When I was in L.A. a few weeks ago I stopped by to see the gents from Baxter of California at their then unfinished barber shop on LaCienega. Well today the veil has been lifted, and the new spot dubbed Baxter Finley, Barber & Shop, looks even better than I had anticipated. It is opening officially tomorrow, if you want to stop in for L.A.’s newest (and possibly best?) wet shave.
Baxter Finley, Barber & Shop | 515 N. LaCienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.
I would totally go here if my facial hair necessitated a shave.
Good and simple design at its best.
This space inspires.
Looks nice. Southern California has been getting a lot of these upscale barber joints that cater to a variety of price ranges. I’m liking this trend.
Nice, clean masculine design. It suits the purpose perfectly.
We need to see more of this in America.
The sight of all those silver tip shaving brushes is something to behold. Very beautiful. Wet shaving is where it’s at in my opinion. My dad used to shave with an open blade razor & now I’ve taken up the habit as well. The beauty of it is there’s no blades to dispose of hence you can call it “green ” if you’re so inclined, it’s also economical over the long run, plus finely crafted blades are gorgeous.
Bring it on I say.
Beautiful space. Whether or not I can actually afford to get a shave hear is another question.
here*
Every once and a while, I envy the opposite sex. This would be one of those times. Something looks so delicious about getting a shave.
Man, they really did it right. I certainly hope to have the time to stop in next time in LA.
Exquisite old world style. I’m sure the service is as classy as the brick and mortar. Truly an establishment I could spend some time in.
Now to come up with a reason to go to L.A.
Exquisite looking.
WTF??? Dont you see this crap is 100% inauthentic? The “heritage” “tradition” “Americana” etc. that you all try so hard to ape is not really compatible with going to get a haircut in a BOUTIQUE. Tradition and heritage are not something that can be “artisinally crafted”. Try the crappy barber shop downtown in any city or town. You will get some real authenticity… but the barbers there may not be sporting steven alan shirts, selvedge jeans, and red wings.
baxter of california, i think … since 1965! sounds authentic and heritage to me you DB!
Hey Skippy,
your are so friggin right…the place is beautifully art directed, unfortunately
you have a bunch of unfriendly coolios just looking at you when you walk in
and dont even greet you.
Just to follow up…the brand was founded in 1965 but was bought and taken over in 2000 by JP Mastey. Talking about the shop, “We see guys trending to traditionâ€, says Mastey. “Whether we are talking fashion, or choice of barber, guys are looking for simple and traditional surroundings.â€
Using “trend” as a VERB is not authentic heritage Americana, bro. Neither is going to get a haircut in a boutique salon. Sounds like a great place for those who are currently wrapped up in playing “vintage Americana” make believe/dress-up to reconcile the idea of “timelessness” with the fact that (to them anyway) it is a fashion trend that they recently discovered and will eventually move on from.
Nauseating, really.
I call bullshit indeed.
So planned out.
I go to the real deal – a barbershop near downtown that the son took over from his father – a great haircut/shave – a great price.
The real deal shops are easy to find – perhaps if you just leave La Cienega…..
Could not disagree more that this is a BS trend. “Authentic” barbers shops these days are dirty, with hit or miss quality and operating room lighting….this is a trend that is here to stay, high quality, great experience, environment specifically for men for an extra $20 over the shitty places. Guys are happy to pay it and should be. Men are also investing more in their appearance and this trend is answering that need.
Ah! A customer! Wait! What’s your rush, what’s you hurray??
Guys who favor “investing” in their appearance is not a new trend, you fool. That same type of guy used to be called “metrosexual” and got a $100 haircut at some foopy salon… now he can hit up the “urban woodsman” slash “heritage made in USA artisan crafted” version of the same thing. Same target demographic, new trend, new name, still lame.
My barber is an actual barber. He doesn’t wear special “Jimmy’s Barber Shop x Steven Alan” custom-crafted “shirting”.
Skippy — calm down. It’s a barber shop for God’s sake. Different strokes for different folks. Please send photos of your barber and his shop so we can decide if your argument is valid.
Okay, only It’s not a barber shop, it’s a boutique salon for dorks who are “trending to tradition” in the words of its proprietor. Having said that, your point is well taken.
My barber would straight up throw me out of the shop if I told him I was going to take photos of him and his shop to validate his “american heritage authenticity” on a blog. Ironically that fact validates his authenticity in itself.
To me it sounds like you are afraid to ask! Where in New Jersey is your barber? I’ll go there myself. Never send a boy to do a man’s job.
Haha. I would tell you, but if he gets wind of the $300 cargo pants you sell, we would both be banned for life…
He sounds like a communist. Maybe you are both communists?!?
Not a commie, just a dude who works for a living. But you may be on to something now that you mention it… I nominate you the chair of the House Un-Americana Activities Committee.
I nominate you for chairman of the committee on anonymous blog commenting badasses.
Just having some fun, Michael Williams. I read your blog because I think what you post is generally interesting and I like reading it. Just not a fan of this fake boutique salon. Seriously though, I have to admit that I would wear the cargo pants if I could afford them, but I have 2 kids under 3 years old at home, so I don’t foresee that happening in the next 20 years.
Skippy: you’re awesome.
Michael Williams: I’m glad you picked up on the the communist insults. we all know communists hate pockets on their pants as it is against The Great Leader’s Plan. Communists prefer to wear their extra pockets on their shirts a la the Mao Suit.
-postmoderngentleman
Getting so tired already of everyone copying the 1920’s workwear and factory aesthetic. Especially when used by those who make 10000x more money than my greatgrandfather really made back in the day as a real steel worker. It’s kind of insulting.
This is how you see an aesthetic start running into the ground. It was a nice design movement, where utilized properly and with restraint, but now it’s being played out fast. Don’t designers have any restraint and originality? This whole rough curation and discernment practice is nice when it fits, but not when it’s fetishized so much by fashion.
The vintage bluecollar look is so incongruous with this area of LA. Meaning fake. So it appears disneylandish. Then again, maybe it’s perfect then.
old facotry? workwear? what image did i miss? I certainly would not call a antique porcelain barber chair “old facotry”, and Steven Alan is not “work wear” in my book.
Just because this is on ACL does not make it workear inspired. I like the look of this shop, and reminds of “old school” in a good way – disneyland? really?
to each his own, i think it really came out nice – can’t hate on this shop, sorry.
I think the real test of this place — and any place, really — is whether they give you a quality cut/shave. You can have the most beautiful furniture in the world and the most expensive products, but if you give a guy one of those terrible Seinfeld cuts, it won’t be any different than getting a cut at Super Cuts.
Conversely, if your “authentic” barber downtown is so drunk he accidentally snips a little bit of your ear off, you are better off getting a cut/shave from a former-barista-turned-barber hipster perfectionist.
The jury is still out on this place as it is so new, but we’ll see soon enough. :)
I’m from Toronto and am visiting LA. I dropped into several barbers in Venice and none did shaves. I finally found a place… and got the worst shave of my life. God it was awful. The barber tells me that in California, “we have blood laws” and that therefore he cannot use a proper straight razor but has to use a disposable straight razor. Wtf?
Was this guy full of it or is that a fact in California? If so, why would anyone pay for a shave here?
So far this and the lack of real Rose’s Lime Cordial are the only negative things I’ve found in LA. They’re doozies, however.
I will no longer be going to Sweeney Todd’s, this is the best barber shop in LA.
“former-barista-turned-barber hipster perfectionist…” man you just described me perfectly. i think this place is looks amazing. these guys are just mad because im out enjoying these things and places while they are stuck at home with two kids under 3 years old. id be pissed too i guess.
I agree the real test is if they do a quality shave. Honestly, I’ve tried places all over the country… Aiden Gill in New Orleans… Grooming Lounge in DC… Art of Shaving (gag)… a couple randoms in LA and no one comes close to what I can do myself. Too many laws against using a straight razor (or even a double edged safety razor), not enough skilled barbers, Mach friggin 3 razors. I say these days if you want it done right learn to do it yourself. Of course I haven’t heard any reviews on this place yet so I won’t pass judgment on them just yet.
As for hair cuts, I gotta stick with my lady who’s been cutting me for seven years now. If she got a job at this place I’d be there, if she was cutting hair on top of Mt. Baldy I’d scramble up there.
Great shop and great haircut, was just there today. It’s amazing how people these days deconstruct every… single… friggin.. thing.. who gives a fvck? The place was clean, they had a stack of vintage Playboy mags and they gave me a great hair cut.
That would be nice haircut there…
Great employemment.
Sdd.
LuÃs Fernando
Just received a haircut by Jason, love it! Great barbers, great space!!! My new spot, you gotta check it out!