Ranstead Barber Shop

There’s a lot of confusion here. The old, large Ranstead Barber Shop on S. 18^th (with Lou and a cast of many) has closed and turned into a sushi-​burrito place. It was great. A much smaller, one-​woman shop half a block away on Ranstead is using the name, and she’s the one with the free massages. She’s pretty good, but not quite at the level of barber-​artistry the old shop maintained. Still a good deal, and she’s super fast.

I am seriously disappointed with today’s haircut. I really wanted to like the shop because of the flexibility of walk and location. The only thing that it has going for it is location. Not professional. The young lady, who was the one who washes hair, was getting her hair «blown out» by the one of the hairdressers and both were upset that I had interrupted their time and stated so. The girl, with parts of her hair sectioned off in clips, never tested the water and burnt my scalp and then when I said ouch that’s hot she froze my head with cold. Not fun.
The haircut I received was the worst haircut I ever received. The woman (I don’t know her name because she never introduced herself or asked my name) started cutting with the razors and I pulled away. I said can we talk about what I won’t done first? She kind of snapped out of it and said ok and then did what she wanted anyway. I came back to work after and a co-​work pointed out the uneven parts of where she chopped. I need to go after work and pay again to have this fixed.

I walked in, and was immediately greeted by the wonderful Tanyoo. She gave me a great haircut, fixed up my beard a bit, and offered a very relaxing head and neck massage. 10-​minutes later, I came out cleaned up and refreshed for only $ 22 (plus a very well-​deserved tip).
I moved to Philadelphia a few months ago, and had been searching for a spot I could become a regular at. This is the place! I’ll never go anywhere else.

I’m glad I finally found a replacement for the NYC barbershop I used to go to. I will be coming here every time I need a haircut and I would recommend it to everybody. I had tried some other establishments in the city, and it was hard to pre-​judge them because they all seem to have 4 – 5 stars on Unilocal.Therefore I had tried ones which were trying too hard to be «old school» but were more like groups of men dressed like undertakers who gave sub-​par haircuts.
Today my experience was great. I would recommend asking for Lou if he’s available. He got out a book with pictures and had me choose the ones most similar to what I wanted. He didn’t even ask about clippers, he used scissors only. That was really what I was looking for in this haircut, and I felt very comfortable in this store. I enjoyed the conversation and will certainly be back.

Fantastic cut. Very friendly staff. Lilly did my head and finished up w a very cool leave in conditioner product that I may just buy next time I’m in town. Definitely worth my business when I return

Would be 5 stars if she took credit cards. Walked in, Tanya took me right away, AND cut my hair exactly the way I asked her to do it. Amazing, since most people ask what you want and then do whatever they feel like doing.
$ 22 and a great 3 minute neck and shoulder massage.

Haircut it was ok but overpriced. $ 30 for a basic cut… No frills. Staff are very nice, and took the time to get to know me. May return.

aka «Randstead All About Hair Barber Shop» as the store front says only «All About Hair»
Was fortunate enough to walk in and get Lou (store owner) to cut my hair. This man is the classic barber and cut my hair with great skill. I would highly recommend him and his stores to anyone. Looking forward to getting my hair cut with Lou again soon.

Great, friendly barber shop… Lou is the best… Takes his time and has much experience … They take you on time and aim to please! Definitely recommend. Ron s

My husband has been having his haircut by the ‘lady’ barber since forever.
We moved to Delaware, tried a local place once, and said… back to Ranstead! She does a great job, and apparently the neck massage is pretty great too. We had a laugh one day because she was worried about giving my husband the massage in front of me, but I told her go right ahead! Today she and my husband had a conversation about where to go for some good Vietnamese food. She was right about that too. Is there anything that woman can’t do?!?

100% agree with Mike D. They’re friendly and open really early — like 6am on weekdays. They did a fix-​up on a bad haircut I got somewhere else, and considering what they started with did a great job. It was $ 26 for a regular men’s haircut + wash, but worth it.

