Grandpa knew best. Didn't he?
NYC's "barbershop renaissance" is bringing back the art of the no-frills cut and shave -- served up with just enough hipster cred to pull the young and tattooed from the overpriced salon to the barber's chair.
But is this new take on a classic legitimately delivering the goods?
"As cute or contrived as these places might seem — many are selling a kind of false nostalgia to customers too young to remember the real thing," writes David Colman in this week's NY Times.
And according to Colman, the old-school straight razor barber shop experience (rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?) can leave much to be desired:
They do give a decent haircut at Freemans, and can give you a straight-razor shave if you want it. But be warned: to men used to the Trac II or Mach3, the straight razor shave will come as a surprise. You feel as if you are trapped in a chair while your beard is intently licked off by a mountain lion with an 80-grit-sandpaper tongue. The word “luxury” does not come to mind.
What's your take on the contemporary urban barbershop?
