Even with the inflation of 2025 this place manages to keep prices low but fades high. I came in after work and was helped by Angel. The staff and students were all courteous and welcoming. A very relaxed vibe with was what I needed after a long day in the office. I was in and out in less than an hour with a fresh cut. Remember, don't forget to tip and add change into the parking meters to avoid a hefty ticket. Thank me later. Be back soon read more

So for all of you that need a haircut or fade and possibly a shave, this is your place to go. Your helping out people that are working on there craft as a barber hair stylist to get the time in for license. Was very happy with the attention to detail and a perfect haircut. Remember its a cash only place and please tip your barber GVH read more

Gave this place a go because of the convenience from my work. Easy to get a cut as a lot of students need to learn, so, that being said you gotta understand it's a school and not a full blown shop. I got lucky with being assigned a student Barber named Chance and he's great- professional, not distracted and kind. He's cut my hair twice and he's been great read more

Terrible haircut- run from this place. The haircut was atrocious and butchered, and uneven and patchy.The management and staff are unprofessional, unfriendly and feels like your in a detention center to put it nicely. read more

If you're not going to Ray Camitan, you're honestly missing out. Dude is precise, consistent, and gets you right every single time. Your fade will be crisp, your lineup clean, and you'll walk out feeling like a different person. read more

I couldn't believe that a barber would do such meticulous work on my hair especially since I was supposed to be seen on the other side of the shop (The woman's cosmopology side) seeing "Gigi" who was sick that day. It was also shocking to only be charged $7.00 for the style because it's a learning college; it was easy to leave a generous tip to Han's that day. read more

Associated Barber College - Here is Hans who has great sissor hands! - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Great place to get a haircut. The students are professional and do a good job. They might take a little longer because they are still learning but the student who cut my sons hair did a fantastic job. read more

Haircuts are good, but hours are inconsistent. Yelp says they close at 4:30, the door says 6:30, and Apple Maps says 8:30. Good service but the service can only be great if it's available. read more

Associated Barber College - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Accommodation was horrible. Everyone wanted to act like they were top barbers bragging about how much they charge outside even though they still don't have License lol. These guys are the female version of salon sassy cat fighters. Especially the instructor who had a concussion cauliflower. Never go back read more

Got to shout out to the "instructors".. all the evidence shows that they're totally failing at their job. It seems like there's a lot the students clearly are not being guided well. On my last visit the instructor faded one side of my head while explaining it too quickly for the student to comprehend. Then the instructor left and the student fumbled trying to fade the other side for 45 minutes which looks nothing like the side the instructor had done. The instructor said it looks great and just bounced. The student said "you get what you pay for" but seriously this should have been free. Ahhaha read more

Great school- great prices . Thank you Nik. She did a great job instructing and ensuring I left looking good

Made an appointment ahead of time via online portal. Came in today for my haircut only to find out the shop has been closed due to Covid. What's the point of my entering my email and phone number when a courtesy call wasn't even made? Waste of my afternoon. read more

Stopped by for a haircut. The guy who had been cutting my hair graduated. I got a new barber named Joshua a young native e San Diegan. Nice guy, very personable and he gave me a great cut. Very happy with the results. read more

UNPROFESSIONAL & HORRIBLE service. They got irritated when they were asked to cut the bottom half. Because the top was hair implants.Over a misunderstanding. Because the student didn't understand what exactly he wanted done. The student wouldn't even finish the job. Leaving a half done hair cut. Instead of fixing the problem we were told to leave and were given our money back. The instructor also took the student's side!!!!. Hate to pull the race card but there may have been irritation over a language barrier. The request wasn't difficult at all. This is NOT a fade read more

Associated Barber College - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Thanks to the awesome haircut Joshua I will be coming back in a month to get the same great cut! The sky is the limit when It comes to your barber skills and the patience you have as a elite barber! Thanks homie!; read more

Associated Barber College - Joshua did an great job with my haircut and I would not even think about going to another barber in San Diego who can match his skills - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Been going here for years. Ryan hooked me up with a very professional cut, trimmed up the beard and is a totally cool dude. Also love the vibe of the shop all kinds of folks there and many Vets. If you love America and want to pay $5 for a $40 haircut this the spot. read more

Associated Barber College - Sick cut - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Daniel Luevano is the man! Thanks for the fresh cut! Everyone there helps eachother out, super cheap cuts, nice clean place read more

