Barber in Boston?

[Oligarch]

Hi All,

Recently moved to Boston after several years in London, and wondering if anyone can recommend a good barber.

My needs are pretty straightforward -- a good barber who actually uses scissors, and who will take the time to do a good job. I'm willing to pay up, but have been horrified by some of the supposedly high-end places I've seen here who quote treatment prices by time. My haircuts rarely take more than 30 min, but I just find it odd to have a time limit applied.

In London, I was very happy with Carlo Anichini in Piccadilly Arcade, who became a friend over the years. Was hoping to find someone with a similar profile in Boston.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Hi All,

Recently moved to Boston after several years in London, and wondering if anyone can recommend a good barber.

My needs are pretty straightforward -- a good barber who actually uses scissors, and who will take the time to do a good job. I'm willing to pay up, but have been horrified by some of the supposedly high-end places I've seen here who quote treatment prices by time. My haircuts rarely take more than 30 min, but I just find it odd to have a time limit applied.

In London, I was very happy with Carlo Anichini in Piccadilly Arcade, who became a friend over the years. Was hoping to find someone with a similar profile in Boston.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

It's really hard to find a good barber. If all else fails, you can always go to a women's hair salon. To be honest, a lot of womens' hairstylists are much more skilled than the average barber, especially if you want to have your hair cut with scissors. I don't have any suggestions in Boston, but I've struggled to find good barbers too and in doing so I've noticed that a womens' hair salon is usually a good bet. Just find a hair salon in a nice neighborhood that caters to rich housewives and you should be good to go. It's a little uncomfortable at first but the quality of the haircut is so much better than it's worth enduring the humiliation of being a guy in a women's hair salon.

I first discovered this when I was living in NYC, in Greenwich Village. I needed a haircut but didn't trust any of the local places that catered to rebellious kids. So I started walking north... and walked... and walked... and walked. For whatever reason, there just weren't any barbershops along my route. 30 blocks later I was tired of walking and told myself, "I'm going to get my hair cut at the next place I see." That turned out to be a womens' hair salon. I was embarrassed to go in but I stuck to my vow and... the haircut was SO MUCH BETTER than any barber I'd ever visited. Let's face it, the average woman has more exacting beauty standards than the average guy, and womens' hair salons need to cut hair to a higher standard. Of course, there are good male barbers, but they are hard to find. A mid-priced womens' hair salon, OTHO, will usually do as well as a really good male barber, especially if you want a scissor cut.

 

[dieworkwear]

It's really hard to find a good barber. If all else fails, you can always go to a women's hair salon. To be honest, a lot of womens' hairstylists are much more skilled than the average barber, especially if you want to have your hair cut with scissors. I don't have any suggestions in Boston, but I've struggled to find good barbers too and in doing so I've noticed that a womens' hair salon is usually a good bet.

I go to salons. FWIW, I believe these are two different trades. As you noted, people at salons (known as hairstylists) are more skilled with scissors. Barbers are generally better with clippers. If you wear hairstyles with a tight fade, you will want a barber. If you wear things like a messy quiff, you will want a salon. I'm embedding a YouTube clip about this below, although there are many others.

Unfortunately, I don't know of a good barber in Boston.

 

[Bavo]

Hi All,

Recently moved to Boston after several years in London, and wondering if anyone can recommend a good barber.

My needs are pretty straightforward -- a good barber who actually uses scissors, and who will take the time to do a good job. I'm willing to pay up, but have been horrified by some of the supposedly high-end places I've seen here who quote treatment prices by time. My haircuts rarely take more than 30 min, but I just find it odd to have a time limit applied.

In London, I was very happy with Carlo Anichini in Piccadilly Arcade, who became a friend over the years. Was hoping to find someone with a similar profile in Boston.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

Custom Barber Shop in Harvard Square (technically Brattle Sq but all runs together) Cambridge. Nick in chair 1.