Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts?: In Search of America's Great Barbershops

I saw this book discussed on the Today Show, where Matt Lauer spent several minutes reminiscing with Vince Staten about boyhood experiences at the barbershop. Then I heard another feature about the book on NPR. So I figured either the author had a really good PR person, or the book was interesting. Fortunately, it's the latter.The nostalgia aspect of the book is certainly the part that will strike closest to home for most male readers - the way the shop smelled (like Lucky Tiger), the joy of reading a million comic books (not to mention Argosy), the feeling of manhood on the day when the barber finally let you sit in the chair without the extra board that raised a small boy to a reasonable cutting height.But that only takes you back 10 or 20 or 50 years. In other parts of the book, Staten time-travels to ancient Egypt and Greece to unearth the beginnings of the barbering trade. In the present day, we get to hear the story direct from the mouths of some of the few hundred barbers Staten met while researching the book, and they're the best part. Because the community of the barbershop naturally reflects the personality of the barber. It's a little sad, too. While you get the feeling that the emotional pull of the barbershop will keep the institution from completely disappearing - that it provides something all men need (the way the "beauty parlor" did/does for women) - the future doesn't look all that bright for barbering.As in some of his other books, Staten has given us a strong sense of something lost, or at least something we're losing. But his delight and amazement in the sensual pleasure of the perfect barbershop shave makes even a bearded guy like me almost ready to settle into that red leather chair and luxuriate in that hot towel wrapped around my face. Almost. It's fun.

Before reviewing this book, I would like to pay homage to a very special man who has been cutting my hair since 1965, Mr. Michael Cogliandro. As much as I love his hair cuts, I love talking to him even more. He has taught me a great deal. Over the years, I have learned that many Nobel prize winners, politicians, judges, and professors regularly seek out his advice as well, along with their hair cuts. I feel honored to have been in his chair!Mr. Staten understands what a barber shop is all about. It's a place to congregate for good company and good conversation. The book captures that element very nicely. In so doing, it provided a lot of nostalgic memories of good times I have had in barber shops, both before and after Mr. Cogliandro began cutting my hair.To write this book, Mr. Staten did a lot of research. He visited over 300 barber shops (not salons for hair styling). He often got a hair cut (although as a balding person this was potentially dangerous), a shave, or just sat in for the conversation. He also did a lot of historical research into the history of barbering, the barber's pole, and the role of barbers as surgeons and blood-letters. Mr. Staten also taught me more than I ever thought I could ever know about hair tonics and the scents they carry.He does a nice job of capturing special moments like a first hair cut (Mr. Cogliandro gave both of my sons their first haircuts), when you don't need to sit on the board any more, and when the barber first starts joking with you. Alas, the barber shop is in decline. Although many people originally blamed the hippies, the barbers agree that it was really the Beatles who did them in. The numbers of shops and barbers are dropping, and many barbers are now retiring. The book does a nice job of explaining how uprooting this can be . . . to have to search out a new barber and a new shop. He also located some terrific shops for you to visit including Three Brothers Barbershop in Stamford, Connecticut; Vernon Winfrey's Barbershop in Nashville, Tennessee (that Oprah's Dad); and Hugh Sample's Barbershop in Boomer, West Virginia. Of course, he also talks about the most famous barbers of all time, such as Floyd on Mayberry R.F.D., Figaro, Sweeney Todd, and Sal "the barber" Maglie. For men, this book will be a ball.For women, it will be an eye-opener. Now you'll know why men like barber shops!After you finish reading this book, why don't you take a stroll down to your barber shop and discuss what you learned in this book?"You're Next!"

In this book, Vince Staten gives all men a chance to reminisce about the time they've spent in barbershops. It also allows us women to get a peek inside the manly domain, and let me understand why my husband and son shun those beauty salons in favor of the American barbershop tradition (in 4 part harmony, okay?)