Platform Barbers

I came across this place and thought we would give it a try. I called one evening during business hours several times but no one ever picked up. Ok maybe they were busy… so I Call early the next morning and made an appointment for my son. He shows up on time for his appointment checks in and he’s told he will be next an hour and half later he’s still waiting… Hello there’s a reason why people schedule appointments — To avoid waiting!!! This is the worst service I’ve experienced in years. Having a customer with a scheduled appointment wait this long is unacceptable! So what’s the purpose of making an appointment? What’s the purpose of having a public barbershop when you only cater to friends? This place is joke! This place won’t last long! Btw: Osean was the barber we had the appointment scheduled with.

I’ve been to Platform twice and have been cut by Sean both times. He gave a great cut, my taper was flawless and he did a great job with scissors. Considering my hair is quite hard to cut, I have to say he’s one of the best barbers I’ve been to. Would reccomend to anyone looking for a great cut.

@platformbarbers: I used Unilocal to try to find a new barber in a brand new city. It had been 3 weeks since my last fade and my neck and ears were growing restless. I walked in and everyone in there (4 barbers and the place was packed), including myself, thot I was in the wrong place.
I sat down in front of Rob and he immediately asked if it was ok that he still had one more in front of me. Ok cool. Man – he was worth the wait. Class act guy. Friendly. No respecter of persons. I watched him cut the two men in front of me and observed his demeanor but also his precision and I knew I was in for a good fade.
Sure enough – he was great. No one has ever cut my hair so precisely. With so much attention to detail. Spent so much time to blend and trim my beard, too. Right ON. The universe led me to the right place and the right guy. I don’t choose barbers/​stylists lightly and in one fell swoop, I’ve found my place AND my barber here in the Bay Area.
See Ya in 2.

Casual, understated, somewhat retro ambience belies its skill and polish. Although not as quick as some places, the haircuts I’ve gotten — mainly from Robert — are the best I’ve ever had at any price.

Great cut wit eric the barber great conversation great prices .no complaints on the haircut minor things i can fix my self overall great expiercence will be coming back

Gman knows how to cut hair and spends extra care to make sure it s right. You can tell he loves what he does and it shows in his work. I highly recommend this Barber shop

Went in today to get cleaned up for graduation. I was helped by Eric. Great haircut, friendly service, and a personable environment. These dudes know their tapers!
My only complain is that they’re not located closer to Cal! Luckily, the 51b will take you right there.
Will definitely return.

I searched Unilocal for a barber near work. I found this place, read the reviews, and decided to give it a try.
I called around 12pm on a Friday and asked how long the wait was. The guy said they should be able to get me right away since there were 7 barbers working at the time. He also said to ask for O’Sean because he was free.
I walked in and was greeted. Great first impression. O’Sean was available right away as they said. He’s a cool dude. Haircut ($ 25) was fresh. I’ll definitely go back.
Overall 5 stars for great customer service because it’s something that a lot of barbershops lack these days.

My very first time visiting this location (and really any barber at all in a good 4 years). Called ahead to see how the wait was and was told it varied throughout the day — pretty standard.
Dropped in, and Bryan was able to seat me within about 5 minutes, between his appointments. My hair, beard and mustache had been growing out for a while, so I showed him a photo from when I’d last shaved everything properly and said I wanted to look like that again.
We’re both small business owners, so we had a good conversation about landlords, DBAs, marketing, etc. (Afterward, he introduced me to a café owner on the corner, with whom I might end up doing some business at some point).
The cut, shave and trim were great — done entirely with clippers — and all at a reasonable price. Overall, a really positive experience!

I was a law student at Cal and have been going here for 3 years. I have always got a nice haircut!