I love this barber shop. I always get a great haircut, its reasonably priced, and I love the Asian lady (massage)! I do not find the massage awkward at all and find it very relaxing! She knows what she’s doing!

******CLOSED********
Called number today– the shop has been turned into «It’s All About Hair»

My fiancé has been going here and raves about Tanya. In his words, «she gives great haircuts, doesn’t try to make annoying small talk, and gives free shoulder and scalp massages». They’ve raised their prices recently, but a men’s haircut is still $ 24 + tip.

Went to Dante, sit in the chair for 40 minutes today and he did NOTHING. He didn’t care what I wanted, he was so concerned about the back of my head and around my ears. From other people’s thoughts I was thinking I would have a different experience… thought wrong. I paid $ 26 for that

I went there for the first time right before Christmas. I have had a hard time finding an old time barber like the one I used to go to in Brooklyn and Staten Island. I used to go to various people, never going back, because I couldn’t really find a place I liked.
I liked the cut, it was no nonsense, cut my hair and let me go type of place. I’m not a big fan of idle chit chat, and hate awkward conversations, and these guys respected that. I got a good cut, only payed 24.00 plus 5.00 tip, and have made an appt to go back in a month. If the next cut goes just as well, I think I have a place I can go to on a regular basis and just keep an on going appointment. I’ll have to see if they do a shave as well.

***Note: The Ranstead Barber Shop has moved to a new location. Lou can now be found at 42 South 19^th Street (between Market and Chesnut) in a shop that is much more easily found***
The crew at the Ranstead Barber Shop gives a great no-​nonsense haircut for a totally reasonable price; Lou is my go-​to guy.
I’ve gotten to be friends with Lou since moving to Philadelphia in August, and the more I know about him, the more I enjoy getting my hair cut. It feels like I’m catching up with one of my dad’s friends when I’m sitting in the chair.
Bonus points for the fact that Lou is childhood buddies with Philadelphia hero Bobby Rydell and recently brought Bobby back to Philly to play a benefit with his band (
).
Additional bonus points for the fact that Lou cuts Cardinal Rigali’s hair.
The shop is a bit hidden on Ranstead Street, but just follow the red, blue and white painted poles down the street to the shop’s front door– it’s well worth the hunt.

My fellow traveling co-​workers thought I was crazy to consider getting a haircut while out of town. But my hair was getting crazy shaggy, and this NorCal boy was withering in the heat and humidity of July in Philadelphia. So I put my faith in Unilocal,and took a walk on the wild side.
The place is a hard to find but, in my confusion, I stumbled upon a drug store selling water ice, so it was all good.
Neither Gaetano or Lou were there, just a nice Asian lady. She was finishing up when I walked in, right before closing on Saturday. I think I waited 15 minutes, my hair was «did» about 30 minutes later. A scalp and neck massage were included in the price. I forget exactly — it was around $ 20. There was a sign on the wall apologizing for the recent increase.
I gotta give props to the shops keeping it old school. And all the more so for friendly, quality service.

I moved to Philly 6 months ago and have been going to the Ranstead Barber shop since then. I usually go on the weekends. They are one of the few barbershops in center city Philly open on Saturdays.
Both Gaitano and Lou are very friendly and know their job well. There is nothing fancy about this place, just an old fashioned barber shop.
Lou was nice enough to recommend some restaurants in the area and in South Philly as well while I was there.
I would recommend them without hesitation

It’s so nice to see a barber shop in Philly, but it’s also even nicer to get a high quality haircut that isn’t excessively priced. I tried this out because of the other good reviews, and I was very pleased.
I walked in on a Saturday around 2pm, only had to wait around 5 mins. Lou was there and we chatted about everything from jazz to sky diving. Reminds me of a friend of my dad’s, very nice person.
First time since I was a kid I had an all scissors cut that turned out great. It’s a hidden gem, as you walk north on 18^th street from rittenhouse and you come to Ranstead look to your left and you’ll see the barber poles. To be honest I’m a guy, I don’t have much hair, and $ 30+ for a haircut is just too much.