I gave this place a try because of reviews I read and the fact that it's the oldest barber shop in the city. I walked in at 4:15pm on a weekday and was out before 5, and that's with all 4 chairs already busy with customers. I had to wait less than 10minutes, most of which I spent perusing some splendid magazines (mainly consisting of "Life") that actually were interesting to go through and were not out dated which was greatly appreciated by me.
The chairs are indeed fun to sit on, but in all seriousness, they are nice to look at and are not uncomfortable but nothing really special that it brings in a practical sense. I sat on the Hercules brand chair from 1901 Chicago (according to their website). The haircut was $22 (Shaves went for $27). I should have read the info here better as credit cards are not accepted and plastic was all I had. I mentioned this before I sat down and my barber indicated that it was fine and I could pay him later. He then went straight to my hair and it was nice to just tell him that I wanted it short but not too short, and the direction in which I brush it before he set to work (I have extremely uncomplicated hair). He was quick, not overly talkative but very friendly and kept it simple. A mini head rub was also included which I always enjoy! :)
After the cut, he was perfectly fine in me leaving to get cash which I don't know if any big time hair places would allow these days. He got a better tip as a result too.
I really enjoyed my experience, I'm not too sure if they are the place to go if you want some fancy dandy hair cut but for a simple cut I've not been to any place better in the city. I will make more trips there for certain!