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A post in the barber shop about...BARBER SHOPS and the lack of a decent one!

Ok, didn't really know where else to put this, but this is going to be half rant, half information hounding.

Where have all the good barbershops gone!??!?! Seriously, outside of the bull crap super clips and a few "barbershops" that are just tools that don't know how to actually cut hair, what ever happened to a REAL barber that aside from actually knowing how to decently cut a man's hair would do the extra things like use a hot towel, shave faces, shave the back of your neck, and/or make you look like a presentable adult male?

It seems that all that is left are women's salons and chain stores that emphasize volume of clientele over quality of service. I can't tell you how many times I've had my neck raked by a pair clippers rather than shaved smoothly with a SE blade...or, how many times I've been given a fuzzy cut with strays all over then sent out the door without even having the clippings washed out!

GAHHH!!

Through all this, does anyone know of a decent barbershop in the western suburbs of Chicago that actually does what a barbershop is "supposed" to do? I know this is a pretty specific request for a broad forum like this, but someone somewhere must know where I can go or at least refer me to someone who can! I'm sick beyond belief of getting a great shave at home and having to pair it with a crappy haircut!
 
Sheridan's Barbershop, downtown Wheaton, IL. A three-chair shop. For 14 bucks you'll get a great haircut and a SE neck/behind the ear shave, with a brushoff of Clubman talc. No face shaves, though. Downtown Wheaton has three barbershops total, so the others might.
It's been a while, but I remember Esquire Barbershp in Lombard doing the hot towel/neck shave, with an AS splash too. Haircut could have been better. Nice guys, though.
 
Copied from my post in the "General Shaving Discussion" forum in a thread about barber shop shaves--I had a nice suprise yesterday here in the northern 'burbs of the DFW area...

I'm bald as a cue-ball, and shave my head every day with a razor. Unfortunately, barber shops have been foreign to me for some time. However, I took my son to an old-school barber shop yesterday for a cut (he'd always wanted to go to a newfangled type place with music blasting and young tattoo'd women doing the cutting--my son is 15, after all). The shop is relatively new, but is furnished with antique side-bars and chairs. Really a cool place. Nice banter with older, experienced male barbers that most of you are accustomed to. While my son was getting his hair cut and cracking up at the ongoing conversation (and receiving a straight razor cleanup of his neck and sideburn area), I noticed an older gentleman with a white barber's smock giving a customer a straight shave at the other end of the shop. I then noticed he had 2 other customers waiting for a shave as well. The barber had a very distinct Italian accent. I may need to drop in and have him give the face and head a shave...

Cheers!
 
I've wondered if a guy would have an easier time of finding one in Smalltown, U.S.A or whether it's easier in big cities. I think that it might be easier than you think in some areas of the country. We have a town nearby of about 1200 folks where the local barber has a regular clientele waiting at the door when he's done with his regular job next door at the post office. I don't think you'd get a hot towel there but you get a barbershop atmosphere and an $8 cut. Bring your own Clubman for him to keep on hand. I stopped at a little hole in the wall in Tuscaloosa, Alabama last year and got tremendous service from a gentleman who absolutely knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he had the customer base that was going to keep him busy very long. Ft. Myers, Florida has a spot near the beach that's run by a couple of retired guys. Again, nothing fancy but a solid experience in what I expect from a barbershop. The only problem they had was that they aren't allowed to use a SE by law (HIV) so that was a bit of a downer. Again, I think the experience is around to be found. It just might be hard to find the "Full Monty".
 
i went to a barbershop near my home recently to find it under new ownership. (guy moved to vegas)
i was talking with the new owner for a while and she told me the gov. had called her and asked her to please stop using straight blades.
(the guy would shave neck)
reason for the call was aids...
 
Copied from my post in the "General Shaving Discussion" forum in a thread about barber shop shaves--I had a nice suprise yesterday here in the northern 'burbs of the DFW area...

I'm bald as a cue-ball, and shave my head every day with a razor. Unfortunately, barber shops have been foreign to me for some time. However, I took my son to an old-school barber shop yesterday for a cut (he'd always wanted to go to a newfangled type place with music blasting and young tattoo'd women doing the cutting--my son is 15, after all). The shop is relatively new, but is furnished with antique side-bars and chairs. Really a cool place. Nice banter with older, experienced male barbers that most of you are accustomed to. While my son was getting his hair cut and cracking up at the ongoing conversation (and receiving a straight razor cleanup of his neck and sideburn area), I noticed an older gentleman with a white barber's smock giving a customer a straight shave at the other end of the shop. I then noticed he had 2 other customers waiting for a shave as well. The barber had a very distinct Italian accent. I may need to drop in and have him give the face and head a shave...