Looking for a local barber for a quick, inexpensive cut, I dropped in here; but my experience was just short of terrible. I got seated pretty quickly; however, a simple «shorter on sides, longer on top» cut took over an hour and I left the place with hair all over my face and clothes.
The shop itself was pretty old school, and although it had a cool vintage thing going, it could definitely use a deep cleaning and repairs — one of my arm rests was falling off…
The haircut itself was okay, but definitely not worth the money ($ 30). I’d rather pay twice as much at a salon like Maru and know I’m getting what I’m paying for, or get a cheap cut at a Happy Super Goodtime barber.
Overall, I would not go back, nor would I recommend; but I did get a decent haircut.

I’ll be straight – when my pops was in the military he learned how to maneuver a pretty tight buzz cut, so I grew up getting an in-​home treatment. Cue college, and I was buzzing my own head with imprecise lines and a jacked up back of the head. Well, relocating to Berkeley for grad school meant I needed to start taking myself, and thus my hair, much more seriously. Cue Platform Barbers. The first time I sat in the chair of the homie Gary I had long, unwieldy Filinegro hair. He looked at me and said, «Well. You know the magic words?» «Words?» I thought to myself. I began to falter, and with an earnest grin he said, «Hook it up!» Indeed, for a year and a half now Gary has hooked up some utterly slick styles that have contributed to my imbrication into the Bay Area social scene, and I will never go on big dates without the cut Gary has tailored for me. Every time I go in he has new, innovative variations and ideas to complement my features. My hair is very temperamental, and he has mastered it. Gary is prudent about fitting me into his packed schedule, and there is nobody else I would trust taking that barber’s razor to cinch up that hairline. The other fellas at the spot are dope, and there’s always good music, talk of sports, and knowledge being dropped. This is a shop where folks take their time and stand by their work. At times, it’s discouraging to have at least 4 more years left on my PhD, but it helps to known I can keep getting that dope hookup at Platform.

O’Sean did a great job cutting my hair. He payed a ton of attention to detail and pulled off a good cut despite my inability to describe what I wanted. He’s also really pleasant to talk to. All in all a great experience.

Had my sides done by O’sean. He had good skills, and listened to my requests. Really satisfied. Chill vibe in there as well!

I got my nice haircut by a skilled barber. Osean Head, thank you for the new hair style. I am looking forward for the next one («:

I really like this place. I got haircuts from Erik and Robert, both of them were very careful and sharp with their scissors. Robert especially had a great approach by asking about how I wanted my hair done, angles done on the side and back.
He also was patient in my indecision about the length of the hair etc.
I also liked how the atmosphere felt really relaxed and clean.
Although it is a few dollars I am used to paying but it is worth it.

Awesome service and haricut from Brian — I came in about 10 minutes before closing, and one other guy was in line ahead of me. Before I got there, they told him that he would be the last walk-​in, but I assured Brian that I wanted something simple and he agreed to stay an extra 10 – 15 mins for me.
Really chill place, will definitely be back here again.

1. Great service
2. Inexpensive (usually $ 20) I use to pay $ 30.
3. Ask for Erik. The kid has skills. He takes pride in his work.

I really like these guys. I’ve had my hair cut twice by O’Sean and once by Gary. Both are friendly, skilled, and take the time to get things right. The place is fun to hang out in and conveniently located in central Berkeley.
You can contrast this place with the hipster barber shop in the Temescal, which has a 2 – 3 hour wait. O’Sean’s haircuts are just as good and much more convenient, with far less waiting.
BTW, this is an African American owned business, and many of the customers are AA too. I happen to be a 40-​something white guy and am very happy with the service. Thanks O’Sean!

They butchered me!
Yet another example of a business that has figured out how to game the all knowing algorithm that Unilocal relies upon to filter bullshit reviews from «real» ones.
That is what my hair looked like, except, that’s actually a better looking haircut because the bangs are straight and these guys totally fucked up the sides of my hair as well. Keep in mind my hair was supposed to be parted on the left side, not combed forward like I’m some fucktard you have to watch with sharp objects. Like the look SF bay area? Can all be yours for $ 20.