When it comes to haircuts, I grew up going to barber shops on Air Force bases or the closest Supercuts in my neighborhood. Maybe a haircut at a Fantastic Sam's if I was going together with my mom. I balked at paying $20 or more for a guys haircut. But then I finally reached a point where I saw that these $10-$15 haircuts weren't...cutting it. The inconsistent cuts, the random schedules of people I thought did a decent job, the hurried feeling of my barber (stylist?) trying to get as many customers in their chair as possible.
After two visits to American Male, that phase of my life is over. I'm ready to pay $40 for a haircut. That doesn't really tell the whole story though, because it's a bit more than a haircut. My two experiences went something like this:
- Check in with the super friendly receptionist (Casey? Kasey? Kacey? KC?), and get a beverage (water, tea, coffee, energy drink, beer).
- Let the stylist know what you want, and they trim what they can with clippers.
- Shampoo.
- Finish cutting with scissors.
- Neck shave with razor.
- Dip hands in parafin wax and let it...soak? Marinade? They keep the wax on your hands, is what I'm saying.
- 2nd shampoo with conditioner.
- Face massage and a hot towel afterwards.
- Head massage.
- Rinse hair, remove wax from hands.
- Style hair with product.
The whole appointment lasts about 30 minutes, and nothing feels rushed. Each time I felt quite surprised that I got so many services within a half hour without feeling hurried. I was helped right away each time, but the waiting room does have computers with internet, TV, and video games.
During my first two visits my stylist was Krystal. Super friendly, professional, precise, and consistent. Not only was she the first one to cut my hair at a full service male salon, she was also the one I entrusted with giving me a new hairstyle for the first time in about 12 years. Change can be hard. It's not hard to say good bye to barber shops and decide to keep coming to American Male.