These days, we hear a lot of talk about “self-care.” It’s a term that always sounds self-indulgent to me, so I’ve steered clear of it for the most part. But I realized not long ago that I practice “self-care” in a unique way — at the barbershop.
For most of my life, I went to salons and chain stores for haircuts. Some of them were places I frequented for years; others I went to for shorter seasons. Not long after I turned 50, I decided that I wanted a true barbershop experience. I knew that it would be more expensive, but it was worth it to at least give it a try.
I’m blessed to have a good barbershop not far from me, so I gave Southern Gentlemen Barbershop a try. The shop moved to downtown Social Circle last year, which is even closer and is a really cool facility in a historic building.
I keep my hair fairly short on the sides and back, and certain areas tend to grow straight out, so I get my hair cut every two weeks. I’ve built that into my budget, and every other Friday morning is my time to get pampered.
The first barber at Southern Gentlemen who cut my hair was Leigh. She did a terrific job for a couple of years, and I consider her a friend. When she went on an extended maternity leave due to a complicated pregnancy, I had to switch barbers. For a few months, I bounced between Mason and Pepé, two talented young barbers, before finally settling on Pepé.
As much as I loved the job Leigh did on my hair, Pepé turns my time in the chair into an experience. He treats me like a king, and he even told me on social media that I’m one of his favorite clients. He has helped me settle on a cut that I really like — it’s probably the first time in my life that I’ve been perfectly happy with my haircut. He even showed me the exact way to brush the stubborn hair around my cowlick on the back of my head to get it to lie flat.
Recommended: Team USA Won Gold. The Athletic Found a Way to Complain.
Pepé and I have fun conversations. He’s much younger than I am, but he grew up in Athens, Ga., so he and I talk a lot about the city that formed him and played a pivotal role during my college years and beyond. We discuss University of Georgia sports and talk about music. Despite the age and cultural differences, he and I have a lot in common.
The cross conversations between other barbers and clients are good as well. I run into people I know fairly often at the barbershop, and those are fun exchanges. I ask Leigh about her family now that she’s back at the shop, and I bond with Mason over the fact that he’s a member of the church that used to be a campus of my church until we spun it off into its own congregation. (Mason and another young barber at the shop, Geo, will cut my hair when Pepé goes on vacation.)
The barbershop experience spoils me. It’s not only a good haircut, but it’s also a chance to relax under the hot towel. The razor shave on the back of my neck makes me look especially sharp, and the cologne that Pepé sprays on the back of my head smells amazing — even if I’m just wearing it home to work from my office space.
The first time Pepé cut my hair, I told a buddy of mine that it was the best haircut I had ever gotten. I swear that I walk a couple of inches taller when I’m walking out of the shop with a fresh cut. If that’s “self-care,” it’s the kind that does a lot of good for me.
