# What ever happened to the good, old-fashioned barber shop? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 8, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443 "2012-12-08T19:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/21 "2012-12-10T14:31:07Z")
A few weeks ago, I got a haircut at the one I went to when I was a kid. It has downsized into the room where the Coke machine used to be, however, and now has one chair instead of four. Wouldn’t have considered entering a barber shop through the '70s and '80s, but I’m pretty bald now. Having long hair now would make me look like a gray-haired Larry Fine. The chairs I remember (and still see) are labeled Koken. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/22 "2012-12-10T14:36:02Z")
I’m not sure that it’s coming back but it’s been a hipster thing for several years so new ones are actually opening. In my town there are a few. There is one true old style one, a hipster type one where you need to buy a membership and a few places that are regular places that offer the service. In CA, a barber’s license is a separate thing from a hair stylists license and requires and additional certification. Unfortunately, you can’t use the old style straight razor anymore because of concerns of blood borne disease. They have to use disposable razors now. The ones I have seen have plastic handles. I have had two shaves at barber shops. One was an amazing and relaxing experience and one was just ok. I believe that if there is one of those striped poles out front, that means that barber services are offered. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/23 "2012-12-10T15:39:52Z")
New York, so probably not entirely typical, but… My regular barber shop these days doesn’t **look** traditional, but the service certainly is. I think the entire staff is Russian, as I pick up bits and pieces of their conversation. Excellent cut, followed by the hot lather and straight razor shave on the back of the neck and a sort of brief neck/shoulder massage with a hot towel. Separately, I went to a place over by Tompkins Square Park that had a very nice speakeasy-style bar behind the barbershop. Cuts came with a free drink, and the young-hipster-barber was offering to go totally old school and dig out an ingrown hair for me. (I had my girlfriend at the time do that instead.) They did shaves as well, though not the neck thing as I recall. I stopped going there 'cause it was $40 and I’m cheap. 😃 Bottom line–lots of places do shaves around Manhattan. I’ve actually had one once, and it was an absolute disaster, honestly–red like a beet, stinging from sweat all night, and I give myself a closer shave three times a week. Mind you, my face is difficult, and I find that I need to have a few days’ growth to get a good shave, so I don’t necessarily blame the barber and I don’t rule out trying again some day. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/24 "2012-12-10T17:25:06Z")
I hate it too. I walked into some frou-frou salon and asked for a hot shave and trepanning and they just stared at me through their kohl-rimmed eyes. Time to buy a home kit, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/25 "2012-12-10T17:50:09Z")
Herein Peru they are still the norm, although salon-like places are appearing. Nothing like a straight razor to give my beard the shape I simply can’t. Only for men (or kids). The only women are the kids’ mums. ---
**Author:** ![geneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@geneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geneb)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/26 "2012-12-10T18:45:59Z")
You can use the Art of Manliness Barbershop Locator: [Why Every Man Should Go To A Barber Shop | The Art of Manliness](http://artofmanliness.com/barbershop-locator/) Also, if you want to get a straight razor shave, I’d suggest that you ask how often they actually give them. A person who is out of practice taking a razor to your throat can be painful. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/27 "2012-12-10T19:00:15Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I hate it too. I walked into some frou-frou salon and asked for a hot shave and trepanning and they just stared at me through their kohl-rimmed eyes. Time to buy a home kit, I guess. You asked for a hole to be drilled in your head? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/28 "2012-12-10T19:13:43Z")
as Chefguy pointed out, there are quite a few in Portland. I just have no desire to pay $60 for a haircut. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/29 "2012-12-10T23:41:55Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You asked for a hole to be drilled in your head? :eek: Barbers were also a type of surgeons centuries ago, the red and white barber pole represents blood and white bandages. I’m in Central New York and there are quite a few old fashioned barber shops around, not hard to find. They are generally small places that don’t advertise or have flashy signs or decor. I’m thinking the fathers of the current generation went to hair salons, not barbershops, back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s when men had longer hair. But I’m also thinking barbershops never went away, being one of those traditional things that just keep on keepin’ on. (Like butcher shops. Who needs a butcher shop when you can find just about everything already in a big grocery store? Yet butcher shops never went away, I know of half a dozen.) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/30 "2012-12-11T08:51:52Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > Our area is FILLED with them- seriously, I could fling a cat and hit four, and that’s before I got very far down the road. There is one at the local MALL here. The have a POOL TABLE FFS! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/31 "2012-12-11T10:54:41Z")
The South seems to enshrine these. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/32 "2012-12-11T11:32:29Z")
I go to one regularly (metro Detroit.) there are at least several in my city alone. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/33 "2012-12-11T15:56:40Z")
My buddy opened one in our city about a year or so ago. He only cuts men’s hair and does the hot-lather straight-razor shave, hot towels and everything. It has an old-timey Italian barber shop feel and he always dresses up in a tuxedo shirt for work. It’s pricey of course, but he seems to be successful so far. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/34 "2012-12-11T16:12:17Z")
That’s one thing that, although I don’t particularly need it, I would have no problem finding around here if I did. I don’t know if Montreal is just unusual in this way but I can think of two or three off the top of my head and there are probably far more that I just haven’t noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/35 "2012-12-11T17:29:50Z")
Ames, IA, still has a couple of one-chairs on Main Street and one barber pole shack on the Iowa State campus. The latter is official ROTC knob-shaving headquarters. Me, I go to Great Clips 'cause it’s cheap and the gals are friendly. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/36 "2012-12-11T18:03:21Z")
There’s a number of old(er)-school barber shops in my neighbourhood in Toronto (North York). One has a couple of old Italian guys cutting hair, but they were too yakky for my taste. Instead I get my hair cut at a shop run by an East Asian guy (I thought he was Vietnamese, but I think my wife said they were Taiwanese) and his sister (I thought it was his wife). The guy is great; he gives me just what I want with no fuss and no muss. The woman requires more guidance; for example, I always have to keep telling her I want it shorter. Both those places use the straight razor for the sideburns and the back of the neck, for instance. The cost is in the $15 range (although I’m a big shot and I let them keep the change from a $20). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/37 "2012-12-11T18:07:02Z")
When my barber finally retired last summer, he explained that the landlord wanted to sell the building, so no one’s leases were renewed, and every other available space in the area was either not suitable or way, way, too expensive. So my suggestion would be to look for neighborhoods with older storefront-type commercial buildings, probably in post-war suburbs that have a lot of WW2 and older baby populations. (I did find another barber shop. They have six barbers – one of them a woman – but only one is under the age of 50.) ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443/38 "2012-12-11T18:37:16Z")
Every time I read this title I think ‘whatever happened to the good old-fashioned head shop?’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-good-old-fashioned-barber-shop/643443.md?page=1)