Imperial Barber Shop
46 1/2 Sparks Street
(613) 232-0222
www.imperialbarbershop.com
It's been awhile since my last entry, but I have a good excuse this month. On May 3 our first child, Grey, was born. It's been a bit hectic ever since. However, as I was to be off work for several weeks I thought I'd try out Imperial Barber Shop at their original location on Slater Street. I had meant to try them out for months but they are open only Monday to Friday, which isn't normally convenient for me. So I thought this would be my only chance: sneak out while mom and baby are both asleep (risky as one or both could wake up at any moment).
As I had limited time, I decided to call ahead to make an appointment. A woman answered and took down my information, entering it into a computer. I have to say that that's a first for me. The other barbershops I've been to are pretty bare bone operations. In fact, Imperial is the only one that has a website. So if you want to learn about its history, etc, check out the link above.
WHAT TO EXPECT: My appointment was at 10 a.m. and I arrived pretty much on the nose. Inside, the place is very clean. The decore is retro" -- old-looking clock, old fashioned lettering, old looking wood, and it is pretty much the same as the Imperial on Slater Street.
There are three barber's chairs at this location. There were no clients at that moment. There was one barber waiting and she asked if I was the 10 o'clock appointment. I said "yes" and she directed me to her chair. On the wall was a certificate that indicated that my barber had passed an Imperial Barbering course in April 2009.
There was also an "a la carte" shaving menu on the wall. You can opt for a variety of shaving experiences from a 15 minute "daily shave" for $20 or even go for the "Imperial Shave" for $65. That one takes a good hour. In all cases, we're talking a traditional shave using a straight razor. That's something many barbers in town have stopped offering. Given I hadn't shaved in over a week, I decided to indulge in the "daily shave."
THE CUT: My barber wasn't too talkative. It didn't help that I was pretty sleep deprived. So it was a pretty quiet experience. I asked for a nice, short "summer cut" and that's exactly what I got. She then reclined the chair and proceeded with the shave. I started imaging the roaring 20s. Wasn't there a gangster in Chicago who was offed in a barber's chair while getting a shave? Well, nothing that exciting happened to me. It was, as advertised, over and done with in 15 minutes.
After she was done, my barber brought me a hot towel. I paid up and off I went.
COST: $22 (plus tip) for the cut and $20 for the shave. I wrote in a previous review that this is on the steep end for barbers. I have to say that Imperial may be technically a barber shop but, compared to the others out there, it really seems to be in between a barber shop and a salon. They've taken a lot of trouble to create a common experience for customers so I guess you get what you pay for. However, since I started this project I've grown fond of slumming it. Call me cheap!
THE RESULT: I went to brunch with a buddy who had also recently become a dad and he thought the cut looked pretty good. My wife thought it was pretty short but the next week she said it had grown into one of the best cuts I've had so far.
Ummm, so do women, you twit. It wouldn't be so bad if the difference in prices wasn't almost $10. 
I go to the Vimy Barbershop instead. :nod:
