Thread: Hmmm... getting a barbershop shave might not be a thing of the past afterall.

This was in this morning's paper... note the 10,000 shaves fact!

Upscale men's barbershops a cut above $10 clips

Peter Corbett
The Arizona Republic
May. 22, 2006 12:00 AM

In an era when unisex hair salons are on every corner, barber Arthur Mirzakan thinks men in Scottsdale are ready for something a cut above the 10-minute, $10 clips.

Earlier this month, Mirzakan, 24, and his father Sam, 44, opened Exclusively Men's Barber & Spa in the Promenade of Scottsdale shopping center. Their upscale, four-chair barbershop, with dark wood and flat-screen TVs, is a modern version of the type of shop once found in classic downtown hotels of a certain era.

Here they offer haircuts, straight-razor shaves, facials, manicures, shoeshines and just about anything else a well-groomed, well-heeled man could want.
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But are men ready for the indulgent spa care?

"Absolutely," customer Anthony Hesano said of the Mirzakans. "Guys can get pampered and still feel manly."

A few neighborhood barbershops have managed to hang on in parts of Scottsdale, but Exclusively Men's shop has stepped into a higher-rent district hoping to cater to men willing to spend more to get more.

"I'm willing to pay a few dollars more," said Hesano, 30, a Phoenix cellphone store owner.

He followed Sam across town to his new shop to keep his smooth scalp "high and tight."

Another of Sam's customers, Alex Best, said he enjoys the pampering.

"I like the extra amenities," said Best, 36, a commercial photographer who drives in from Litchfield Park. "Sam gives you the shoulder rub and the hot-towel treatment, which enhances the experience."

Haircuts at Exclusively Men's are $22 but the Mirzakans don't stop there. They can give you the royal treatment for $70, which includes a shampoo and haircut, a hot-towel shave with a straight razor, facial treatment and massage, plus a shoeshine.

Exclusively Men's is following the success blazed by Jim Valenzuela with V's Barbershop, a string of five Valley shops that opened in 1999. That includes V's shops at Kierland Commons, Desert Ridge, Arcadia, Peoria and downtown Phoenix.

Sam worked at V's Barbershop in Peoria before opening Exclusively Men's in Scottsdale.

Valenzuela, 44, said V's has succeeded because men got tired of the other options in the marketplace.

"We caught a wave of awareness of men's grooming" that men's magazines were writing about, Valenzuela said, adding that his shops did more than 10,000 shaves last year.



Nationally, barbers are making a comeback. More shops are popping up, including franchises like the Texas-based Roosters Men's Grooming Centers.

There are about 235,000 licensed U.S. barbers this year, up from a low of 190,000 in the late 1980s, said Charles Kirkpatrick, director of the Arkansas-based National Association of Barber Boards.

Barbering is buzzing at a healthy clip now because of shorter hairstyles, he said.

too bad mainland europe doesn't seem to catch on to this.

Well, mainland Europe pretty much beat us to everything else ....

As someone who has experienced a traditional, full service barbershop shave from a barber trained in the old days (he must have been in his 70's and this was back in early 1980's) I can say that it is something not to be missed. Any guy who hasn't experienced it should. I hope it continues to grow in popularity, as it should.

This is great news. I sometimes travel to Scottsdale on business so I'll be making a visit for sure. I hope this really catches on.

Originally Posted by EdinLA44

This is great news. I sometimes travel to Scottsdale on business so I'll be making a visit for sure. I hope this really catches on.

The contact info given in the newspaper (which I didn't include earlier) is

Code:

Exclusively Men's Barber and Spa
16549 N. Scottsdale Rd., Suite 113
(480) 656-0802

8-6 weekdays, 8-5 Saturdays, 10-3 Sundays.

I've attached a picture that was in the article, also.

edit*************
oops... forgot the url - www.exclusivelymensspa.com Let us know about your visit, Ed.

A few shops locally offer a good quality straight shave and hot towels for about $10-15. One shop has been in it's current spot for 40+ years and the owners son has recently joined in. I stopped in and they gave me a good hour of stropping and honing help, honed my blunt razor to a brilliant edge and supplied me with a great quality, lightly used finishing hone, all for $20! Plenty of shops offer a good shave, just keep looking.



Matt

Originally Posted by shavethebadger

A few shops locally offer a good quality straight shave and hot towels for about $10-15. One shop has been in it's current spot for 40+ years and the owners son has recently joined in. I stopped in and they gave me a good hour of stropping and honing help, honed my blunt razor to a brilliant edge and supplied me with a great quality, lightly used finishing hone, all for $20! Plenty of shops offer a good shave, just keep looking.

Matt

Matt,

Where was this? I'd love to be able to find a barber shop that even knew what a straight razor was, let alone help you with stropping and such.

Thanks for the additional info azjoe. Have you been there? I noticed you're from Arizona.

I have a barbershop that does great straight shaves, but since I started using a straight, I just cant bring myself to let someone else shave me. I mean it is very relaxing and feels great, but I feel like I'll miss that sense of pride of a job well done if I dont do it...I am alone in this???