Frank’s Barber Shop

Fellow Unilocalers — Please don’t discount my review of Frank’s Barber shop because of the dearth of my distributed ratings. I only write a review when the merits of an establishment haven’t already been mentioned previously by 250+ other Unilocalers. In big cities, it’s hard to find a hidden gem — and this is what Frank’s Barber Shop is!
So, I’m new to Chicago and I haven’t seen a barber for close to 2 months — my hair is getting a bit long and it needs some TLC. Originally I was planning to head to John Ciesla Barber Shop, but a good Unilocaler shared that the place was closed. Apparently some neighbor issues had led to some damage at John’s building, so he’s closed for about 6 months and will eventually reopen (this review is ⁹⁄₂₀₁₃). For John’s regular clients, maybe you can use Frank as a temporary solution.
Now, I don’t have Justin Bieber hair, nor do I want to. When I do a Unilocal search for barbers, my keywords are as follows:
1. Barber
2. Cheap
3. Old
«Barber» is used for obvious reasons — mostly to weed out Salons.
«Cheap» is so that I can feel okay about going once every 3 – 4 weeks and also so my tip will equal a large percentage of the listed price, which I feel the barber should be working for. (I tip over 20% for barbers that meet my list price criteria — I have a set price I want to pay for my haircut, and the difference will be made by my tip. They clearly have low list prices so that their tips don’t necessarily have to be taxed — I’m cool with that and, in fact, welcome it!)
«Old» is to find any descriptions of other Unilocal users using the term «old school (skool)» because this is exactly the character I’m seeking in a barber shop. This term connotes knowing how to use scissors, shaves the back of the neck and side burns with a real razor, a shop that avoids pretentiousness, and perhaps some ‘old timey music’ (think Sinatra, Paul Anka). Yeah, I was born like 6 decades too late.
So, I came here Friday around 11 am because I had a day off. Because I was the only one in the shop and it was clearly my first time, maybe I got a little extra attention, but that’s how it should be, so I’m not handicapping that. I got a great, great, great cut. $ 12 is his list price. What a steal!
And to rebut some previous reviewers that the only style you come out with is a ‘military buzz cut’, that’s very unfair. Maybe a bad experience for that person, but that’s definitely not what I got. My favorite barbers in the past didn’t get it right every time, but it was great most of the time. Needless to say, it takes some time to build familiarity between barber and client.
Anyway, this place is literally right outside the Western Blue station. It’s worth it for me to pay the subway fare to get here.
For me, I also like the fact that the barbers aren’t necessarily chatty — I like to close my eyes and just listen to some music. If they chat with their colleagues or another regular, that doesn’t bother me.
The walls and music they play indicate they might be Puerto Rican — not that it adds much, but I think it contributed to the awesome vibe of this joint.
In summary, go to Frank’s Barber Shop if you’re looking for a guy’s haircut. For the others, take it to the salon.

If you are a man and need a basic (read: short) haircut, this place will probably suffice. He charges $ 12, and that includes a straight razor line up of your sideburns. I must say, my sideburns have never looked better. Haircut was what you’d expect for $ 12. Do not expect great amenities and fancy shampoos for sale here. It is what it is.
I might be back after I try a few other places, because most of the places in my neighborhood charge upward of $ 20 + tip for a mens cut and that is just ridiculous especially with such a basic short cut like mine. The barbers don’t really make small talk at all either during the haircut as they are native spanish speakers; that tidbit, in my opinion, is the best part about this place.

I recently moved to the city and had a hard time finding a place to get a haircut for under $ 20. Frank’s satisfied that need. Frank, himself, not only gave me a $ 12 haircut, but he also put more thought and care into a haircut than any other barber I’ve been to.
I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, old dudes playing dominoes in the corner, the quiet ambiance of la telenovelas humming through an old TV. I also enjoyed getting my edges done with a straight-​edge razor, a treatment I’ve always wanted, but never had the knowhow to find it.
I gotta say though, Frank asked me how I wanted my hair cut, but he interrupted me before I could finish. «Ok ok ok ok,» he said, even though I had only begun explaining that I wanted a little off the top and sides. The result was a haircut that wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but not the worst I’ve received. Also, he didn’t clean my neck or give me any lotion after using the razor, which led to some pretty awful razor burn.
Although my hair cut wasn’t the best I’ve had, and the razor burn was possibly the worst I’ve had, I don’t think I could ask more from a $ 12 hair cut. I enjoyed the company at Frank’s, and I’ll probably go back because I’m not going to pay more than $ 15 for a hair cut.

Frank has been cutting my hair since i was 3 I’m 27 now. I don’t go to any other place. He is the best!

Frank is a great guy who puts a lot of effort into cutting a head of hair. A bargain at $ 12. A great neighborhood place.

I’ve been going to Frank’s ever since my girlfriend drove past his shop. It’s a quick little jaunt from home and they do an excellent job for a reasonable amount of money. It’s one of the better barbers in the city for sure and there never seems to be a huge wait. I’ve only once had to wait — and that was 10 minutes.