Among the victims of progress was the old-fashioned barbershop. In a fast-paced society, working men didn’t have time for the pampering involved with a cut and straight-razor shave, so they flocked to shops that offered quick in-and-out service.
But every time the pendulum swings too far one way, it always swings back the other way. Chalk it up to TV’s “Mad Men” influence, the rise of the urban dandy and the gender neutrality movement, which emphasized equal treatment of men and women and set males on a search for ways to feel manly. Those with a sense of nostalgia who feel they missed out on a great thing are boosting the return of the barbershop. But unlike some of the old places that never went away, the new barbershop weds old-school values with a refined, retro-cool vibe.
The first to appear, in 2011, was Mojo Barbershop & Social Club in downtown Honolulu. Its popularity led to the recent addition of a second location on the site of the former McCully Chop Suey.
More recently, J Salon owner Joe Randazzo opened Phil’s Barber Shop, tucked into a cozy 300-square-foot alcove within his Ward Plaza salon, acknowledging the man cave aspect of the barbershop experience, where men of all stripes could gather to talk story all afternoon, free from the company of women.
You could say barbering is in his blood. The barbershop — graced with family photos and memorabilia, plus vintage-style hair posters — is named in honor of his maternal grandfather, Philip Marsala, who opened a barbershop in 1931 out of his house in Benton Harbor, Mich.
Marsala, who emigrated from Sicily in 1908, died before Randazzo was born, but Randazzo said that as a child he listened to the stories his mom told about the men who would gather in the front room of the family home for their haircuts.
“They were all Italian men from Palermo, Sicily, and they would hang out for hours. It was all about socializing with all your buddies, and there was a rule: You never change your barber.”
Despite that lineage, Randazzo said he cried his first time in a barber’s chair at about 5 years old. “I think he used a razor that was dull, and it pulled on my hair. How I became a hairstylist, I don’t know.”
Randazzo opened J Salon in 2003 after seeing the proliferation of barbershops during his annual summer trips to New York. “Over the past two years, I’ve seen it explode there. You can walk down the street and see a barbershop on every block,” he said.
“My generation likes retro things because we feel they were made better. I have vinyl records, and if you play soccer, Adidas has made a comeback.”
Lukas Pousset Barbershop client
Adding to his Vidal Sassoon training, he headed to Rotterdam in the Netherlands to study at Schorem Haarsnijder & Barbier, an old-school barber academy that specializes in teaching the art of shaving and classic cuts and styles through the decades, from pompadours to flattops.
Among Randazzo’s clients is 20-year-old Lukas Pousset. “I like it a lot. It’s very stylish, and I like the authenticity of it,” he said. “I feel like I’ve gone back 50 years.
“My generation likes retro things because we feel they were made better. I have vinyl records, and if you play soccer, Adidas has made a comeback.
“People want cheap stuff all the time, but they break easily so you learn to differentiate.”
Inside Phil’s Barber Shop, time seems to slow down, and it’s not unusual for men to fall asleep, even as one of the barbers takes a straight razor to his face and neck.
The Classic Shave is $40 and starts with a hot towel infused with shave tonic to prepare the skin and soften facial hair. Next comes a face wash and prep with lathered hot shaving cream before the shave. The treatment is finished with a cold towel infused with lavender essential oil, followed by after-shave balm to nourish and soothe skin.
A Gentleman’s Shave is $50 and features all of the above, with the addition of a light facial scrub and second hot towel to prep, and extra finishing touches of an herbal mint toner and oil-free moi sturizer.
Haircuts start at $40. Also on the menu: a $30 “Date Night” skin booster treatment to cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate the skin.
“Guys in Hawaii are really getting into the idea of grooming,” Randazzo said. “They also come for the experience. Preparing for the shave is like a facial for a guy.”
