Do You Have a Barber?

[JoeStrummer]

So, my last 20 haircuts have been performed by roughly 18 different people. When I was growing up, my dad had a barber for 10 years. The barber died, so my dad found another barber for another 10 years. Then that guy died. The old man didn't like the other barber in the shop (although I couldnt tell any goddamn difference in their haircuts) so he found another barber for 10 more years. Then my dad died, bringing to an end his need for a barber.

Do people still go to the same person forever for their haircut needs? Or is this a holdover from an earlier generation?

[Tippster]

I used to go to one lady (co-owner of a Barber shop) for ~10 years. She retired and now I'm a ship adrift. I've gone to several barbers and even (gasp) hairdressers spending anywhere from $15 to $40 for a haircut and have not yet found a home.

Basically I want another Latina MILF to rub her titties against me while we chat and she cuts my hair the way I like without coaching.

[Sirshredalot]

Tipp - I know you work downtown(ish). The Senate Barber Shop is money. It's $20 plus tip, but you actually get the same person, they're experienced, and they use a straight razor. I think you need to go to the ladies side for a lady hairdresser. The barbers are usually male.

[DeathVan]

where I grew up in Portland there was the Y-Barber, Vern was the man, he and all the old-timers would sit in this little box watching Perry Mason and smoke cigarettes all day (I mean SMOKE!) Vern only used clippers and only gave one haircut (buzz flattop) while smoking, but it only cost $3 for over a decade.

good times......nowadays Bishops gives you free PBR, that's pretty good, but not as sweet as the cancer Vern gave me

[Viva]

Having someone who knows exactly how you want your hair cut and doesn't have to ask is money!

I had a great gal cutting my hair for a couple years, but then she broke up with her BF and we soon started sleeping together. After that relationship went south, it took a couple months to find a reasonable replacement. She had to close her shop anyway because the economy was killing business, so it was all good.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

I used to go to an old guy who had been a barber in the Marines back in the '60s giving the fresh meat their first buzzcuts. After he got out of the corps he set up shop in my part of town. I really liked going there, it was a definite "old time" place, men only, and he was a neat character. A couple years ago he decided it was time to finally quit working, closed up shop and moved to the Texas coast. Since then I haven't found a place I'm comfortable with. All that's left around here are chain type places staffed by little asian women who can barely speak engrish or young, fat, chatty white chicks who want to talk about buying $300 jeans. There is one "guy" type barber shop that I know of but he's only open during normal business hours on weekdays which is, of course, when I'm at work.

Given that scenario, I just go to the cheapest chain place and get my #4 clipper cut, slightly longer in front please, for $10 + tip.

[Tuckerman]

I have been my own Barber for the last 3 years. I got a set of clippers for about $30 and have never looked back. Its getting colder now so I will let it grow out a bit.

[Platinum Pete]

The first business I went to when I moved to Portland was the Laurelhurst Barbershop. Fred the punk rock barber (and KBOO host, and record executive, and all around kick ass guy) has been cutting my hair the same way for 10 years as of this coming February. On that first trip to his shop I had a stupid hippy beard that I thought made me look cool - Fred shaved that into mutton chops and a hitler stache and told me "you're no hippy, you wear shoes." I love Fred.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Mutton chops and a Hitler stache? where's the ROFL smilie?

[funkendrenchman]

Yea, he gives terrible haircuts, but he's always willing to talk Philly sports.

[Tippster]

Meh - the Senate/House guys give one haircut, unfortunately the one I have now.

I'm not picky, but please don't make me look like one of the gray suit robots.

..and rub your tits against my very married arm.

[InspectorGadget]

Basically I want another (Latina MILF) to rub her titties against me while we chat and she cuts my hair the way I like without coaching.

^^^ Georgia. ^^^
The hot blond that used to cut my hair in my early teen years. Thank god for the cape covering my raging enthusiasm.

My dad used to go to Dale's Barbershop; the quintessential barbershop many if our fathers used to frequent. Dad used to take me to Dale's with him until I started going to ogle Georgia and get the bonus of a hair cut too.

Recently I stopped into the Dollar Shop - that now costs $6 - and felt like I was back at Dale's. A classic barbershop with all the accoutrements. However, now that I have less hair, I need to buy my own clippers since my usual cut for the last 6 months and the foreseeable future is a number 1.

[Benny Profane]

Moving a lot in the past decade highlights this problem for me. I am now trying to train my present barber, and, I think we have a long way to go, but I am more to blame. I had short hair for longer than I can remember (like, yo, you wanna numba 2 or numba 3?), but, since I couldn't get a decent cut after my last move, I just reverted to 1979 by growing it, and I'm getting serious compliments from the people that matter, which means my girlfriend and her friends (oh, he's he's soooooo muuuuucccchhh cuter, as they grab for it, drink in hand). So, tomorrow we work on the next stage of the Benny mullet.

