Dapper Jay’s Barber Shop and Hot Shaves

La Mesa, United States

4.1

Open now

20 reviews

Does not accept credit cards
By Appointment Only

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 619-460-5297
Address:
8886 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa, CA, 91942
La Mesa
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.7 miGrossmont Transit Center
0.9 miAmaya Dr
1 miLa Mesa Boulevard
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
No
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
By Appointment Only
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Open now
Local time (La Mesa) 18:32 Friday, 20 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We specialize in traditional men’s haircuts and straight razor shaves. From fades to flattops, pompadours to contours and more.

History

Established in 2009.

Dapper Jay’s was born from the mind of Jayme Hooker. Along with his wife and good friends. Jayme built the shop from the ground up. After Jayme passed away in 2011, his widow took over ownership, maintaining his vision of a traditional barber shop. This is the real McCoy.

«The place has an old-​school vibe, especially with each barber standing in place behind the four chairs. Their looks are different flavors…, but the vintage vibe reigns.»

— From the San Diego Reader cover article, Retro Rumble

Meet the Business Owner

Briel H.

Business Owner

Jayme Hooker’s widow owns and operates the business to maintain his original vision and keep his legacy alive.

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Briel H. says,

«We had our opening party here. Ever since we continue to enjoy this bar and restaurant on our down time. Stiff drinks and beautiful girls here!»

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20 reviews of Dapper Jay’s Barber Shop and Hot Shaves

