Custom Barber Shop

I found this place about six months ago and am really impressed. I’ve been to all three barbers and they do a great job! As of last week, a regular haircut was $ 16.

Great haircut and very friendly staff. I was in town visiting, but you could tell they had their regular customers. A bit more sweeping and cleaning would help the place look less shabby, but it has that old school, no-​nonsense barbershop feel. Can’t beat the price.

Best barber in Cambridge!

I found this gem about a year ago through a friend. I have yet to find a better place. I’ve lived around the country and I have never had such consistent cuts. My go to is Abraham (sorry about the spelling pal) but they are all professional. They take their time and really give quality cuts. I want to move. But I would have to come back every couple months for a cut. So for now I’ll stay in Boston. Thanks guys.

Old fashion barber style, young barbers keeping the tradition. Awesome old barber chairs, bad paneling, and old magazines. Just how I remover growing up. Barbers are fun and did a great job. All for $ 16! Can’t beat it. I was trance long from out of town and did my have time to get a hair cut. Glad I listened to Unilocal

Typical barber shop… very busy on Saturday. A little disappointed theat there was no neck shave. Outside of that it was good.

Nick, the owner, is my favorite barber in this shop, but I’ve had my hair cut by at least four others here and all did an excellent job.

$ 15 and I have never had someone put so much effort into cutting my hair. This will be my barber shop in Harvard Square from now on.

I get my hair cut their every 6 – 8 weeks. They always do a great job. And there’s usually an entertaining conversation to go along with the hair cut. Custom Barber Shop is a social institution, not just a barber shop. Don’t know what I’ll do if they ever close.

My dad got his hair cut here for years. I got my hair cut here for years until I moved to the West coast. Now my son requests to have his hair cut here when we are in town on vacation.
It is not fancy, and the cast of characters has changed and changed again over the years. But it is exactly what you want in a barber shop.

I’ve been here about a dozen times, and they do a fine job. Recently, however, I’ve felt that one of their barbers was a little rough when he was cutting my hair – enough that I decided to check out some other options around Harvard Square. At $ 15 for a regular cut, though, it’s a better deal than most places in the area.

Went to get a cut this week for the first time in 3 months.
My hair was reaching the point of awkwardness, where it’s a medium-​longish length that doesn’t quite know whether it should go long or be buzzed off entirely.
I sat down in Jon’s chair.
He is great, took his time and made sure no stray hairs were there. See my review on Super Cuts for more detail on that pet peeve of mine.
Very thorough job, complied with my requests and was entirely focused the whole time. I am not a fan when a barber will take a phone call or get into an engaging conversation mid cut and have to take a break. Focus please. And Jon was.
In the end I received the best haircut I’ve had in Boston after searching for a barber in Harvard Square for almost 2 years.
I guess that’s what I get for not using Unilocal sooner.
Count me as a satisfied customer. I also liked the community feeling to the place– the other barber’s were chatting with customers and seemed like there were authentic relationships, always a good thing.
I will be back.

So I was getting a haircut last week and one of the barbers heard that Shaq was over at the pit, the Harvard Square red line stop. So like he said I’ll be right back I’m going to go see Shaq. Then another guy disappeared, presumably to check out Shaq. So I was glad the guy cutting my hair didn’t leave in the middle of my haircut. They really love the sports here… Funny.

Walked in on a Monday morning. No one in sight, except the barber who at that point seemed to be indulging in his private copy of ’95 WWF wrestling matches. It was my first time here, so I figured maybe it’ll be good. No one is in a hurry. I was the only one there anyway.
This is where the trouble started. I sat down and told him that I wanted to keep the same haircut and that it needed to be trimmed a bit. He suggested trimming it back about ½″ and I nodded in approval. At this point the barber did not even bother to look at my hair and just started cutting. In about 10 minutes I was done, without enough time to check what had been done in the back (as he took the mirror away while I still had hair in my face) or having the barber comb my hair so that I can exit the shop looking proper (at least).
Word of advice. If your hair is longer than 2″ at any point or you prefer someone who actually cares about what they do, just look for another shop.

Very good. I’ve been coming here for about 4 years now and I’ve been everywhere else in Harvard Square, none compare. The haircuts are great, the conversation is smart and the prices are reasonable. They keep it simple and appreciate their customers. I have directed co-​workers here and they all agree, Custom Barber Shop is a winner.

I moved to Cambridge about six months ago and have had my hair cut here 4 times. I’ve had several of the barbers. All gave a great haircut (despite somewhat difficult curly hair) and were very friendly to talk to. You can’t beat it for $ 14 anywhere.

I used to live around the corner from this place, so it became my default place to get a haircut, since in addition to being close, they were always efficient, friendly, cheap, and competent. I moved to Brookline a couple years back, but after trying a couple other local places, I still regularly make the trip over to Harvard Square to get my hair cut here. Great little local spot, I really hope they don’t get pushed out of Harvard Square for something glitzier, more expensive, and less useful!

Sometime in the middle of the 20^th century:
«Hello? Barbers’ Emporium? I’ll take one of the Complete Barbershop Starter Kits, with paneling style #1. What you only have one style? Perfect.»
Really, every true barber (you know, the ones with the stripey pole) I’ve been to has the same hue of tasteless wood paneling and the same drab color palette for every other accoutrement. Custom Barber Shop doesn’t stray from the herd, and that’s probably a good thing.
They’re no nonsense, and will give you exactly what you want. I went in there on my lunch break, asked for a simple buzz trim, and they obliged. My hair deserved much more, and they probably could have done a gorgeous cut with scissors, but I asked for the buzzer, and they didn’t try to talk me out of it.
$ 13 for a basic cut (I suppose that could get you most of the way to dinner at Fire & Ice, but a visit there would be, how to you say, more transient), and the location is super-​convenient for those out and about in the Square.

After moving to Boston, I was in search for my next neighborhood barber. So when I got a very well cut hair last month at Kendall Barber for $ 17. For whatever reason that went through my head, I decided to try somewhere cheaper and have someone else experiment on my head.
Passing my Algiers, I saw this little barber shop next to Colonial Drugs. As soon as I wanted in, I felt like I should have ran away faster than I came in. The shop looks quite old, but without the classic feel.
My barber asked me what I would like and I said to take off about ½ inch in the top and use a #4 clipper for the sides and back. This question was asked next, «so you want to take off ½ inch or just leave ½ inch?» Are you kidding me!!! I said ½ inch off as quickly as possible and as soon as that happened, the clippers started going around my head like a lawnmower with a broken safety. I «liked» how he strayed my hair down with water from what seemed like a yard away. By the end, I was feeling my hair to see if there’s still any left. It didn’t look too bad, but I don’t think the quality can be consistent.
What was the lesson of the day? If you value your hair to not be gone or look like a toilet seat, it’s worth spending more for a quality cut!

Yes. This is what a man’s barber shop is supposed to be like. Everything done up in crappy Formica, infused with the smell of talcum powder and the blue antiseptic stuff in the tube with the combs in it. I’m from NJ, where I grew up getting my hair cut by guys named Vinny and Sonny and Tino, and the customers waiting their turn were either cops or mobsters– similar feel, different clientele. $ 13 for a standard cut, try to get the younger Spanish-​looking guy because I think he’s a bit obsessive compulsive and will therefore spend at least half an hour making sure every hair is the right length. They’re a little overzealous with trimming the sideburns, so warn them or else you’ll see your temple bared in half a second, and be magically transported to when you were 8. Or in prison.