[half-fast]

melanie's been cutting my hair for over 20 years. she called my favorite cut "the crazed ex-marine"

I had to keep an eye on her though-she'd try to sneak in a rattail back in the '80s

[Crock]

For the past 12 or so years my barber Catherine has cut my hair. She started when I was about 11, and even after I moved to college I would schedule my trips home to coincide with my need for a hair cut. So in the past dozen years I've had maybe 5 or 6 haircuts that weren't done by Catherine. She's great because I just walk in, sit down and we have a conversation about what's new and exciting in small-town Vermont (nothing) and I never have to tell her how i want my hair cut. Anytime I've gone to another barber, I have to give a super detailed explanation about how to give me a "regular guy's cut with it shorter on the sides" because that description alone doesn't seem to make sense to them.

On the very awesome, plus side, my freshman and sophomore years of college, I used to have my hair cut every now and then by this chick who lived upstairs from me:



She did a pretty good job too!

[paulster2626]

I have been my own Barber for the last 3 years. I got a set of clippers for about $30 and have never looked back. Its getting colder now so I will let it grow out a bit.

Me too. This is the way to go.

Avoid those awkward moments at the haircutters, where you tell them to fix something up but then it's still not quite right, so they try again, but it's still fucked so you just say whatever and leave it at that.

Then you drive home checking out the fucked up spot in your rearview. When you're in charge of the clippers you can be the biggest perfectionist ever.

[Mau]

I have been my own Barber for the last 3 years. I got a set of clippers for about $30 and have never looked back.

Same here. My hair is getting thin on top so I keep it pretty short. Those attachments for the clippers make it a no-brainer. I give myself a trim every 2 weeks - saving me time and money.

[dumpy]

I've been kind of a floater for a long time. Half the fun of it is meeting some of the crazies that cut hair, women at the cheaper hair cut joints tend to be especially "interesting", in a diner waitress kind of way. Unless they are young, in which case they are typically fat and dull. Unfortunately consistent haircuts are not part of the deal.

My downstairs neighbor is actually a pretty kick ass barber, but his shop is pretty much business hours only, so it's not often I get to hit him up. Young guy, mid 20s, good to see someone keeping the tradition alive. Male, old school barbers seem to be going the way of Catholic priests.

A lesbian at work who has a similar hair style to mine recommended a joint/person within walking distance of work to me, gonna have to check it out, might become a steady joint.

[Tippster]

Male, old school barbers seem to be going the way of Catholic priests.

Now why are you gonna shit on Barbers like that?

[dumpy]

good times......nowadays Bishops gives you free PBR, that's pretty good, but not as sweet as the cancer Vern gave me

I was intrigued by the thought of grizzled old barbers handing out free cheap beers. Then I decided to google the place. When I saw that they actually had a website, I knew I would be disappointed in what I would find on that page. I checked and yep my worst suspicions were confirmed. Fucking hipster.

Gotta say, I give them credit for the beer with a haircut concept. Seems like a natural fit to me.

[dumpy]

Now why are you gonna shit on Barbers like that?

How many male, old school style barbers (clippers, straight razors, etc) under the age 40 do you know? (me, 1)

How many Catholic priests under the age of 40 do you know? (me, 0)

[Tippster]

I thought you were going the Pedophile route.

Honestly I know 3 under-40 priests, one an old Fraternity Brother of mine - but we have a shitload of seminaries in DC.

I know one Barber (and like him) but he's the Greek immigrant nephew of the Barbershop owner in my neighborhood and the older guy always insists on cutting my hair and asking why the media hates "real" Americans.

[dumpy]

^^^What kind of barbers do you hang around? not even in the scope of what I was thinking^^^

Interesting about the young immigrant barber, sort of goes along with the priest analogy. From what I hear from my Catholic GF and her family, the lack of young priests in the US has led to quite a few priests in this area from all over the world, Africa, Latin America, etc. The only American born priests they know are really old.

The US must be the new land of opportunities for men of the cloth and the scissor.

Now back to your regularly scheduled barbershop talk...

[Nate Dogg]

How many male, old school style barbers (clippers, straight razors, etc) under the age 40 do you know? (me, 1)

2. One I believe is ~34, the other is ~20, both give the best razor fade I've ever seen. I just arrived in Jackson a couple weeks ago and I'm thinking it could be a bit before I find someone who does the trick. Went to a "barber shop" earlier, but with half of the people cutting hair being women, it ends up feeling more like a salon. I didn't dare ask them to use the straight razor on my head. Don't get me wrong, haircut was decent...not the best I've had, not the worst...but its nice to be in a barber shop with all guys when the words can flow a little easier and you don't need to worry about having eyebrows raised at you.

[skiaholik]

All through HS my cousin's then gf now wife, cut my hair. Even in college I would time haircuts around breaks or trips home as much as possible. Now that I moved I've been going to the same hair dresser for almost 2 years she's great. We were both actually kinda bummed I'm moving in a month, and I'm not looking forward to finding a new hair dresser. I don't know about the rest of you, but your hair is a pretty important part of how you look and I for one don't want some schmuck fu<king it up.