Luxe Locks for Lads
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Although some men swear by their $10, 10-minute barber cuts, others are trading up, paying more for haircut experiences that include stylist consultations, scalp massages, and plenty of grooming products.
A growing number of city salons are asking three figures to cut and style a man’s hair. While in New York for the U.S. Open, Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer recently paid a reported $800 for a haircut at Sally Hershberger Downtown (425 W. 14th St., between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street, 212-206-8700) — signaling that stylists are charging for their time, not for the amount of hair taken off the top.
“We ask them about their texture, look at the head shape, and try to get a grasp on their face,” a stylist and educator at Bumble & Bumble Downtown (415 W. 13th St., between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street, 212-521-6500),
Eric Hauck, said, describing the consultation that precedes a $110 men’s haircut at the salon.
At his Chelsea salon, Orlo (34 Gansevoort St., between Hudson and Greenwich streets, 212-242-3266), Orlando Pita asks as much as $800 for a haircut. And stylist Ted Gibson (Ted Gibson Salon, 184 Fifth Ave. at 23rd Street, 212-633-6333) charges $950 for his services.
At Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa’s Upper East Side location (171 E. 65th St., between Lexington and Third avenues, 212-988-7816), stylists see about 250 clients a day, nearly one-third of whom are men, the director of the salon’s Gentleman’s Division, Martial Vivot, said. Men’s haircuts start at $80 and go up to about $400 at Paul Labrecque, which also has a salon on the Upper West Side.
When Mr. Vivot began cutting hair nearly two decades ago, colleagues encouraged him to focus on the women’s market. He didn’t listen. “I was pretty visionary, because look what’s happened,” Mr. Vivot, said.