and feel like they're taking a step back
in time," she says. Faded black-and-
white gangster photos adorn the walls,
with vintage men's hats lined above
them. Of the four barber chairs, one is
from the 1920s, while another dates to
the 1800s. Even the warmed shaving
cream pours out of an old-fashioned
lather machine. And a caddy filled with
pipes comes replete with a spooky story,
adding to the shop's mystique: "It came
from a house in Oxford that was sup-
posedly haunted," Schweninger says.
"The old man who once lived there
smoked pipes, and you could smell
his tobacco smoke at night." The only
modern touch is two flat-panels TVs.
Primarily a haircutting operation,
Goodfellas has, of late, received a grow-
ing variety of style requests. "For a
while, everyone was getting short cuts,"
Schweninger explains. "Now it's every-
thing. And the '70s influence is coming
back in longer hair for men."
Schweninger reclined Litvin's chair,
wrapped his face in warm towels to soften
his beard, then rubbed in the shave cream
before using a straight-edge razor to fash-
ion a trim goatee.
"I've been shaving since I was 13, and
this is the first time someone else has
shaved me," Litvin says. "It was so relax-
ing to sit back and let someone else do it."
Shave: $25.
The third shop to visit was Lady
Jane's, on South Washington in Royal
Oak (248-556-0534), in business since
December 2006. This strictly men-only
salon offers 011 hair services, including
color and waxing. Owner Charlie Wolfe
says when men get their hair cut they
want a close location, free parking and
no waiting. But just in case there is a
wait, men can recline in oversized leath-
er chairs, watching four flat-panel TVs.
With a sports theme, foosball table, pop-
Opposite page: "I wanted people to come in the front door and feel like they're taking
a step back in time," says Denise Schweninger, owner of Goodfellas in Royal Oak. This
page, counterclockwise from top right: At the Barber Pole in Birmingham, Litvin has his
'do shaped into a fauxhawk; a weathered barber pole is actually a birdfeeder; and Litvin
receives a brow grooming, free with every haircut.
platinum •
JUNE 2007 •
23