To Be Seated In An Antique Barber Chair - Men Have Abandoned What A Decent Haircut Should Feel Like

When I was just a young boy I can lovingly recall sitting on an antique barber chair at the community barber shop and observing my dad receiving a haircut and shave. It is not anything like what it is these days. There was an knack to it. The barber really cared about what he was doing and it was apparent that my father loved it. Not only that, but the barber shop was where gentlemen could hang out with themselves.

The haircuts were at all times so thorough. My pop would be sitting in one of the countless used barber chairs as the barber would willfully take his time to give the perfect cut. Nearly all men kept their hair short as that was the technique back then. After the hair cut was a shave. This wasn't a shave as we picture today, with foam from a can and a molded disposable razor. Instead, the lather was applied with a brush and a straight razor was employed. It looks terrifying, but it is the smoothest shave you can ever obtain. After the shave was the hot towel that always felt so good.

The men would mostly argue about sports or local politics, though the matter of women would come up often. It was a time to relax and get to know everyone a little better. Today, when you get a haircut the chatting is kept to a minimum and you commonly try to get out as soon as you can.

As I amble by the local barber shop and spot the sign indicating barber chairs for sale, I wonder why this ritual has mostly disappeared from our traditions. Do people not appreciate a proper hair cut and shave anymore? Have we all become so anti-social that spending an some time being friendly with our pals and neighbors seems like a difficult task? While I am not one to be angry and only desire for "how things were", I do wish that people will think of and respect the way it was just a few decades ago.