The shop is located right at the border of Cleveland and Shaker Heights, a relatively safe area that is in transition. It is surrounded by a number of interesting novelty and antique shops. The shop hours are 9:15 am - 4 pm, Tues. through Friday and 9 - 3 on Saturdays. Rebecca takes a lunch break from noon to 1 each day. She says that she is busiest at the beginning of the week and on Saturdays. She takes no appointments, so you may have to wait. I was lucky. I showed up right after lunch on a Tuesday and no one was waiting. As soon as I got in the chair another person showed up...and then another.

Rebecca is a thoroughly pleasant and considerate person who listens carefully and thoughtfully. I have had relatively short hair for just under a year. I sat in the chair and explained that I usually have my hair clipped with a #2 on the sides and the back blended to a #3 on top (a buzzcut by your definition). I also told Rebecca that I wanted to go to a real barber because I was tired of cosmetologists not quite getting the clipper work exactly as it needed to be and not shaping the edges very well. I also asked for her suggestions because I was getting a little bored with my hair the same way all the time. I also explained that I am a professional, so we couldn't get too crazy.

I am 41, have a round face and my hair is fine, poker straight and thinning on top (which is starting to speed up). After careful consideration, Rebecca suggested that we square up the haircut a little (keep the lateral edges of the head a little longer - where the part would be on either side of the head) so that my head wouldn't seem so round. She also suggested that I go with a tapered back and sides, rather than blocked, because it would look better as it grew out and would look more natural.

Rebecca started by turning me away from the mirror. She started cutting the sides with the clippers and the back. My hair had grown out to about a #4 on top and #3 on the sides, but it felt like she was shearing a lot more than one guard-length. (I was a little worried because of a mishap I had with a bimbo beautician who accidentally buzzed the top side of my head with a #1 after a phone call. She forgot that she put the #1 on to taper the back. I looked horrible. No offense to those into the military look, but it's just not me.)

After buzzing the back and sides she started scissoring the top and the top sides. Although I could not see what she was doing, I could feel the precision of her work. She explained that she has more control with the scissors and could more finely shape the hair. When she finished with the scissors she ask me whether she could shape the neckline and around the ears with a straight razor. I said sure as long as she was comfortable doing it. I haven't felt that good, old-fashioned feel of warm shaving cream on my neck and around my ears since I was 12 or 13 (the "wet head is dead" era). It felt relaxing and she instilled confidence because she is so precise with the razor.

When all was done she turned me around. I was shocked at the difference! The haircut was perfectly balanced. Every hair precisely in place. She took the sides, especially by the sideburns, a little tighter and squared up the sides just as she had said. It's not exactly a buzzcut and it's not exactly a crewcut (as you define it) either. But it looks great. I think as the sides square up a little more, I'm gonna have her flatten the top just a little (a little more than a crewcut, but not as much as a flattop).

How do I know it looks great? Well, it has passed the females at the office test, a woman friend who is a beautician test, and most importantly, the wife test (she's the one who encouraged me to get my hair cut short in the first place). I have had nothing but compliments. I've gotten so many compliments that, when I looked in the mirror the other night, I'd have to admit that my head actually appeared larger than it did a few days ago before I went to Rebecca.

I think I've found my barber for life (unless I move out of town, in which case I've got to figure out how to get back to Cleveland as often as possible). By the way, all of this wonderful, pleasant and relaxing service at a Cleveland bargain price of just $12. Don't pass up the opportunity if you're in the area. And if you're not, go out of your way to experience this treat! It's worth the trip.

Thanks for listing of barbershops.

The barber shop described in this article was listed on the Buzztown Barber Shop Listing on May 3rd, 1998, in the Ohio listings. The address and phone details of this shop are:

Rebecca's Shaker Barbershop
12808 Larchmere Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio
Phone: (216) 229-3057