An unapologetically male barbershop
Don’t be surprised by the rows of meticulously arranged grooming products and accouterments when you walk into one of Aidan Gill’s two barbershops in New Orleans, which are, to quote owner Gill, “unapologetically male.” In the 1960s, Dublin native Gill noticed the steady disappearance of barbershops in favor of coed salons and became determined to save the centuries-old trade. He opened his first barbershop in New Orleans in 1990 and is the unequivocal leader of the barbershop resurgence.
His Magazine Street store is a testament to his passion. All of the chairs are vintage Koken or Koch. His mirrors, cabinets, display cases, and bars all have a story (and a purpose). In the back room (the inner sanctum), customers enjoy Gill’s signature 30- to 40-minute “Shave at the End of the Galaxy” while sipping some whiskey (or Guinness on tap—your choice), flipping through Playboys, admiring Gill’s collection of cut-throat razors, all the while being treated to seven steaming towels pulled one by one through the course of a shave from a vintage 1910 steaming machine (no fears, it was retrofitted for electricity).
Info
Address 2026 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, +1 504.587.9090, www.aidangillformen.com | Hours Mon–Wed and Fri–Sat 10am–6pm, Thu 10am–7pm, Sun noon–6pm| Tip Ladies, why not pamper yourself while your man is at Aidan Gill? Stroll a couple doors down to Trashy Diva (2048 Magazine St), a local high-end vintage-inspired clothing boutique (and line), which has a cultlike following.
Gill purchases vintage barbershop memorabilia at auction to display in his shop, saving it from being used as a conversation piece in someone’s bathroom. You will also find high-quality items for sale handpicked by Gill himself: tubs of shaving cream, shaving brushes, cowhide razor strops, aftershave, and Gill’s own equipment line. What you won’t find at Aidan Gill is a female companion hovering by her male, dictating a haircut. Gill has a strict no-female policy and will politely (but firmly) ask them to leave. If they don’t comply, the woman and the male customer are shown the door. Gill expertly blends tradition with technology in his shop, but what he doesn’t blend is the sexes. “Unisex is a dead word in here,” Gill states, true to form, very unapologetically.
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