How to find a good barber

Sarah Jacobs

Get a bad haircut and you're marred for a month, if not longer. According to J.P. Mastey, the grooming guru behind Baxter of California, a haircut should be an easy, relaxing experience—a ritual that results in a better you every six weeks.

So when he decided to open a shop in his native Los Angeles, he created a place you'd want to come back to. "It's everything you expect to find in an authentic old school barber," he says, not some slick chop house. Here, Mastey offers pointers on what to look for in a barber shop.

You don't need flatscreen TVs or free beer to appeal to discerning guys. Our shop's not a lounge or a spa, but it is an environment where guys feel at home.

Proper chairs that are both classic and comfortable are an added luxury. I've been collecting these porcelain Koken "White King" models for years and restored them for the shop.

He should listen to what you want and be able to interpret that into a cut. I enlisted Jason Simao ofFreeman's Sporting Club fame, who prefers real scissors to clippers. That gives your hair a lot more shape and depth.

Cheap gels are a warning sign. Quality products show that the barber sweats the details. We carry signature Baxter products along with Dr. Bronners, London'sD.R. Harris and retaW, a line of body products from Japan.

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