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So is there something to be said about barber shops of all places? The Wikipedia article on the social phenomenon known as the third place has featured a photo of a barber shop in Brazil as one illustration for a long time as a reflection of the simple fact that barber shops are among the evident third places for men. These are a subject we have discussed here multiple times as there seems to be broad consensus (outside of this forum as well) that they (i.e. third places for [single] men) are mostly dead by now. Broadly speaking there appears to be two opposing narratives on this; one is that these places are dead because men (and adults in general) no longer want them and no longer think they need them, the other is that adults would actually prefer to visit them but they're dead anyway, and they died off because adults in the past bought into the illusion that these are no longer necessary and now it's impossible to resurrect them.
After visiting the Wikipedia page above I went on to ask myself multiple questions. Who goes to the barber shop anymore? As far as I can tell, barber shops are still around, but only in dense urban core areas. Do they exist in the suburbs and exurbs where walkable neighborhoods do not exist? I guess not. Is it that a growing proportion of men are single and many of them let themselves go to such an extent that they don't bother going to the barber? Are married men reluctant or unable to visit the existing barber shops?
The local barbershop culture is a casualty of the safety razor. It's a lot harder to build relationships when you go in 8 times a year for a 15 minute cut than when you're going in 3 times a week for a shave and touch up. There's just no opportunity to build comradery.
There's a reason the only barbershops that still retain that sort of community atmosphere are black barbershops. Black hair styles typically require substantially more professional maintenance than those popular with other ethnicities, so guys are back in the shop on a regular basis. Similarly with women's hair salons. If you're going to be there for 2+ hours at a time and have to keep a regular maintenance schedule, that's a lot more opportunity for banter and friendship formation. Meanwhile I tend to wait until the last second before some important event, then stop by whatever chain is most conveneient to my other obligations that day.
I'm reminded of Ring Lardner's story Haircut, which is a barber reminiscing to a new customer about a deceased regular, who the barber remembers as a salt-of-the-earth guy with a great sense of humor but who the reader comes to realize is a total garbage human being.
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