Straight Razor Shave – Get a Haircut Las Vegas

Michael James (along with Romeo and Marco) decide to slow roll through a Monday with a straight razor shave.

Having never had a straight razor shave prior to this hack job at The Barbershop at the El Cortez last April, I didn’t think I had missed it and therefore couldn’t imagine another one.  But on my recent trip for the Super Bowl with two of my poker buddies (though there would be no poker) one had asked me to show him what I love about Las Vegas.  In a separate conversation, the other one again mentioned how he loved the scene in Rounders where they played cards all night, then went to relax with a straight razor shave.

Seems that I could tie the two together, as long as I could bring myself to allow another shave.

(Side note completely unrelated to the shave, but to give context to who’s who; the two guys that came to Vegas with me were Romeo and Marco from this story.)

Although I had a couple of leads for potentially better shaves (that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg) before I left home, when I called on Monday morning they didn’t pan out.  I did a quick internet search, and a relatively new barber shop came up a couple of times.  A couple of screen taps later, I was sold.  I called to make an appointment and was told that all services were first come, first served and that he had nobody there at the moment, he couldn’t tell how the afternoon would be.

We arrived at Get a Haircut Las Vegas around 11:00 AM with one customer in the chair and two waiting.  Knowing we were third, fourth and fifth in line didn’t deter us, so we settled in and took in the surroundings.

On one hand, JJ (the barber) wasn’t rushed.  He made each guest feel comfortable and certainly took his time to get that person’s haircut done right.  Unfortunately, that meant about 20 minutes per person before he got to us.  So one hour after we arrived, Romeo was first in the chair.

JJ did take about 20 minutes with Phil, too, before it was my turn under the blade.

While I was getting my shave, we discussed his history. He’s been a barber for almost 20 years and has a place in Lancaster, California, too. He opened Get a Haircut Las Vegas in January of 2017, is open seven days a week, and he has not missed one day of work. He is even open on holidays, and Christmas Day was one of the busiest days of the year because he had customers that don’t observe Christmas and those that do who wanted a trim/shave before attending their events.

Full shaves were $20 (plus a $10 tip, which Romeo said was appropriate… I am not so sure). and Marco’s neck-only shave was $15 + $5.

Now for the review… I bled, and so did Marco. But it was way different than the El Cortez. When JJ noticed the places on my neck that were “catching”, he slowed down and tried to gently get through it. Think of it this way… you’re brushing your daughter’s long hair. You don’t just start at the top and rip down, you start at the top and brush a few inches, and when the snarls catch, you back out and do a little more.

JJ brushed my hair the right way, while by comparison, Ernesto at the El Cortez was happy to yank it all out. Now, because parts did hurt and I did bleed, I may not be interested in a future shave… why pay $30 to bleed on purpose? But if I ever need a haircut while in Vegas, JJ is my guy.

Come to think of it, you may not even want a haircut or shave.  Stop in for 20 minutes, strike up a conversation with JJ or his customers, and spend some time looking at the memorabilia.

Then Get a Haircut.  It would be rude not to!

[Photos – Michael James, Phil “Romeo” Bulwicki]

Michael James

Michael James is a true Vegas Nerd. First falling in love after hearing details of an aunt’s visit in the ’70s, and nurtured when the gambling bug hit as casinos started opening on every street corner across the country in the ’90s. When not reading Vegas blogs and message boards, he’s a metals buyer by day and a competitive bowler by night in Milwaukee.