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The Sub Culture of Barber Shops

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You know what’s great about subcultures? Many of them highlight and rely on traditions. You can hate them, you can love them, but you cannot deny the fact that various subcultures revived so many forgotten things and brought them to a new level with a new modern twist.

Revival of barbershops in Los Angeles provides a great example of a subculture relying on traditions. A famous Youtube channel Thrash Lab has produced several videos on subcultures in the US. One of the most recent 7-minute long documentary focuses on barbershop culture in Los Angeles. It presents several stories of professional barbers and their views on the art of shaving. These are only a few examples of this growing trend.

Take a look at the video:

It’s a choice

For enthusiasts from Capsule Barbers, Bolt Barbers and Proper Barbershop shaving is more of an art, rather than a daily routine. They would hand pick own tools and shaving materials. These masters simply believe that “if you look good, you feel good.”

Even though many barbers come from different backgrounds, they have similar stories. Many used to have ‘proper’ jobs, living the white collar dream until they realized that something’s missing. The corporate life simply didn’t make them happy. Some people have dreamt about barber career for years, while others were introduced to this art by chance. “I’d rather make less money and be happy, than make more money and be miserable,” says Vince Garcia, the owner of Capsule barbershop. Barber’s passion for cutting hair makes a big difference. Clients appreciate this spirit and return for another haircut or a clean shave.

Modern day barbers are pure artists who are trying to preserve this dying tradition.  They employ a creative approach to every customer. Many people pay attention to their looks, that’s why these barbershops gained such a broad attention. Even though barbershops have been around for centuries, they seem novel in a modern day society.

It is a lifestyle

Every barbershop has its own established clientele. Men stand in line to get a haircut or trim a beard. Barbershops create a special social connectivity with their clients. Men come to have a break from their routine, socialize and meet like-minded people. This is a social club rather than an ordinary hairdresser’s salon.

Professional barbers use exclusive shaving products and instruments for a smooth shave. They have to go through years of practice until they actually master an art of shaving. It is no joke; a barber has to be extremely skillful in order to avoid any accidents and cuts. That’s why this job requires close attention to details and an eye for different styles and shaving techniques.

This love for the art of barbering has transformed the shaving and hairdressing scene in LA. Now men can go back to the basics and experience a great quality of barbering. This subculture proves that the art of barbering is in place in the modern world. Its rich history and traditions are embraced with a modern touch.

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6 thoughts on “The Sub Culture of Barber Shops”

  1. I watched a documentary about barbers a few years ago and apparently barbers have the longest life expectancy of any occupation. I guess it’s because they have so many pleasant interactions with people all day.

  2. Enjoyable article.
    It’s great to see such enthusiastic and skilled barbers thoroughly enjoying their chosen profession, although I notice the seemingly ballooning practice of tattooing practically every showing part of flesh – rather unsightly for me I’m afraid and rather intimidating for younger customers.
    And just one final point from this old traditional ‘fogey’ – barbers have ‘customers’ (as they work in a shop) – hairdressers have ‘clients’ (as they work in a salon).

  3. Nice vid….I enjoyed watching that. Thanks for posting it. It’s nice to know that there are people out there that get it…(the barbers in the vid) and make a place for us. There is a trust that is needed between you and your barber. I moved a lot over my time on the planet and it always took me forever to find such a place. A comfortable place and a barber I could trust. A barber that would make my woman of the day say, after leaving the barbers, that she thought, I looked good enough to….Well, you know what I mean…??? LOL…The last place I frequented was maybe 18 or 19 years ago and I was a client of ole Pasquale for five or so years, maybe more, I can’t remember.
    The big boss died and his daughter took over but it was never the same. As hard as she tried, the shop was never the same again. Right down to the barbers and hair dressers she hired. A lot of kids the old man used to higher right out of…lets call it beauty school for lack of vocabulary, he just had a nack of finding the right person to work for him and sadly his daughter did not have the talent to choose or find good barbers and most of them were hacks…seriously, you could not get a good cut. Plus with the money she got from the death of her father she spent it on renovating the shop and it did not need it. It was great the way it was…Oh well, whatcha ya gonna do. So for the last 18 yrs. I have lost a bunch of hair and mainly cut my own hair now but if there was a place such as those in the vid near by, I think I might like to visit on occasion. At least get a good shave.
    I recently heard about a place downtown but the mileage, the traffic, time and parking doesn’t warrant going through all that.
    Fab

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