,:' TY- ‘-;;.
A Salon Of
His Own
The old-fashioned barber shop is back.
One adventurous soul
tries out four local shops catering to men,
while Platinum tags along.
WRITTEN BY KAREN BUSCEMI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANGIE BAAN AND ARMANDO RIOS
20 •
JUNE 2007 •
platinum
i•-f2
A visit to a typical salon can be a bit overwhelming for a man. With club music and peal-
ing chatter, aerosol hairspray and the pungent odor of nail acrylic filling the room, such
sensory overload can make a guy want to stay at home and grow his hair long. Which
may be why hair salons that cater to male clientele are cropping up all over town.
Ken Litvin, 36, of Berkley, is a busy husband and father of two — but he agreed to
put his looks on the line and try out four area men's salons. With a menu consisting of
a haircut, color, shave and eyebrow trim, Litvin was eager to get groomed.
"I like getting my hair cut and getting pampered a bit," he explains. "I've never got-
ten a professional shave or had color in my hair."
We began at the Chop Shop, on 12 Mile Road in Berkley (248-546-2237), with its
vintage 1950s vibe and Johnny Cash playing overhead.
"This is what I always wanted, a custom hot-rod barbershop," says Jason Kavlitz,
who opened the shop a year ago. The tattooed barber, with recently shaved head and
hands full of silver rings, specializes in hair sculpting
With three vintage barber chairs, tall Craftsmen tool boxes to hold supplies, an old
Coke machine in one corner and nostalgic barber tools and pomades in showcases, this
blast from the past has a relaxed atmosphere that comes complete with complimentary
donuts and coffee. Services include haircuts, chemical services and neck shaves.
Kavlitz gave Litvin a tight taper multi-purpose haircut that can go from a Caesar-
style at the office to a fauxhawk for a night on the town. He used a pomade to give the
style hold and finished off the look with a straight-edge razor around the ears and back
of the neck. "My hair is radically different," says Litvin, who's had the same style for
the past eight years. "This is such a friendly place. The price is right, it's warm and cozy
and it's close knit." Haircut: $15.
Next stop was Goodfellas, on Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak (248-556-0082).
Only open since October 2006, this salon also has a throwback look, only the focus is
on gangsters. Owner Denise Schweninger scoured antiques shops and eBay to find the
era-specific items that decorate her shop. "I wanted people to come in the front door