Barbershops and Haircuts for Men
Written on Jun 3, 2026
It's hard to find regular barbershops these days, at least in the big cities of the United States. You're lucky if you can find anything other than hair salons. Sure, hair salons cut hair, but they do so much more, which is more than what I'll ever need.
Most of the people doing the cutting aren't even called barbers anymore. They're called hair stylists, hairdressers, or something else. Thankfully, most military bases still have barbershops.
Barbershops in Metro Phoenix, Arizona
When I worked at a military recruiting station from 1992 to 1996, I got my hair cut by an old guy at a barbershop in the downtown area. He was an Italian immigrant and a World War II veteran.
While there were other barbers in the shop, I liked listening to the things he talked about while he cut my hair. He passed away after I retired from the military in 1998.
I don't know where any regular barbershops now exist outside of Luke Air Force Base, which is near Metro Phoenix. That's where I got my haircuts after I retired and before I moved to the Philippines.
Barbershops in Downtown Olongapo
When I moved to the Philippines, I was pleasantly surprised that traditional barbershops still existed in downtown Olongapo. Well, at least two of them did. I used to get my haircuts at the one next to a foreign money exchange on Magsaysay Drive.
The barbershops in downtown Olongapo are holdovers from when the Subic Bay Freeport Zone was still a United States Navy base. They cut hair for Sailors and Marines alike (since Marines were often deployed on Navy ships).
The last time I got a haircut downtown, the price was 50 pesos. Including the tip I always gave, I spent no more than 100 pesos.
A Relative Giving Away Haircuts
A sister-in-law's husband, Alex, decided to practice cutting people's hair back in 2017. He didn't charge anything from anyone, not even me. He's also the guy who drove for me and my wife, Josie, on occasion when he wasn't at his regular job, a taxi driver.
He cut off all the hair of the first two victims, as they requested. I was the third victim, but I didn't get all my hair cut off. He did a good job, considering. It wasn't a great haircut, but by the time I went out in public again, no one could tell. Of course, I never got a haircut from him again.
Another Barber
I didn't know it until someone told me, but there was a barbershop pretty close to my home. If I went down the hill to the end of the street and made a left at the main crossroad, it was only about a hundred feet or so from the corner and across the street.
That's where I got my hair cut a few times. I requested a "semi-kalbo", which means very, very short. His barbershop consisted of two barber chairs behind a garage door. The barber did an excellent job, and he didn't take long at all.
His price was the same as the other barbershops, and I tipped him 50 pesos like the other barbers.
Yet Another Barber
I have a receding hairline. It's been slowly receding since I was 18. I'm already over 60, and I'm not yet half bald. I have four brothers (two deceased), with only one younger than me. There's more hair living on my head than on any of theirs.
I don't believe in trying to hide my baldness. Other than Josie, who do I need to impress? She's not a real barber, obviously, but she started cutting my hair in 2020, using regular hair clippers. I let her cut it to an eighth of an inch all around (the "semi-kalbo" style) once a month.
Pictures didn't do it justice. Because I have blond and gray hair, it looked like I was completely bald from the front, unless I tilted my head forward and to one side or the other.
Facts About Barbers
A long time ago, before the industry of medicine started forming, barbers were also called barber surgeons. They practiced medicine and dentistry. They cut hair and shaved faces. The famous barbershop pole represents the history of barbers performing medical procedures.
Most barbers today only cut hair if you can find a real barber. Real barbers go to school to learn how to cut all types of hair properly. I've probably seen only two barbershops in my entire life where the barbers still shaved faces, and it wasn't within the last 30 years.
Image by Dan Hussey from Pixabay