Making the Cut

Last month I sent out the call: After several bad Rudy's cuts, it was time to jump ship and find someone new to cut my hair.

Several of you came up with suggestions; for starters, I decided to take Will Campbell's advice: I've been frequenting Tony's Barbershop for the last couple years on Glendale Boulevard near Fletcher (in the shopping center with the Ralphs and the Sav-On). Some may say you get what you pay for, but Tony's never done me wrong for the ten bucks he charges.

Tony's is a barber shop. It has all the essentials: The candy-stripe pole outside. Dean Martin blasting on the stereo. Loads and loads of old magazines. A black-and-white checkerboard floor. Lollipops for the kids. And barbers who aren't waiting for a commercial call back -- real, professional barbers.

I walked in on a Sunday morning -- open Sunday morning, a plus already -- and didn't have to wait long for a chair. Tony -- the barbershop's namesake -- was cutting someone's hair in the first stall; he was extremely friendly and giving a young boy (whose brother was busy raiding the lollipop bucket) a sharp 'do.

Another barber was fixing his pompador. I climbed into the third barber's chair; my guy whipped a bright yellow cape over me and went to work.

Now, I gotta say, it wasn't the best cut I ever had. But for $10, it sure wasn't bad. The barber (whose name I didn't catch) took his time, trimming the front and sides, shaving the back and even taking a fine blade to sculpt the back of my head's hairline.

At $10, that's less than half of what I paid at Rudy's -- and I sat in the chair twice as long. Not bad.

Tony's Barber Shop, 2552 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles (Silver Lake). Phone: 323-663-9589