Licursi’s Barber and Styling Shop

Affordable price, Jack is awesome, single razor, no wait, good location, and solid history in San Jose.

Jack Licursi is an excellent barber. He is able to manifest his ideas of how one’s hair is supposed to look like and executes his image with great accuracy.
He’s prudent and old fashioned and get the job done well. Jack even goes the extra mile by giving his customers a straight edge shave around the ears for a super clean look I haven’t seen anywhere else.
I’m quite happy with my previous two haircuts and I may become a regular. That being said, he is a tad stubborn when it comes to changing up the style after he’s started.
Just have a good idea of what kind of style you’d like and make sure Jack knows what you want before your cut and he’ll take care of you.

Today was my second time going to Lucursi’s Barbershop.
We’ll start with the positives:
— Jack is a cool guy to talk to
— Shop is within range to SJSU
— Price for a cut is very reasonable ($ 12).
Now with the negatives:
— Jack isn’t very consistent with haircuts. The first time he cut my hair, it was perfect. He put some good effort into making sure I came back for another haircut.
This time around, I showed him a photo of how I wanted my hair to be cut. I wanted a basic clean side and neck taper. Unfortunately he cut too much off the sides and actually took some off the top, which I’ve been trying to grow out for a while.
— With that being said, he cuts based on his own liking. Despite showing him an image, he proceeds to cutting my hair based on what he is comfortable with. He doesn’t really pay attention to what his clients request for.
After the haircut, I wasn’t very pleased. He tries finding excuses to cover up the fact that I wasn’t happy with the cut, stating that the gentleman’s hair in the image was slicked back when it was actually combed over to the side.
I then ask him to make some touch-​ups, by blending the top portion where he cut a good amount off. He responds by telling me that my hair is «tempered» and that it he shouldn’t cut more off of it. I understand that he knows what he is talking about, but if it doesn’t look good, he should put some effort into fixing it.
— This time visiting the shop, he cut my hair extremely fast. I was in the chair for probably a maximum of 10 minutes. I got back to my place and noticed some red marks behind my ear and actually got a small cut from his straight razor outline.
— The first time I went to the shop, I disregarded the fact that the shop wasn’t very clean. Second time around, it was still the same. Coffee bottles sitting around and some other unnecessary clutter.
I definitely won’t be coming back to the shop after this experience.

Jack, the barber, is a genuine craftsman. He has been cutting hair for decades. His father and grandfather were barbers at the same location that he practices his craft today.
Today was the first time I have been to Lecursi. It’s a small place on Santa Clara St between 9^th and 10^th. I first asked Jack if he knows how to do a fade. He said, «Yes. I’m a professional!» I’m not sure if I insulted him by asking the question but I thought it best to make sure. I learned that the hard way, when dealing with a new barber. Anyway, Jack proceeded to do his thing. We had a nice, invigorating conversation during the haircut. Fifteen or 20 minutes later, I checked the haircut. I was pleasantly surprised! The cut was exactly what I wanted! By the way, he uses a straight razor to clean the edges. I love the straight razor. I’ll definitely return to get a haircut from Jack!!!‘
My one criticism is that the business hours that are posted is NOT correct!!! Unilocal and the sign outside of the door shows business hours starting at 10 am. I arrived at this location at 10:10 and it was closed! I asked Jack what time he opens and he said «11 or 11:30». It is best to call the shop before coming in.

This guy is amazing.
Everything I want in a barber shop except for one thing … no Italian opera playing in the background.
The pictures of old San Jose on the wall. The old tonsorial tools in the glass cases (for sale presumably). Best of all, stories of San Jose.
Go there for a haircut, come out with an experience.

My usual place was closed so I turned to Unilocal to find where I could get a haircut. I saw the high ratings for Licursi’s and decided to drop by. I walked in, and asked for a high and tight. The barber didn’t ask how long or anything, just started cutting. I figure, okay, I just hope he knows what he’s doing. Well, he took a bunch off the top, didn’t zero the sides properly (no gradual fade) and left a pile of gel just sitting atop my head. It wasn’t til I got home that I now realize I need to get this fixed ASAP. Maybe a good place for non-​military cuts, but definitely not for fades and definitely not going back.

I just moved into the San Jose downtown area, my last shop was near an airforce base and I got used to sharp, military looking cuts. Since I moved here I have been trying to find a similar barber that can give a good professional looking cut.
Lucky for me, I found this shop which is the closest to my home.

Jack knows his trade — solid «old fashioned» cut for good price. Don’t expect a shampoo with scalp massage. Do expect an opportunity to chat with a cool SJ old timer. Those «historic pics» have been on the wall since Jack was a boy & his dad was running the shop — yup, the little boy in the pic is Jack himself, taken in front of the same shop many, many decades ago. Give him a good tip — he deserves it, and will be very appreciative.

I was going to try out Ken’s, but came to an empty shop that moved to Milpitas in June. So I turned to Unilocal,sent notice to update, and noticed another shop down the street.
Now this is a real hidden treasure. Jack really knows how to handle a guy’s hair and he definitely has his own unique techniques. I gave him an idea of what I’m looking for and it came out better than expected, especially with the last haircut timeline I gave him. This probably wouldn’t be the best place for things like a fauxhawk or anything really fancy (and why would a man want anything like that?).
The place is dressed up as an old barber shop that’s oozing with history, which I definitely need to talk to him more about San Jose’s past. And I intend to as I’ve found a new barber.

This guy is a gem. He didn’t even ask me how I wanted my hair to be cut. Once his question was answered about how long it had been since my last trip to the barber, he set to work and cut off two months of hair growth. The end result: he made my mop look good and it took only 15 minutes. Licursi’s is recommended if you’re a normal man who doesn’t need some kind of fancy-​ass haircut.

It is hard to find a good barber these days now that everything is a salon, but putting in the effort to find Licursi’s was worth it. Mr. Licursi is a third generation barber and you can tell. The haircut I got was exactly what I wanted. It was done incredibly fast. And I got all the barbershop fixings: talcum powder, antique chairs and a straight razor shave. The price was only $ 10. It would have been a crime not to tip generously.

Jack is awesome… he has been cutting hair for years and knows instinctively what I want before I can even explain… fast and efficient and you can’t beat the price!

Historic photos on the walls, reasonably priced, and nice. I wish I’d discovered Licursi’s a year ago. I just had my first haircut there and Mr. Licursi did an excellent job. He has one interesting rule: you can’t read while he’s cutting your hair, because the movement of the newspaper or magazine distracts him. Instead he keeps you engaged in conversation.