need to keep track of who’s in front of you. Oh, and there’s taxidermy on the walls. That’s how you know it’s a real barber shop. The only barber pole I’ve seen in the last twenty or so years was on a “men’s grooming center,” which I guess is Ad speak for “salon with wood paneling and leather seats, so you don’t feel so girly when they mousse up your hair.” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/38 "2009-02-17T16:58:42Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I went to manly men’s barber shops for years. Then finally, a few years back, I needed a special haircut for a church play so the lady director made an appointment for me at a salon. There, I had cute girls half my age cut & style my hair & fondle my scalp & face. > Third most erotic experience of my life. > > Never been to a barber shop since except for one time I needed a haircut & both my salons were booked up for a week. Okay - I’ll admit, there is something nice about having the shampoo girl wash your hair. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002/39 "2009-02-17T17:11:12Z")
When I see a barber pole, I expect it to be a barber sop, not a salon. There was one in my old neighborhood that had the chairs with the red vinyls seats and chrome trim. It was always tiny and you could still get a shave with a straight razor. They will trim your ear hair, but there’s no way they’ll wax your eyebrows, unibrow be damned. I’ve noticed that in some neighborhoods it’s different. The barber pole means “salon for men”. I don’t usually see them at salons that cater mostly to women and I honestly don’t recall if I’ve seen a barber pole outside a unisex salon, but now I’m going to be keeping an eye out. Haven’t seen a barber pole rotating since I was a kid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-barber-pole-mean-to-you/486002.md?page=1)