I think I might have mentioned in my review of my favorite Maginhawa Street barber that I don't care much for really expensive and meticulous haircuts. I'm good with a fast haircut that makes me look half-decent after all the hair has been brushed off my neck and my arms. I used to not care about what my hair looks like, and I styled it very minimally. That was all until I stepped into Tribal Cuts and had my first "slick cut" done.
Slick cuts are what the guys at Tribal Cuts call the non-traditional, non-mainstream haircuts that people can get from their shop, which is located in the far back of the Tribal Store. It is easy to find: Just go to the end of the Pedro Gil Wing and look for the Shakeys. The Tribal Store (the shop that sells clothes and jeans with their famous tribal logo). Anyway, slick cuts are a nod to the old-school pompadours and fades that people used to get when pomades where still in style. Speaking of pomades, the guys here in Tribal Cuts know their stuff, and they recommended a few brands of locally made pomades that I could use.
I decided to go for a classic brushed up pompadour, and my barber, Tim (who was still in training) was an excellent and skilled man. We talked about quite a lot of things because slick cuts normally take about an hour, since it requires a lot of scissorwork - they don't just clip you with their electric shears - they need to feather, gradually decrease the length of some spots and meticulously brush and comb your hair to see how it would look when it's styled. The boys at Tribal Cuts are part of the Slick Barbers collective, which aims to bring back the barbershop culture that has become quite obsolete because people are now always in a hurry.
Schedule your appointments in advance because they are so in demand, they would usually have a cut-off at 2PM and cut for the rest of the afternoon. read more