Really awesome haircut! Ask for Nick, she's really detail oriented. You can tell she genuinely loves what she's doing. The extra cool thing - is if you ask she'll do the old fashioned straight blade to square up the back of the neck. I left feeling squeaky clean! read more

So, the thing to always remember here is that this is a college. There isn't a lot of technique or expertise being used its just people who need to accumulate hours of cutting hair in order to get their certificates, so keep all that in mind if you go there. The haircut will most likely not be great and also it will take 30 min longer then it should, but if you only have 5$ and need a haircut this is a place you can go ... read more

Before you read the bad ratings on here, let me offer you some advice: This is a barber COLLEGE, not a barber SHOP. You want some seasoned professional of 20 years to cut your hair? Go pay for that exact thing somewhere else. With that in mind: I cut my own hair a lot so I tend to only need a haircut every three months or so when things get too out of hand on the top. Every single time I've gone in, it's been a new person who has never done my hair and they've almost always done it perfectly. I've gotten bad haircuts, I've gotten dinged on the neck from clippers once. Despite the few inconveniences almost every single time I've come out of that place I've looked fresh as hell. I would highly recommend this to young professionals trying to come up. read more

Don't be on a schedule or in a hurry when you come here for services. Waited 30 minutes in the lobby for a shave with nobody in front of me. Haven't even had my shave yet and I'm scared about how it will turn out. Save your money and go to a legit barber shop; cheap prices equals cheap service. read more

You get what you pay for. And at $5 for a haircut, what could I have expected? Only the worst haircut I've ever had since I did one myself. The place is dirty, especially the restroom. The whole place needs a deep cleaning and new paint, floors, and ceilings. The students are basically unsupervised. Although there is a sign saying that students will be supervised by licensed professionals, at no time during my cut did any instructor or other supervisor take a look. However, several other students stood around and made comments about the job. There was one time when an instructor moved some students into a different room, and warned them about the dress code (which was pretty loose, from what I could see). It was not a busy time, around 9 AM. Many students with nothing to do talked with each other loudly, complaining about the management of the school, and using four-letter words constantly while customers were in the place. The few female students were demeaned by many of the males, but usually out of earshot. But I heard them. Very unprofessional and rude. Spend the extra few dollars and go to a place you trust. read more

As a guy with a pretty simple haircut, spending a lot on a haircut every month isn't the most appealing idea. I got into barber schools for haircuts on a whim up in the bay area. I really like the concept . The students get experience out of you for being a guinea pig. I will say that even though they're . Apparently in order to get their haircut license. they do class, then mannequins and the final step is hours and hours of work on real people. I've been a hand full of times with a very specific and they've done it right every time. I get a simple trim and fade. I've had the luck of having kids who seem to be pretty advance in their training- there was no doubts or hesitation and it was no different then a standard barber. If you find someone you like you can request them in the future. There are instructors walking around watching but I actually haven't ever really seen them intervene on a cut. These guys get the job done. Its only $5, you really won't find anything cheaper. I've asked people to do a head to head with my haircuts and nobody can tell the difference between students vs. standard barber. The kids are interesting and fun to talk to. The atmosphere , despite it being a school as others have mentioned, is casual (expect to hear lots of college talk). A deals a deal, I'll keep going until my hair gets botched. If you have a simple cut as a guy , I'd recommend this an alternative . If you care about your'e hair, its up to you if a school cut is worth the risk. Don't come here if your'e pressed for time. They take their time and most haircuts have taken upward of an hour Downtown SD, parking is street. read more

I have been going to school for many years since it's conveniently next to my work. Most of the staff is great like Papi and Marla. My barber Evan has been one of the best barbers I had in years and is great at what he does. Listens to his customers and give them a great cut. read more

I've been getting my haircut here for months and it's my favorite place to get a haircut. Only downside is that you'll likely get someone new every time you visit. But, that's also a plus because it makes for new conversation. If the barber/student feels unsure of what to do he/she will ask for assistance from one of the instructors. It's really cool to see them learn on the spot read more

Always a pleasure to work with the students at Associated Barber College. Props to Sergio for hooking me up with a high and tight hard part blocked and lined up cut. #HappyClient read more

Took my son here to get a quick cut. "El Chingon" did his cut and cut it the way that I had requested. He checked with me periodically to see if everything looked ok and took his time. Will definitely be returning. read more

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Really good skinfade. You can tell these people are about their craft. I will be coming back often. Thanks for the love

Got a haircut from howie today. 10/10 would recommend, this guy was personable, quick, and gave a killer hair cut!!

