The barbershop is back. And, may I say, it’s about time. Although it was just after noon on my first visit to the new American Haircuts location in Aqua Midtown, I was offered a shot of Elijah Craig Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon to prepare for my hot lather shave. I politely declined on the grounds that it was still a bit early for me–considering today was not a fall Saturday morning in Athens–when the man behind the counter responded, “Well, maybe Greg’ll have one. If he’s gonna be shaving you, somebody needs to drink some bourbon.”

It’s refreshing: the hot lather shave, for one, but also the up-front perspective that if a man wants a drink before someone takes a blade to his face, he should have one. But that’s an ample representation of the owners’ philosophies (which you can discover more in depth by reading their blog, guysgonestyled.com/blog), and it certainly fits with the type of place they’re trying to create with American Haircuts. This is a guy’s place. There are certainly plenty of amenities like free Wi-Fi and LCD flat-screen TVs, the kind of stuff you’d expect in a brand-new, sleek condo building like Aqua, but there’s also a barber pole out front and old-school Belmont barber chairs inside.

Another thing they do is teach men how to take care of their skin, especially when it comes to shaving. I’ve tested their product line, Metro Men’s Grooming, and found the Pre Shave Oil very effective at reducing razor burn, especially when used prior to brushing on a thick lather of the Ultimate Shave Cream. The shave cream doesn’t dry out like some shaving soaps I’ve tried, and none of their products are artificially fragranced. They also carry a wide variety of products from Jack Black and Menscience, among others.

So if you haven’t found a place that properly balances that delicate mix of good booze, bad humor and proper grooming, give American Haircuts a shot.

American Haircuts

20 10th St. N.W., Suite 100

404.407.3227

americanhaircuts.com

mmgrooming.com