Getting a haircut isn’t the same as it used to be for the average Joe, says barber Jim Wilson.
As barbershops have become rarer, a man who wants a simple haircut often has to go to a salon, where the smells of acrylic nails, polishes, mousses and tanning lotions can be overpowering, he said. And if a man wants a pedicure or manicure, nail salons designed with women in mind are usually his only options.
Wilson’s trying to provide a different environment at his barbershop on Everett Mall Way.
“We don’t do all the smelly stuff,” he said.
At Image Plus Barbershop, Wilson keeps sports and news broadcasts playing on a flat-screen TV and offers hot-lather shaves, a traditional barbershop service that few places still provide.
“I’ve always felt like the haircut wasn’t quite done until you’ve done the hot-lather shave around the ears,” he said.
Those who opt for a full-face hot-lather shave will also get a facial massage.
“I don’t know how many people have come in and said, ‘I haven’t gotten one of those in years,’ ” he said. “It relieves a lot of stress.”
The shop, which has been open about six months, has just started offering manicures and pedicures. Wilson said he thinks more men would get pedicures if the process didn’t involve going to a nail salon aimed at women.
“I think a lot of guys have a misperception of what it is,” he said. “They think it’s a ‘femme’ thing. But it’s really just relaxing, like a jacuzzi for your feet.”
Men who have received pedicures since the shop began offering them two weeks ago have been excited to come get another one, said Kim Lee, who handles the shop’s pedicure and manicure services.
“They love it,” she said. “They get clean feet and have a deep-tissue massage. They get it the first time and want to come back.”
It’s little things such as giving hot lather shaves, offering manicures and pedicures, trimming customers’ eyebrows, and cleaning hair off people’s necks with a small vacuum that help them enjoy their experience at a barbershop, Wilson said.
After receiving a haircut from Wilson last week, Everett resident Henry Pea, 41, agreed.
“Now that’s a haircut,” said Pea, who said he’s been waiting for a barbershop to open in his area for a while. “This is a pleasant surprise. You go to a salon, they don’t they don’t clean you up with a vacuum, they don’t shave you. This makes you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth.”
Wilson also prides himself on his experience cutting men’s hair.
“A lot of guys don’t know the experience of having a barbershop haircut,” he said. We’re actually trained to cut men’s hair – salons are usually trained to cut women’s hair.”
Ultimately, little details transform a simple haircut into a relaxing, pampering experience, Wilson said.
“That’s what getting a haircut should be,” he said. “It should be enjoyable, not a chore.”
Reporter Melissa Santos: msantos@heraldnet.com.
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