I moved to the Alewife/North Cambridge area in September 2016, and have had 4 hair cuts since then. Two of them were with the lovely Harold and the other two were at the horrid franchise known as SuperCuts (Porter Square and Central Square locations) (it happened to be later in the night and I was in desperate need of a hair cut and Super Cuts was the only place open).
Well this is not a review about Super Cuts, but let me talk about the *artist* Harold. Of the two times he has cut my hair and shaped/trimmed my beard, it was brilliantly done. Harold is a very old school guy who knows his way around the machine, scissors, and combs. If I tell him I want a 1.5 or 2 on the sides, he doesn't just go willy nilly changing the blade and running it through my hair on the sides (note metal and plastic guards make a difference, and Harold knows his stuff!). He'll use his machines and comb and work his way down to your desired length. Then he'll blend in with the top with scissors (I wanted to leave the length/volume on the top of my head).
He'll then go around the edges with the Wahl Peanut trimmer. My favorite thing is he'll *rarely* ask you to adjust your lip or chin when working on the edges of your mustache, soul patch areas, or below the nose. Lastly, he does what is one of the hardest things to find in this area, a straight razor shave *with* hot foam from a machine. Coming from New York City, you'll find a Hispanic, Italian, or African barber who'll do this on pretty much every street corner, but it's been tough for me in this area. The straight razor shave is done right, where he'll bring out the head rest, and push your seat back, so he can get under your chin and get an accurate shave. The foam is also nice and warm and Harold lathers it up well.
The reason I describe Harold as an artist is because I feel his work is like that of a painter working on a blank canvas. Halfway through, you might be really confused where this is going, and why did Harold do that. But relax! He's been doing this for years. At the end, you see his masterpiece come to life, and you'll look in the mirror and tell yourself, "Hot damn, that's one sexy motherf**ker in the mirror!".
My favorite part about this barber shop is it has a very homely and friendly feel to it. It feels like one of those TV shows that takes place in the 70s/80s and everyone knows each other in the neighborhood (almost like Cambridge has this suburban community vibe rather than a city vibe). The other lady working there, I believe Rose is her name, was updating her address book for a guy who looked to be a regular. This was so she can send him their annual Christmas cards. She said she likes buying ethnic cards (i.e. ones where you see other cultures on the cards, and goes to a store in Davis Sq to pick them up). I love that! Just a general feel good, gives your heart the warm fuzzies kind of place! Unfortunately I'm not a regular here, so I won't be getting one, but I'll definitely be a regular soon.
N.B.: They are a *cash* only place, so head to the ATM before you come over here. The prices are very fair. I always give Harold $25 including tip and he hooks me up good. (it's $17 for a regular hair cut and since I got the beard shaped and trimmed, it came out $20 total and I added the $5 tip). I believe kids 12 and under get a haircut for $10.
I believe a lot of the businesses on the block have the same landlord, so their rent went up. As a result, Prices have gone up, to $20 a haircut, but still worth it. I now pay $28 for my haircut and beard adjustment. read more
