Finding a Black Barber in Manhattan

It’s 1 pm, and I just got my haircut in Manhattan while on my lunch break. Yes, I was able to get my haircut by a barber who actually knows how to cut my hair in the city.

Finding a good barber is already difficult, and finding one in Manhattan is even harder. When I lived in Atlanta, I would go to my barber during my lunch break at work. Same day. Same time. Every week. It was easy, I had a schedule, and it worked for me. When I moved to New York, I thought that I could easily do the same. I’m right here in midtown where the majority of people worked.

Although, people live in different boroughs, Manhattan is typically the place where people work. I just knew finding a barber around my office would be easy. So I looked at my Apple maps and typed in “barbershop”. Just like that … dozens of barbershops popped up. So I started checking them out and I didn’t see any that had any men of color barbers. I was skeptical. I have only gone to barbers who were African American or Hispanic. But you know it’s 2019, no discrimination from me. I was in a rush and really needed a cut. So I go to a barber who looked younger than the other barbers and sat in the chair. The first red flag was I didn’t see a brush on his table. The second flag, he picked up scissors in the beginning of the cut. Third and final flag, I asked for a ceasar and ended up having to pull out a photo as an example.

From that day, I have gotten my haircut maybe five times in Manhattan over the course of four years, which is very inconvenient. Having to go to Harlem or Brooklyn to get a haircut is too much especially when you have to travel by train.

Finally, there’s a barbershop in the city that I can go to during lunch that’s not only located in Rockefeller Center in the middle of midtown but it’s a luxury barbershop! Their services include the normal shop essentials like haircuts and fades but they also provide luxury wet shaves, beard styling, men’s coloring and more!

Pall Mall Barber 2

Editor-in-Chief of The Quintessential Gentleman Eric K. Thomas

So if you’re a busy man like me and want to get a haircut in Manhattan, check out Pall Mall barbershop. Tell em, The Quintessential Gentleman sent you!