I followed my barber, Kent here. Kent has been my barber for a long time and I've gone out of my way to follow him to multiple locations as he progressed from a employee at Tullio to his current location as a freelance contractor at Rain Hair Studio. This in and of itself is testament to how good Kent is.
Rain Hair Studio is a nice location across from Taft Furniture and can be found here:
1955 Central Ave, Albany, NY 12205
Phone: (518) 608-0075
They have plenty of parking around back, a disabled friendly ramp for their entrance and observe all covid protocols from gloves, masks, and limited capacity to shower curtain dividers and temperature checks at the door.
Below is a review I am bringing over from my review of Kent when he was at Creative Edge with some minor updates.
Kent is a good barber who does a really good job. He has a good bedside manner. He is always conversational but also able to respect when you want some peace and quiet and to just get a cut.
Kent is a consummate professional who has been perfecting his craft for decades. He takes pride in what he does. This isn't, "just a job" for him it is who he is. He keeps a journal of all his customers where he records their names, preferences, scalp geography (like a birthmark behind my right ear that would bleed like crazy if he hit it with a razor/scratched it by accident). He makes the effort to remember his customers and goes above and beyond.
When my wife passed away a couple years ago, he attended the funeral, and donated a bouquet. He regularly asks me how I am doing when I visit.
In terms of what sets Kent apart as a barber that keeps me coming back, in addition to the above, it is the little things. While he is quick and efficient, he also takes his time, pays attention to detail, and does not rush his work. He lathers and shaves the back of my neck, powders it with fresh talc, trims my eyebrows and makes sure that my sideburns are even. He finishes with gel and after shave and shows you the back of your head in a mirror to ensure you are happy with his fade/work which I always am.
He even makes good, tasteful product recommendations. I've been using Nioxin for thinning hair for years and am pretty sure it is why I still have it! (*knock on wood). It has a nice minty mentholated feel on the scalp, and comes in a numbered system (2 for thinning, 3 for thinning and color safe etc) and he recommended a great Korean restaurant (Namu) which led to a yelp! Review by me later.
At the end of the day, I think that people don't leave salons they leave hair dressers/barbers. They also follow them when they are worth it. Kent is worth it.
As long as I have hair (hopefully forever!) and Kent is a barber within reasonable driving distance, I will be a return customer. I recommend you ask for him when you go to Rain Hair Studio or wherever he lands in the future.
Kent has a website built by one of his many loyal and appreciative customers and I recommend using it to book appointments:
www.kenthairstudio.com
The address of the salon:
1955 Central Ave, Albany, NY 12205
Phone: (518) 608-0075
He is also on facebook. read more