Real men go to barber shops
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Lee's Summit Spots, Community, GSD Online
If you need a haircut, and you are a man, you should go to the barber shop. Not a salon or a Super Cuts, a barber shop. A place to talk sports, politics and your lawn. Most importantly, you should get your haircut at a place that has a red, white and blue helix spinning out front. If the place you get your hair cut doesn’t have a barbers pole, you’re in the wrong place. Up until this weekend, I did not subscribe to these rules. But after 10 years of bad haircuts at whatever place sent me a coupon in the mail, I got my hair cut at John’s Barber Shop.
John’s is located at 217 SE Douglas St., right around the block from City Hall and down the street from the Fire Station. I can’t think of a better place for a Barber Shop to be. It allows John’s to be a gathering place for local politicians, business owners and citizens of all types. A family owned business since 1972, the small town feel of Lee’s Summit shines through at John’s. Its wood paneled walls are decorated with sports memorabilia from KC’s pro teams to Big 12 colleges and most importantly, the local high schools. With all the details John’s appearance presents, there is one word to describe it: nostalgic.
I walked in the door at 7:30 on a Saturday morning to find four barbers, all manning their stations; three were actively cutting hair. You can tell this place has regulars because there were still men waiting for their barber to become available. Josh had an empty chair though, so I had a seat. The hardest part of any haircut is telling the person with the blades what you want done. I’ve never had luck verbalizing what I want done with my hair, but Josh just asked 2 questions and went to work. “What number blade for the sides and back?” and “You want some off the top so it sticks up a bit.” With that second “question” being the statement that it was, I trusted that Josh knew exactly what I was going for. As you can see by the goofy picture to the left, he nailed it. Not only that, but I got to talk about Royals Opening Day (2 weeks away!) as well as the Chiefs free agent moves and Draft Day possibilities. Josh finished up by cleaning up my neck and around my ears with hot foam and a straight razor.
Getting a haircut used to be a stressful experience for me. It’s always been hoping for the best and expecting (read: getting) the worst. It’s been awkward conversation with some beauty school dropout while she chomps her gum and buzzes my gourd. Its going home to find 25 strands of hair that somehow, didn’t get cut during the massacre. John’s Barber Shop (and Josh specifically) has made getting my haircut a relaxing, social experience. If you are a man, stop going to the national chain chop shops and check out John’s. You won’t regret it.
