18-8 Fine Men’s Salon & Grooming Center

I refused to comply with a new policy that the owner Doug Jones decided to implement right before Christmas. I worked very hard for over a year to build up a good clientelle, where I was FINALY able to receive a very small commission. I was only making min. wage. For how expensive the services are, there is no reason for the employees that make the money for the business to make so little! He charges his stylists $ 1 now (per head) if they can’t sell the client a membership or retail product. I’ve never heard of this being done before. I really liked my clients & working there. I will miss my clients & co-​workers very much. It is losing capital so I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes out of business. Too expensive for what it is. Absentee owner that knows nothing about the industry. He doesn’t care about his Employees or clients, everyone is just a dollar sign to him.

Finally found the place to get my hair cut. I was tired of rolling the dice in subpar places with 15 minute swing and miss haircuts. I’ve been driving past 18 – 8 since it opened up and finally sucked it up and went in. It’s not cheap (even with the student discount), but you get what you pay for. Emily was incredibly friendly and treated my hair as if it were her own. Be prepared to spend about an hour for a standard haircut (with a shampoo before and after and a hot towel wrap) plus some for any extra services — Emily did great on the brows as well! I will definitely be back for the next haircut.

Great experience. If you want a fantastic haircut and are tired of the usual hit and miss of the generic hair places, try ¹⁸⁄₈.
Made an appointment for Emily. I got there a few min early and was greeted at the door. checked in a went to a lounge area that has complimentary soft drinks and water along with cookies.
Emily immediately stopped by to introduce herself and said she would be right with me.
No more than few min later, it was my turn.
We talked about what I wanted done and she got started.
This is a place just for men you get the hot towels and a straight razor Well worth it.
They do other things there too. I was just there for a cut. So I can’t comment on that.
Another thing I liked Emily communicated everything she was doing and what she was using on me. They have a bunch of products but there was no pressure to buy.
Emily is very good at what she does, She very professional and pleasant. I got probably one of the best haircuts I have ever had.
I have gone back for a touch up and she was as nice and efficient as the first time.
With all the decisions we have to make, for me this part is taken care of. No more wondering what your hair is going to look like when they are done.
It is a no brainer, go to ¹⁸⁄₈ and see Emily.

I was in Albuquerque for the holidays, and needed a beard trim. I have a medium-​length beard that I get trimmed regularly. After calling around a few places, 18|8 was the first place that was both open and could fit me in that day. I was very happy with the trim that I got from Justin. I was really happy with the shape of the beard after the trim, and the overall experience was very good. Justin was very friendly and chatty. I will definitely go back when I’m in town again.

I was specifically looking for a men’s salon to cut my child’s hair and found 8 – 18 by luck through a Google search. I was very happy with my choice! Justin did a fantastic job with my 3-​year-​old son’s hair cut. He was thorough and patient with my wiggly kiddo, and even gave him a candy cane for a job well done. Highly recommend this place, Justin is great. :)

I have been pleased with my past experiences at ¹⁸⁄₈. The service and haircut have been great. Today I was 10 minutes late for my 2 pm appointment and she asked if I could reschedule or come back at 3:15. No problem at all. I showed up 10 minutes early for my 3:15. I waited until 3:35 and then walked out. No one acknowledged me in the waiting area. Nobody came out and said they were running behind. Nothing at all. So ¹⁸⁄₈ — I gave you 20 minutes extra to no avail. I guess my business wasn’t important enough for you.

Another place that doesn’t like to honor their own groupons :(
It was a gift groupon for my bf and he ended up having to pay for it. Whatever positive experience to be had is now ruined. What was the point?
Very disappointing. Will seek to have the groupon refunded. Won’t be coming back here.

Worst fucking hair cut ever how are you in business learn the. Trade and don’t butcher peoples hair

My husband used to be a loyal Sports clips patron, but decided to go to ¹⁸⁄₈ because of a groupon deal. He was blown away by the professionalism, atmosphere and quality of the cuts that he got there. He loves the small details such as the hot towel treatment and attention to keeping clippings off of his clothing as well as the complimentary beverage on arrival. He is looking forward to getting more treatments in the future and is truly a convert!

I just saw a slew of 18 – 8 «reviews» pop up under the recent review activity of Unilocal so I’d thought I’d throw in my 2 cents. I’m not a straight shave expert like some reviewers but my experience at 18 – 8 was amazing. Great haircuts and the shave was awesome. Definitely looking forward to coming back!