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Kevin gives me a perfect cut as always. great price for quality of cut. will never leave! PERIOD. beer and movies usually… i mean really, what else do you want?
Place rating: 1
La Mesa, CA
Worst attitude and service I have ever received from a baber shop. I call around 12pm and make an appointment for 3:30 and specifically ask «is it ok that I have really long hair» and the dude says «yeah sure» so I rush to be there on time. When I sit down in the chair the «gentlemen» starts giggling and saying «yeah I can’t do this its ladies stuff why don’t you try the local beauty salon» to me, embarrassing me in a room full of meatheads for no reason whatsoever. What a horrible business environment and I will never be returning. If you feel like getting bullied in a dark room this is your spot!
Place rating: 5
Pomona, CA
I finally found a place that cuts my hair and makes it look good. I’ve been to several barber shops in SD and have been disappointed in all. I never really walked away loving my hair cut… Until I went to Dapper Jays.
The staff is awesome. Steven is my dude. He cuts great haute and is always really consistent. I highly recommend this place!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’ve been coming to Dapper Jay’s since it first opened. Hundreds of haircuts later and friendships formed i figured I’d write a review.
I’ve had a couple different barbers in the years I’ve been here, but have never had a bad cut.
This place is top notch! Keep it up!!!
Place rating: 1
Fletcher Hills, San Diego, CA
I just went in to see if they would cut my sons hair. Two barbers were just sitting there on their phones. No one was in there. They told me no because my son wasn’t 5 and that they were booked for the day. I guess I could’ve called in advance but walking in they weren’t very friendly either. And it didnt look busy at all, As no one was in there and they weren’t doing anything. My son was very excited. And he just walked out very sad.
Place rating: 5
El Cajon, CA
Good guys and good barbers. The whole lot of them.
Place rating: 5
Abilene, TX
Hands down the best cut out I’ve gotten in a long time. The atmosphere is all about a mans barber shop. See you in 2 weeks Tommy.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Clean cut from my boy Chris. I’m leaving SD for a while, but dapper jays is definitely the spot I’d recommend if you wanted to get fixed up with a nice cut. Call in at least a day before, show up on time, enjoy some Kung fu movies (if Chris has them on) and there you go.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
It’s been about a year since I’ve been there but got about 5 – 8 haircuts from them. I stopped going for a few reasons: 1) The too cool attitude there gets really annoying. If you are cool, you don’t need to try so hard. It feels really cliquey. 2) They would routinely not be ready for my appointment time by a significant amount. Meanwhile, barbers other than the one you made an appointment with are on theire phones, going out for cigarette breaks. My time is important. 3) I cannot handle the straight razor neck trim. One guy sliced my mole and that totally freaked me out after that. Other times my neck was really irritated and would leave a rash/​burn/​red mark.
Usually, the cuts were pretty good but weren’t always what I wanted. The three annoyances above were enough to cause me to go somewhere else.
Place rating: 5
Imperial Beach, CA
Chris is an amazing barber with unparalleled talent. They’re hard to find in San Diego but he’s the real deal. I’ve already recommend a few friends to this barbershop and all were very impressed with the overall service.
Place rating: 1
El Cajon, CA
05−02−15
I make an appointment; 12:30
I arrive at 12:15
Four barbers working; two have customers. The other two do not.
They greet me and ask if I have an appointment. Yes for 12:30
I sit down and wait.
The two available barbers sit on their chairs playing on their phones.
12:36 Steven is done with his current customer and I am up
Steven cuts my hair; $ 20. $ 3 TIP– To Include Prompt Service. Hey not his fault the other two guys were busy on their phones.
Oh did I mention a dad and son walked in right after I sat down and they did not have appointments, but the two available barbers took them right away. So not sure why an appointment was necessary.
So I drive home and wash out my hair. The back of my neck is F on fire. So my daughter looks at it and says, «Does it hurt.» I’m like what? Take a picture let me see. Whatever clippers he used ate my neck. I have never had this happen before.
Sorry Dapper Jay’s you failed.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I would definitely recommend this barber shop. My boyfriend likes to come here and I can see why. The theme of the barber is like old school and badass with a hint of idgaf. The have complimentary beer and there is a tv playing music with old school music playing.
I learned from my boyfriend to solve all of the complaints about not getting what you wanted from your haircut it to be extremely specific. I feel like that’s self explanatory. But even as a woman going to my own salon, having pictures of what you want helps too.
Overall it seems like a great place to go to get your hair cut, just a bit on the pricier side.
Place rating: 5
Menifee, CA
These dudes know how to cut, all barbers are friendly in this establishment. I’ve been to multiple barber shops in the last year or so and these guys are skilled. Major props and dapper is just the right word.
–M. Zambrano
Place rating: 1
La Mesa, CA
They are like the «Dick’s Last Resort» of barber shops. You call in for an appointment and it is all about how busy they are or them doing you a favor by getting you in the next day at 1pm. I am not scheduling a doctor’s appointment or carpet cleaning… it is a haircut.
There are far too many barbers out there to have that attitude. I may give them another chance down the line… but not this week.
*** This is from a few years back… it was left in my inbox… but the same situation still exists haha ***
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My mom is a hair stylist so growing up I never had anyone touch my hair except my mom. When I moved to SD I needed to find a place to get my haircut, I tried a bunch of different places before I was referred here by a friend. Cash only and you must make a reservation. I get cut by Kevin and he is awesome, always remembers how I like my hair and does a 5 star job every time. If you want a quality haircut you better start coming here or you might as well invest in some hats.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Got the feel of good ol boys cutting your hair. Really awesome dudes that’ know their stuff and keep you laughing the entire time they’re cutting your hair. Very clean cuts for good prices. Seriously hilarious people. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
The service is always well above average, and I’ve never received a bad hair cut or shave! They aren’t just a classic shop either, and I’ve seen each of the barbers do current/​trendy haircuts, so I’d encourage anyone who’s looking to get away from the cosmetology hair cuts and looking for an actual barber to give these guys a shot! You won’t be disappointed!
Place rating: 5
Spring Valley, CA
Call and make an appointment NOW!
Every time I come here is a success. My hair looks so good, and I feel like a new man. I have been cut by almost everyone here and they all do a great job. It’s best If you know what you want, because they can’t read your mind. I always forget what I want but Nat remembers and does an amazing job.
It’s a good vibe, for example, I always feel welcome. Another example of the good vibe is: when I’m getting my haircut, my barber, as well as the other barbers greet people who walk in. These are genuinely friendly people who care about their work, and care about their clients. I am treated as a person and not a number.
I’m a huge bitch and if my first experience here was negative I would have never returned, but when they handed me a mirror and spun my chair around, I was in disbelief that that handsome man in the mirror was me. I didn’t know I could be so handsome.
Thank you Dapper Jay’s for helping me to realize and exceed my aesthetic potential. I have been non-​stop staring at myself in the mirror the last 24 hours.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’m still in awe of Kevin. I’ve been there twice now, coming down from North Park on the recommendation of a friend, and had an opportunity to watch him work on a gentleman who had the first appointment on a Sunday, the only day Kevin has the shop to himself. On the surface, he was merely performing weekly maintenance. But if you watch closely, you can see that Kevin is no barber. He’s a professional artist, attending to this man’s mostly shaved head, with the care and intensity of a Cirque de Soleil performance artist whose every move leaves you speechless.
At the end of the day, you’ll have to experience — and that’s what having your hair styled by Kevin is –for yourself. But so long as I have hair and Kevin is working, I see no reason to go anywhere else.
Place rating: 5
La Mesa, CA
I’ve come here several times already to get a haircut and hot towel shave. The barbers here are cool guys who know their business well. The hot towel shave is really worth it, and makes you feel great afterwards, definitely something to try every now and then.
They only do appointments and take cash only, remember to bring that cash.