Cheers!

Where o where is this little gem!!!

Tom
 
i went to a barbershop near my home recently to find it under new ownership. (guy moved to vegas)
i was talking with the new owner for a while and she told me the gov. had called her and asked her to please stop using straight blades.
(the guy would shave neck)
reason for the call was aids...

This makes no sense. If you cut a person with a straight razor, and that person had AIDS, and you left their blood on the blade, you would be a moron. But, the HIV would be dead in seconds. The oxygen in the air and the florescent light will kill it quickly. It is quite fragile and easily killed outside the body. I cannot imagine any barber shop becoming a transmission point for HIV. Barbers still shave necks with a straight razor in my part of the USA.
 
This makes no sense. If you cut a person with a straight razor, and that person had AIDS, and you left their blood on the blade, you would be a moron. But, the HIV would be dead in seconds. The oxygen in the air and the florescent light will kill it quickly. It is quite fragile and easily killed outside the body. I cannot imagine any barber shop becoming a transmission point for HIV. Barbers still shave necks with a straight razor in my part of the USA.

They have to use disposable blades here. Not many barbers even use those around here, though. Mine did until he recently removed the end of his little finger with one while wiping lather off of the blade.
 
I know this is about 8 hours away from Chicago but here's a barbershop that will do all these things, plus will sell you a good cigar and wet shaving supplies. The barber does quite a good straightedge shave too.

Lloyds Barbershop
 
The barber I used to go to just retired. He was one of the last I knew about that used a straight razor to do the neck and around the ears. He always made me a little nervous cause he was in his 70's and shook like the devil until he touched skin and then he was as smooth...any way, I haven't been able to find another shop that has the same service as he did. I don't want to get "styled" I want a hair cut.
 
Over the last ten years, I've found the barbershops you're looking for (or an equivalent single-person owned beauty shop in one instance) in all towns I've lived. Some I had to drive a ways to. Most used a Lather King for the razor clean-up on the neck and over the ears. One used Master Bay Rum afterwards! Heaven. One (female) was a licensed massage therapist and ended the haircut with a neck massage. No complaint there. All the men were older (between 60 and near-dead) and hadn't quite ridden the social zeitgeist all the way (still racists to some extent).

Seek and you will find (hopefully).

Or fly to South Korea whenever you need a haircut. Professionalism, a strong work ethic and attention to detail are a cultural norm and I don't even bother remembering which gal cut my hair on base; they all do a great job, so far without exception.

Steve
 
I finally found a great old school Italian barber in my area. Great guy, did a fantastic job, gave me some of his old straights and just tell sme the other day he sold his house and is retiring to move down south. Crushed!!!! The search will continue for me now as well.
 
Where o where is this little gem!!!

Tom

It's called "Back in Time" and it's on the SW corner of FM1171 and FM2499 in Flower Mound. Depending on where you are in Coppell, not too far away at all. There are a few of these scattered around the Metromess.
 
Some of what barbers do have been invaded by the politicians. Here in TN my barber said they were gonna make them stop using the razor for anything ie hairline around the ears. Welcome to freedoms of the future, expect more to come, freedom was nice while it lasted..
 
We have an amazing barber shop in my town and it's in the downtown town square of all places. Truly what you would expect to see in the yesteryear period. I stroll by and always see the local men reading the paper chatting up a storm and shooting the breeze.
 
Many years ago my barber retired and sold the business to a woman. She, another woman, and a part time guy all do an excellent job carrying on the tradition of how a barbershop should run.

In the Chicago area you nshould be able to find several good places. We have such shops here in central Ohio that are old school and well regarded.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
glad to see another Aurora guy here! I've never gone outside of Aurora for a haircut so i'm not sure at all whats in the surrounding cities. In the train station there is (was? havent been there in over a year) Tony's Hair Stop. Tony does a great hair cut, any style. I went there for... all my life, since the days when it was Francos Hair Stop, then when Franco moved it became Tony's. He doesn't do anything with a straight but its a fine haircut. I moved away for a year and recently came back and decided to try another place.....again no straight razor shave but a decent hair cut....Headliners is the name its on Praire street kind of by Priscos. Charles is one of the older guys there and he did a fine flat top. Arron is a younger guy that works there and he used to work at Tony's so i know he's been cutting hair for at least 7-8 years. Sadly i don't know of any shop that uses a straight for anything in Aurora. if you find one let me know!
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
ha! just seen this was from June 2011. doubt this guy is still around with 12 posts since then.
 
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