Hot Towel Barbers

The sign might as well say «hipsters only.» I went to get my ponytail neatened up. I’m old & grey. The barber said no, he wasn’t interested unless I wanted to cut it all, something about grey hair is always split all the way to the scalp. I never thought a small business in my town would be so successful that they can turn away a paying customer. There was one customer there & no one waiting at the time. I gave them one star because it looks like a barber shop should.

Hands down the best barber shop you’ll encounter in the Hudson Valley and beyond. I just moved to the east coast from San Francisco, where the barber industry has become more of a high-​paying livelihood. Good barbers are seen as artists and oftentimes as celebrities. Guys will cheat on their girlfriends before they cheat on their barbers.
That being said, after moving here and having an incredibly high standard for a cut, I wearily tried out a few spots before discovering this gem. Instantly I felt at home walking through the doors here. Asher’s barber game is perfection, which is why all the guys are willing to wait for a cut from him.
He knows exactly what he’s doing, and honestly he’s out of place in this small town. His work should be in a city for way more pay, and way more people.
So come in on your day off, sit down and enjoy the vibe. Trust me when I say his haircuts are worth the wait. I religiously go down there now from the city of Hudson just for a haircut.

Driving through Saugerties, who would have thought such an awesome barber would be there? Ascher is awesome, his shop is a perfect blend of old school mixed with the modern. Started off with a beard trim, wound up getting a haircut and a straight razor shave. Bummer I live in the west coast as this would be my go to place. May even have me visit my mom more often!

i made an appointment on a monday for a wednesday at one pm. when i got there for the appointment, there were about six people waiting, and just one barber, and he told me, ‘i’m sorry man, i won’t be able to take you today, i have too many drop-​ins, it wouldn’t be fair. come back another time.’

I feel like I’ve FINALLY found a place to get a reliable haircut, and I swear I’ll never go back to one of those strip-​mall hair care places: I’d rather wait two months and go around looking like a shaggy dog. It took me my whole life to learn that a sloppy haircutting job just plain sucks. I moved back to the area and I’ve only had my hair cut at one of these Hot Towel Barber places: these are my guys now! I’ve been to the one in Highland/​New Paltz a few times, and now I’ve tried this one out… and it’s a two thumbs up.
Do I have to go out of my way to get to this place? Yep, I drive 25+ min to get there.
Do you have to wait around for a bit? Sometimes: but good news… they’ve got great couches to chill out on and the Saugarties shop even has a fireplace!
Is it a quick haircut? Nope, it takes a while… but Asher gave a meticulous cut, and no bit of hair went unturned. I can’t even count how many times I went to a Great Clips and left with an untrimmed sideburn.
Want to know how to make $ 20 bucks look like a million? Go to this place and get a good haircut… spend the money and pay a good barber the money they deserve for a job well done. I got a fantastic undercut (the guys at Hot Towel Barbers finally told me what my haircut was ACTUALLY called) and he squared off the whole thing with a cream and razor trim. What the hell ever happened to men going to the barber anyway?

My husband has been going for almost three years and always receives a professional, flattering, scissors cut regardless of which barber cuts his hair. He doesn’t mind waiting (first come, first serve; no appointments) as the shop is furnished with large, comfy leather chairs & sofas and lots of magazines. The price is inexpensive in light of the very high quality styling and a hot towel, to boot. He wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else.

Hot Towel has been my go to barber shop for the past 3 years. I’ve had my hair cut by the owner Randy as well as Asher and Corey and they’re all great at what they do. I’m particular about my hair so I’m happy to pay the few extra bucks and maybe wait 20 or 30 min to have it done well. The dedication to the craft is legit. Lots of personality, a very cool space and a mini fridge with complimentary drinks creates an old fashioned experience that is hard to find these days. I get my fix monthly!

You know, from reading the other reviews, I really don’t think people remember what a true barber shop is. You wait. That’s part of the experience. This is a good mix of a no nonsense, old fashioned barber shop with modern touches. The staff are kind of fresh, but that doesn’t mean they’re rude. I for one appreciate sharp banter and outspokenness. And what really matters, the haircut was awesome, and you get a hot towel. You never leave feeling dirty from a sloppy haircut like you get at chain places, and they never miss a spot. It’s definitely a men’s place, with sports magazines and bro-​décor.

My husband went there for a cut on a Wednesday — we waited an hour and twenty minutes before he put his butt in the chair. I will say, Randy was friendly to everyone that walked in, but he was the only one working (that we saw.)
The décor is dude-​ly. Big leather couches, dark wood, exposed brick, the music was 50’s/60’s but that’s my style, old barber chairs!
The haircut itself — man, he is thorough! And my husband looks sexy! It took 25 minutes or more, but not a hair is out of place. It’s seriously a fantastic haircut. And it was $ 19.

I have been going to hot towel barbers for the last couple years. This was my first time in the Saugerties shop Bc I just moved here. There was an apprentice and the senior Barber. I was told to sit and I’ll be cut by the apprentice, not asked or given a choice. They asked where I had been getting my hair cut Bc I am new to the area. I told them I usually use hot towel but I had gone to C & C out of convenience over the last couple months Bc it was right next to my job. they began to speak badly about where I had been going even though pat at C&C gave me the best cut I’ve had in years. I was extremely uncomfortable and they made me feel like I had been doing something wrong. The owner was very arrogant and extremely rude. I paid 19 dollars for a basic buzz cut that was well kept before I went in. There was no straight razor neck shave Bc the apprentice isn’t trained to do this, yet I paid the same price. He wanted to use the electric razor on my neck and I politely asked him not to Bc I have thick neck hair and I break out easily. He told me I didn’t know what I was talking about Bc his Razors were better then where ever I had been going. I still gave a six dollar tip Bc the apprentice is learning, But I will never return to this shop Bc the owner of ALL the hot towel Barber shop chains works out if this one and is the most rude arrogant business owner I have ever met. He trains all the hot towel barbers, I would rather light my hair on fire then go to a hot towel Barber shop and see this man profit. He has no appreciation for his patrons. If you want comfortable easy going full service go ELSEWHERE! Oh, and for such an expensive cut they don’t take credit cards, cash only. The owner told me that he didnt want to pay to have people use their cards. So I paid the $ 3 in atm fees at Bank of America around the corner. So it cost me almost 30 dollars when all was said and done

This was my first time and I was waiting for my turn. I heard the conversation between a customer and a barber. The customer was getting some type of buzz cut and he wanted sides to be slightly shorter than the top. He asked for that very nicely. The barber’s response was «Well…if you want the sides to be shorter, than I have to use a different clipper and that would take extra half hour and we’d have to charge you more for that kind of cut…» The barber went on and on about the complication of making the sides a bit shorter. I have been going to barber shops for a long time. I have never heard such a thing, especially telling the customer that he had to pay more for shorter sides. I was turned off my this whole conversation and just walked out. There are several great barber shops in the area. Stay away for this chain barbershop!