I've been getting my haircut here ever since I moved downtown, and so far I haven't got a bad haircut. In fact I've gotten better haircuts here, for MUCH less, than at Supercuts. It's only $4 for a haircut. They also offer shaves for a really low price. There is always a good amount of students cutting hair so I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes, if that. Being that it's a barber college, you might have other students at times observe you while you get your hair cut, so if this bothers you, you might not want to go here. They're open Mon - Sat, from 8:30am-4:30pm. Good haircut, for a great price. read more

Based on the great experience I had last time, I decided to go back today. I also wanted to get the name of the barber that cut my hair last time, so i could include it in this update. NICK, cut my hair again today and did the same, if not better, excellent job! He is friendly, attentive, efficient, and he remains professional at all times. He doesn't waste time chatting with other colleagues and doesn't use inappropriate language. That means a lot to me! This place is definitely worth a try! And, it helps these student barbers complete their required hours to become certified! read more

Students here really do a great job -- spend 30-45 minutes getting your haircut perfect. Straight blade shave is a fantastic experience - hot towels, soap, shave cream and an excellent close shave, and after shave lotion at the end. $4 for the haircut, $5 for the shave Plus, while the facility is rundown, the atmosphere is not unlike the movie "Barber Shop" - students who are not working just hanging out and shootin' the shit with their friends. Sit back for the haircut and take it all in. Parking's a little tough since it is downtown, but usually a couple blocks away there's metered parking available. And as another reviewer said, be sure to tip the student generously. They work hard to please and have very long days and often second jobs. read more

I've hit this place up while vacationing and it's extremely convenient. Within walking distance to hotels downtown it's great to be able to walk to a barber shop. It so happened I was due for a haircut and I had walked past it a few times. Being someone who likes to keep his hair short I swung by to get touched up. I was told it was around 5 bucks since they were students. 5 bucks!?! Sign me up! I told them that was cool and I was immediately sat. My haircut is real simple and the barber was efficient. We made casual conversation and you could tell he was still learning but he wasn't all wide-eyed either. The haircut was perfect to my liking and I'll definitely hit them up again when I'm in town. read more

I've been going to the Associated Barber College for over a year now. I wouldn't go anywhere else, period. It's a nice group of people learning a very useful skill, and they take great pride in trying to do the best they can as trainees. And they usually do a very good job as rookies. I've been very lucky over the last six months to find one of their best students, Steve W., aka Tall Steve. He's a very interesting and nice young guy who happens to be meticulous in cutting hair and the art of shaving. Not too long ago, I decided to see what the facial massage and head massage was all about. Now, I go every week for a haircut, straight-blade face shave, facial, and head massage. Not only am I "coifed" weekly, I leave the barber chair de-stressed in "la-la land". It's a very relaxing experience, and you can't beat the price. So you better be a generous tipper to make up for the discounted fees. Those students, and especially Steve W. deserve a generous tip. Unless of course you leave there with a "mohawk" cut when you asked for a trim, or your face is full of kleenex blotting all of the shaving nicks. I'm joking of course, that's never going to happen; well......let's hope not. read more

When in San Diego I stop by Associated Barber College for a straight razor shave . I have never been let down . I believe the instructors name was Leondro that helped the barber student . He was the coolest instructor . The lady instructor was easy on the eyes as well ! Overall a great experience :. read more

Associated Barber College - Straight Razor Shave ! - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice haircut with Zamora. Great service through the haircut and cut it just as how I wanted it. Would highly recommend going with him as I will go when I need another haircut as well. Loved it read more

Associated Barber College - Barbers Near Me - San Diego, California

Bad vibes and rude barbers would not at all recommend coming here worst customer service Keith was very rude and ugly

This place was awesome! The student I got took his time and did a better job than most shops would do. In fact, I'm definitely going back and requesting the same barber! If you're looking for a great cut, this is a great place to go. read more

Why five stars? Is it the best haircut place EVER!!!??? No. But, for what it is, it's very excellent. As the name of the place suggests, its where students learn and practice cutting hair. You can't beat the $4 admission fee, though. And, you tip what you feel to the barber. I went recently and got a great haircut from a person named Carlo. Very professional and friendly. Everyone there is. He did a great job. I recommend this place to regular guys who want a good cut for a reasonable price. Everyone there just shoots the breeze when not helping a customer and invites you into the conversation. read more

Very good service and amazing cuts !!! Edward B. Outstanding customer service and great hair cut. read more