At the Barbiere, Milano

I have walked by this little barber shop in Milan about a hundred times but I have never had a moment to go in and get a trim.

Finally, the last time I was there, I had a few minutes to pop in and see these guys in action.

Actually I have been growing my hair out a little and I wanted it to grow out a little more before getting it cut but I could not pass up this opportunity.

I don't know if these guys are the best barbers in Milan - they could be very average- but there was something about the quiet, neighborhood-barber-shop quality that I thought was so endearing.

So can you tell what they are doing with the towels here?

No velcro-tabbed big plastic sheets for these guys.

They place one very clean, very well-pressed white sheet across my lap, then one sheet front-to-back over my shoulders, then another sheet back-to-front over my shoulders.

In the little gaps around my neck where the towels don't meet my neck they stuff long strips of cotton that they keep in a glass jar.

That's three sheets for one customer. As a New Yorker I kept thinking to myself "their laundry bill must be HUGE"

Again, I don't know if these guys are the best but I love unreasonably charming old-school techniques like this.


No Aveda
No Paul Mitchell
Plenty of atomizers



I looks like they did their sign with a Sharpie marker - I really think they did.

If you get a chance I would love to hear about any other funny little techniques that your barbers uses.

ps I have to admit the cut did grow out very well