I hate getting my hair cut. I hate being penned down in a barber's chair. I hate making small talk and I hate being asked where I work. I hate the fact that I always answer this question honestly, immediately resulting in a barrage of questions and criticisms about how the company I work for is the antithesis of all that is good and holy in this world (I know, I know. I need a new job). And I hate that I pay $20+ for something that makes me look like a 3rd grader on picture day.

So for several years after I moved back to Portland I found myself on a quest, a quest for a barber shop where I didn't have to steer the conversation away from work. A place where I didn't have to pay someone $20 or more for a job that took them 15 minutes or less. I went all over this city. I tried many different barbers and hairstylists. Such as an alleged "barber shop" in Multnomah Village that seemed to only cater to women over 50. A Bishops branch where a girl with green hair tried to convince me I was going to go bald by the age of 25 because I didn't use a certain brand of shampoo. A place down by PSU that was swarmed by the university's basketball team while I was sitting in the chair. Another Bishops where a girl with orange hair scorned me like a schoolmarm for not using product. My list of awkward moments in Portland barber shops goes on and on.

And then last spring I took a chance on a small, easy-to-miss shop buried in a forgotten strip mall underneath Tobacco Town on SW Barbur. Inside I found Rosie, a sweet gal that didn't ask me where I work. Instead, we talked about the weather. The walls were and still are lined with salon ads from the 80s and paintings her daughter creates (sorry for the blurry camera phone photo). That afternoon Rosie gave me a haircut that put the Bishops clerks to shame and was even willing to give me a break because I was a buck short. I've been going there ever since.

And now I pass Rosie's Barbershop on to you. The walls aren't covered with clippings from British music magazines, no one will offer you a Pabst and you won't feel like a rockstar for going there but if you're looking for a no-frills place to get a haircut, Rosie's got you covered.

Labels: Places_to_go_to