[dropcaps]R[/dropcaps]ediscovering the barbershop should be among the first items on your to-do list this season. There is no greater experience than having another guy lather your face and shave your beard, then oil you up with fancy pomades. Trust us on this one, you’ll feel both pampered and empowered, all while becoming your most dapper self. After one barbershop experience, you’ll be eager to have your hair and beard grow back fast so you can make another appointment in man heaven.
One of the main reasons the barbershop is like a safe haven for guys is the feeling of belonging that it gives you. Go to the same corner barbershop for more than ten times and you’re already on first-name terms with most of the guys there, including the barber himself. There’s no greater sense of community than the one established in a place where you’re at your most vulnerable.
A Short History Of Barbershops
[adsense300gray]The best times for barbershops were, of course, the years of excessive hair wax and pocket-comb carrying – from the 1880’s all the way up to the 1950’s. During these years, the social hub for men was this special place where they got to sit down and let themselves be pampered without feeling any less manly about it. They could make and sustain durable friendships, all under the roof of the friendly neighborhood barbershop. Soon enough, men would go in these places for more than a shave and a haircut, meeting up with friends and hanging out for hours on end. During these wonderful years, most barbershops were classy joints with marble counters and handcrafted hair tonic bottles and hair products (not unlike those from Uppercut Deluxe, a brand that was inspired by the timeless style of the 1950’s barbershop.) Even though these places looked like they were made for royalty, they were also homey and very inviting, with the scents of musk, tobacco, apple and cherry filling the air. The decline of these heavenly refuges for men started with the invention of the Gillette razor blade, in 1904. Therefore, going to the barber became a special treat, rather than an everyday occurrence.
Avoid going to the unisex salons if you care about your trim – a real barber knows his stuff and won’t do a hack job out of your haircut, as he is trained to cut with clippers, not scissors. The conversation you will get at a barbershop is high-quality stuff, as you are prone to meet interesting figures with even more interesting stories to tell. As for shaves, you haven’t live until you’ve gotten a proper, plush-chair, single-razor, classic barbershop shave. In-between hot towels applied to your face, you’ll have to beat the urge of falling asleep. Reduce stress by visiting the nearest red and white striped pole entrance.
From a real father and son bonding experience to an enhanced community feel, the barbershop is the place to be if you want to feel overall manlier and better groomed. There’s nothing like a nice lather and a face moisturizer to take away your daily worries. Go get a real trim and shave and tell us all about your experience in the comments below.