Transcendence

Last Saturday I had one of the greatest experiences of my life. Some of you that have already had this experience will nod your head and smile, while others may not understand what the big deal is. If you haven't experienced this incredible feeling, I urge you to find a location near your home where you can acquire this miracle of modern male grooming.

I walked down to 4th St., to Hawleywood's Barbershop (Gentlemen only) and got a haircut and a hot-towel shave.

Hawleywood's opened last Tuesday, the second of January. I walked past it on the first and said, Huh- that looks new. I walked past it on the second and they were open, "have you guys been here long?" "About forty-five minutes."

I'd been looking forward to it all week and finally, after finishing my work for the morning walked down the street to the shop. Surprisingly, for being open four days, it was pretty packed in there. Guys with tatts and greasy hair, smoking, and drinking pints of Pabst. Three barbers were there cutting, shaving, and greasing up the other gentleman in the establishment.

When it was my turn in the chair, I asked Cesar how much a shave would be with my haircut. He shrugged and said, "Shave and haircut? Forty bucks." Wow. Sounds good to me. I know girls that spend $150 on their hair.

The actual haircut wasn't that different from a regular haircut, except for the fact that I got exactly what I wanted because I had chaps that knew what I wanted. It was a snap.

So the haircut was great, but jesus habeus corpus- gentlemen, if you've never had a hot-towel shave before, you are missing out on a little piece of nirvana that only a man can enjoy. It took about an hour, just laying there, hot towel, lather, slow, smooth, shave. Seriously, your shave doesn't get any smoother or closer than this. Honestly, I wanted to go to prom when I walked out. Boutineer, rented tux, Marriott ballroom style. They greased up my hair, threw on some spiffy aftershave, and sent me on my way, bopping out the door like a new man.

Hawleywood's Barbershop on 4th and Junipero in Long Beach. You may want to make an appointment on the weekend. Also, if you're the kind of guy that doesn't want grease in his hair- don't get a haircut there. But if you want to kick back and take your time for a nice, relaxing hot-towel shave, it's worth the twenty bucks. Holy shit, is it worth it.