About 60 mostly bearded fellows were lined up already – a count by our own estimate. And according to front man, chair number one and owner Alex Torreto, a slow day by his account. They often start lining up two hours before the shop even opens he said.
I must digress. Central Frankfurt has a real lack of barbers, simply put – places where one can walk in the door and just get a damn haircut. Prior to my visit to Torreto, I stopped by 7 other salons – every single one of them required appointments and all claimed to be fully booked for the day despite several of them with only one or two clients and several salonists standing around idle.
Already one of the worlds greatest barbershops – this is clearly the domain of the urban male. It is so much more then a barbershop – it feels like a private gentleman’s club – a social space with a lounge and bar upstairs. A bit edgy, definitely more then a bit OG, yet the vibe here is decidedly youthful.
Sitting in the chair seems like a being on a movie set – perhaps something out of a a film set in the 1930s.
Our scene began rolling when a well dressed fellow walked in, a commanding presence. The shop collectively took note. He addressed himself as being from Cameroon – just in from some unspecified business in Paris and was leaving for New York in one hour. He needed service and he needed it quickly. Obviously a jet setter.
He instructed Torreto to finish up his business with that commoner (myself) in the chair – continuing by saying the shop needed to focus its efforts on only respectable gentleman (himself).
I wasn’t sure of my line. Was I supposed to come up with some witty retort or perhaps play the situational part of a comedic customer attempting to bring some levity to the scene? Or would my line be so antagonistic that it would soon lead to a confrontation and a barbershop brawl potentially spilling out into the streets of Frankfurt?
I elected to ease any potential confrontation – and whatever I said, apparently did the trick. When I left, the Cameroonian patted me on the back and wished me luck in making my flight.
I love getting my haircut whenever traveling in foreign countries, it’s a good way to start conversations with locals.
Teh – that is also another benefit of getting haircuts while on the road 🙂
What an experience, eh?!
Frank – yea, not my usual haircut experience!