Shave and a haircut, two bits! Or almost. Very inexpensive cuts, $11 and so its a place where local guys stop in very frequently for quick touch-ups. Badomp-bomp! This is exactly the way a good barbershop should always be. It's is an old-school barbershop 'for stand-up guys' in the neighborhood. Family men; dads and brothers and cousins; neighbors and business-owners and friends. Sure, there's a little cigar-smoking; some grizzle, a little paunch, everyone wearing dungarees, and GMC pickups parked somewhere nearby. But they're solid, respectable, 100% AMERICAN dudes.
Now, if you're a jerk, a clown, a punk--if you don't know how to behave with respect or courtesy--you could be tossed out on your ear. These guys do not need you. They've seen punks come-and-go all their life. And they've tossed such guys outta here before. So if you come in here you gotta have your act together. Don't come in here high on drugs. Put down your stupid, sissy, cell phone. Hang up your coat. Sit up straight. Keep your feet in. Pay attention. Flip through a magazine and wait to be called. If-you-give-up-your-seat-for-a-smoke-outside-you-must-start-all-the-way-from-the-bottom-of-the-line.
Be an adult. Be responsible. (That's the kind of gent that comes here for a haircut; the kind of WORKING MEN who know how to do all this automatically, second nature). They know how to behave. They know a visit here is a pleasant chance to shoot-the-bull; to say hello; chance to keep in touch with all-the-local-guys-you-know. Sit around for thirty minutes away from the nagging wife and talk to other guys about medical operations and insurance plans.
The cuts are inexpensive, simple, professional, experienced, and no-nonsense. Particular treat: the straight-razor shave with hot foam. Hot towel afterward. Pat down with a splash of bay rum aftershave. You can't beat it! This is one of the most pleasurable things a guy can have done for himself. Must-try. You haven't lived until you've had a straight-razor shave.
Other intangibles: Brooklyn memorabilia on the walls (boxing, baseball, cars). 'Glass of blue liquid' to hold the combs. Paintings of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, etc. Quotations. Sports league trophies. TV (usually a baseball game) or local radio station provides the only audio. Its great that they play CLASSIC ROCK and ONLY CLASSIC ROCK on the speakers. Again: this is just the way it should be. No cowardly, effeminate, or ghetto music that is found everywhere else. What's better than getting your haircut while the Rolling Stones play one of their hits?
I'll only deduct one star off what would be a 5-star rating because there really is just one flaw: yes its great to play a radio for background ambience but an FM station means blaring, nerve-jangling commercial breaks every 12 mins. This could be fixed with a subscription to Pandora or something. But this minor quibble is really the only thing which mars the salubrious experience of a cut-&-shave at ROME STYLE. Bravo! read more