Bird’s Barbershop reviewed

After all our excitement about the creation of the massive screen-printed mural at Bird’s Barbershop, I finally decided it was time to check it out in person. The rock-and-roll meets haircutting hype coming from Bird’s has left a lot of people intrigued but also a little puzzled, myself included. I knew Bird’s would at the very least be a great looking place, but I was concerned about two things:

1. Would it be TOO cool? I can’t stand trendy salons staffed by hipster hair stylists with superiority complexes.

2. Were the haircuts actually good? Bird’s is a walk-in place and I haven’t been to a walk-in place since a bad experience with Supercuts in college that soured me on clipper cuts for life.

So at the risk of being temporarily marred by a clipper wielding hipster, I cancelled my hair appointment last week and went to Bird’s.

The space itself was definitely not a letdown. Located on South Lamar, just south of Oltorf, the interior is big, spacious and industrial designed by local mastermind Joel Mozersky (designer of the Real World:Austin house) . The feel is like an old-school barbershop mixed with an industrial garage/art space. I appreciate when a lot of attention has been paid to design, and at Bird’s they haven’t neglected any of the details. From the signage to their promotional materials - it’s all very tight. Plus, any place with a foosball table is alright with me.

The mural by Door Number 3 Art Director Bryan Keplesky was really kick-ass. It’s huge. Until somebody proves otherwise - it’s the largest screen printed mural in the U.S. In addition to the mural, Keplesky has several of his limited-edition gig posters on display. If you’re a fan of this type of stuff, it’s worth paying a visit to Bird’s for that reason alone.

But ultimately, it doesn’t matter if the space is good if the haircuts suck. So I got into the chair.

Wielding the scissors was Laura - the art director for Bird’s - who was actually busy getting ready for the Beauty Bar blowout later that night, but was kind enough to take the time to give me a cut.

My hair grows kind of crazy - so my head presents a greater than average degree of difficulty than your average head. Because of this, I have rarely had an ultra-short cut that actually looked good. This was no problem for Laura though and the haircut is pretty kick-ass. It’s easily as good as any cut I’ve had in one of Austin’s high-end salons and I never felt like I was on a hair-cutting assembly line.

I was glad to see that the clientele was pretty diverse. Most of the people getting cuts were just regular guys who needed a haircut and walked in. The staff and owners also seem like genuinely warm and friendly people which gives the place a really nice vibe. In other words - a very AUSTIN vibe.

Now, what about the rock-and-roll? There is a small stage setup for shows as well as a sweet DJ booth screen printed to look like a giant boom box. My visit was on a weekday afternoon which is not prime time for rock and roll, but there was really good music playing. Bird’s will no doubt be a great place for small shows and really great parties.The love for music permeates the place, but it’s important to note that it doesn’t overwhelm the primary reason the place exits - cutting hair.

So in summary: The place is cool. The people are nice. The haircuts based on my experience are really good. Best of all, you don’t need to make an appointment. Look in the mirror. If you hair looks bad… go to Bird’s. Easy.

Link: Birds Barbershop Site