This is not the place to get a straight shave.
I went last Saturday to have a «classic shave», which is described in their brochure and website as a «hot towel, hot lather, straight edge blade, and hot towel finish». This description is very similar to the shaves I had gotten at other high end gentlemen’s salons, such as the Art of Shaving I went to in San Francisco. So, I was excited to experience a good high end shave in Albuquerque.
Unfortunately, I only got 2 ½ of those things described in the brochure.
The hot towel treatment of the skin was as described and an enjoyable experience.
There was no hot lather. Instead she rubbed some type of cold cream on my skin. I believe using this cream instead of hot lather increased the irritation I received from the shave.
She did use a straight razor for the first pass of the shave. However, for the second pass she switched to a multi-​blade cartridge razor, probably some type of gillette pro-​glide type razor. I have never had the barber switch to a cartridge razor when paying for a straight razor shave. This was very disappointing, and caused even more irritation.
Lastly, she finished with a hot towel finish.
This is why I say I only got 2 ½ of the four things advertised. There was no hot lather and only ½ the shave was actually a straight razor shave. The only consistent thing done as advertised was the hot towels.
Even worse is that the shave wasn’t that good. There were several areas on my face, especially in my neck area, that were not smooth. There was also considerable irritation on my neck.
I was confused by the use of the cartridge razor for the second pass. If I wanted to have a cartridge razor shave, I could have done it at home. I was paying for the skillful use of a straight razor, which is something I would never try to do myself at home. I was also expecting it to be super smooth.
Since 18 – 8 is a franchise, I called another 18 – 8 located in Irvine California, and asked them if they performed the entire shave with a straight razor. I was told yes, and was confusedly asked if there was a reason why I wouldn’t want the entire shave done with a straight razor.
Since I purely went for the shave, most of this review is negative, and I cannot recommend this «classic shave» service at the 18 – 8 in Albuquerque.
However, the atmosphere of the place is nice, the waiting room has a nice television, and a good selection of beverages, and nice chairs. The changing room was very nice as well.
If you are looking for some other type of service, like a haircut, then this place will probably serve you ok, but as for a «classic shave» as it was described on their website, I don’t think the professionals that work at this location are qualified to perform it.

Horrible, horrible experience. My husband is still in pain from their classic shave. Please beware! Also, please note that 99% of the positive reviews of this business occurred within hours of each other, on the same date. Seems suspicious to me…

PREFACE
This review is going to not only educate you on proper Straight Shaving, but also let you know that 18|8 is not qualified to be selling the «Classic Shave» services here in New Mexico. What happened to myself and my friend Michael is a travesty! If you think I am over the top scroll to bottom and look at the pictures of the major razor burn I endured during my «Classic Shave». If 18|8 wants to continue selling these type of services in New Mexico then the need to look into hiring Master Barbers who do proper Classic Shaves.
THE REVIEW
As an avid traditional wet shaver (
) I was extremely excited when my wife had given me a gift certificate to 18|8 for a straight razor shave! Anyone that is in any way shape or form involved in the Wet Shaving Community (badger & blade, straight razor place, & the shave den) know there is nothing finer in life than when your wife not only accepts your shaving ways but also buys you gifts that allow you to enjoy them more.
I thought it would be great to go in for my first straight razor shave and also invite my friend Michael who I converted to traditional wet shaving a few months back. I followed the instructions from 18|8 and made sure to book our appointments 1 week in advance. The day before the appointment 18|8 called to verify the date and time. I asked a few questions about the shave and found out they use a Gillette disposable razor around the mouth and nose area. Right then the red flag went up.
If you know nothing about a straight shave, is it is just that. A shave completed with a straight razor (
), or with a Shavette (
). Michael was also on the fence as he recently had his first straight razor shave from Art of Shaving in San Francisco a month prior. Michael took the liberty of calling 18|8 in California. Upon calling he found out they only do straight razor shaves and do not use Gillette disposable razors.
I called 18|8 again here in ABQ and they said they would use a straight for the whole shave. I asked one final question about their experience and they said they had seven years experience. So after a little concern I was okay and even more excited about my shave. Upon arriving it was a very nice setup and great atmosphere. I made sure to pay attention to all the details, noticing the nice barber chairs and clean areas and such.
After waiting for a few I was taken back to the changing area. I was given a plastic button up robe to wear. They had a very clean changing area, a place to hang my robe so I could take off my shirt. Instead of paper towels they had a bucket with personal cloth towels.
Once I changed, I went out and got ready for my Classic Shave. The lady was very nice and adjusted the chair and made sure I was comfortable and we got to chatting about the shave. I told her this was my first straight from a barber and it was a birthday gift from my wife. She showed me the two Shavettes she was going to use. One blade for with-​the-​grain shaving and one for against-​the-​grain shaves. She also let me know she was using a cream that was all natural.
THE SHAVE
She started by cleansing my face and washing, then placing a towel over my eyes so I could relax. She placed a hot towel on my face to prep me for the shave then she sprayed a mist to my face. She then applied the cream, which was a brushless cream. She did the first pass with the grain and cleaned off my face and another hot towel and started in on against the grain on my neck.
This is where I started feeling pain, which you shouldn’t never feel with a shave, be it at a barber or at home! At that point I asked her to stop the shave as my face was burning severely. She cleaned off my face and was using different products to cleanse it. I could tell she felt bad as she thought the cream product may had bothered me. I thought maybe it was the product as well but wasn’t sure until I was in the changing room and saw the massive razor burn.
A PROPER SHAVE
Since this was my first straight shave from a barber I was a little naïve. I should have known better since they told me from the beginning that they were using the Gillette disposable around the mouth area and when they used the brushless cream, I should have gotten up and left. 18|8 doesn’t know anything about proper male shaving and the brushless cream should never be used on straight razor shaves. Here is a proper shave from a Master Barber (
) which is the same type of services Michael received from the Art of Shaving in San Francisco
THE PICTURES
What 18|8 did to me
ORIGINAL DOCUMENT