To Be Seated In An Antique Barber Chair - We Have Abandoned What A Worthy Haircut Should Feel Like
When I was just a little boy I can fondly remember sitting on an antique barber chair at the community barber shop and observing my dad getting a haircut and shave. It is nothing like what it is nowadays. There was an skill to it. The barber really cared about what he was doing and it was obvious that my father enjoyed it. Not only that, but the barber shop was where gents could socialize with themselves.
The haircuts were at all times so meticulous. My father would be sitting in one of the numerous used barber chairs while the barber would deliberately take his time to give the picture perfect cut. Most men kept their hair short as that was the technique back then. Following the hair cut was a shave. This wasn't a shave as we picture today, with foam from a can and a synthetic disposable razor. Instead, the lather was applied with a brush and a straight blade razor was implemented. It appears intimidating, but it is the smoothest shave you can ever receive. After the shave was the hot towel that always felt so good.
The men would mostly talk about football or politics, though the matter of women would come up a great deal. It was a time to relax and get to know everyone a little better. Now, when you get a haircut the chatter is kept to a minimum and you often attempt to get out as soon as you can.
As I amble by the local barber shop and notice the sign indicating barber chairs for sale, I wonder why this rite has mostly disappeared from our culture. Do people not appreciate a decent hair cut and shave anymore? Have we all become so anti-social that spending an some time chatting with our buds and neighbors seems like a unpleasant task? While I am not one to be bitter and only desire for "how things were", I do wish that people will remember and respect the way it was just a few decades ago.