If it was possible to live half star I would, welcoming lady at the register is what took it to 1…read morestar otherwise it's a 0 to 0.5.
I was hoping to find a nearby barbershop open on a Sunday since I had just landed in Canada, and luckily I found this place. The lady who answered the phone was very friendly and welcoming. They accept walk-ins, so I rushed over hoping to make it before 4:30 PM for a quick haircut.
I wasn't asking for anything complicated -- just a light side fade, a small trim, and specifically not too high in the back. I even showed photos of my previous haircuts, which I always do because pictures speak louder than words and usually avoid any confusion. The barber (second chair from the left) seemed to understand exactly what I wanted and even complimented my previous haircut, so I felt confident we were on the same page.
Unfortunately, that confidence disappeared quickly. She seemed rushed and started going higher and higher with the clippers while I trusted the process and was distracted replying to emails on my phone. When she moved to the back, I could feel she was taking it too high there as well -- I even leaned my head forward trying to stop her from continuing. By then, it was too late.
I asked, "Didn't you go too high on the sides?" and she tried explaining that it "needed to blend because of the fade," as if I'd never had a fade haircut before. Then she showed me the back, and I honestly couldn't believe it. Thankfully, she immediately noticed my reaction and acknowledged she made a mistake. To her credit, she told the cashier not to charge me and even offered me a soda from the fridge, which I appreciated.
Still, I left extremely disappointed. I have important meetings this week, and now I'm walking around with what looks closer to a punk-rock/mohawk-style cut than the clean professional fade I asked for. She tried blow-drying and styling it to make it look better, but the damage was already done.
What also rubbed me the wrong way was being offered add-ons like shampooing, eyebrow work, and hair products immediately after the bad haircut. The moment you walk in, there's already a huge display of products in your face, so being pushed toward more services/products after the experience felt tone-deaf. Ironically, I probably would have bought styling products if the haircut had turned out well.
Overall, while I appreciate that they owned the mistake and didn't charge me, I can't recommend this place based on my experience. It genuinely made me question the barber's experience level, especially how clipper-heavy and rushed the cut felt.
Pictures for reference below what I expected vs what I got. "fade"
