Mike’s Barber Shop

I called for an appointment but I didn’t get a chance to get my hair cut at Mike’s.
He would not cut my hair BECAUSE I’M A WOMAN.
What year is this?
What he really meant to say is «I don’t want you, a woman, to come to my shop and mess up the all male juju we have going.»
I’ve been getting barber cuts for a long time. And Mike, I hate to break it to you, but hair is hair.
Silly, old-​school, ancient dinosaur, head-​in-​sand barber shop.
You know what happened to the dinosaurs, don’t you Mike? Yeah, they’re all dead!
Glad I didn’t drop any money here.

Mike Scardino’s Barber Shop is a classic old-​school barber shop that has an avid, multi-​generational following of guys who came there as kids and now bring their kids there. When you walk in, it feels like what you’d imagine from the 70’s, with pictures of race cars on the wall, a row of faded green chairs and a bomb with racing flames painted on it. Except this is no «recreation» of a 70’s experience — this place is literally unchanged since then!
Mike’s the proprietor and only barber at the shop, and he’s a very pleasant guy. He’s been a barber all his life (doing real-​estate on the side) and has watched South San Francisco change through his window. While he’s always busy, his shop is never crowded, and he takes the time to get to know every one of his patrons and to tell stories about how things have changed over the years.
As you’d hope for in a classic barber shop, the conversation among the patrons can be lively and opinionated. Despite the working-​class neighborhood, Mike’s is frequented by people of diverse incomes and political persuasions, which makes for even more interesting dialogue.
Seriously, I could write a book about some of the folks I’ve talked with at Mike’s!
Oh, and about the haircuts — always what I asked for, and extremely well priced. I don’t really need my hair cut every two weeks, but I go that often just to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy a «man-​moment» that is fleetingly rare these days.