The Parlor is the best barber shop in the Santa Cruz area. Solid hair artists, great vibes, and attitudes. Street Fighter 2 stand up arcade game on free play, and beverages while you wait/get cut/afterwards. Mick and Austin and both so talented and warm, feels like you're hanging out with old friends every cut. read more

Nice barbershop with a good vibe. I've had two haircuts done there and was happy with the results. Great attention to detail. I'm only giving it 3 stars due to the high cost ($40 + tip). The prices are comparable to many upscale barbers, but unfortunately a bit higher than I want to pay. read more

We were going to this place and taking our son. He is a socially awkward young adult. He is very cerebral but also somewhat socially awkward. The haircuts were good, my son was happy with them and that was rarely the case. I tried to always schedule with the same guy as my son liked the cuts. At one visit my son made a socially awkward statement about the type of haircut he wanted and this guy decided to blast him in front of the entire shop. He was laughing loudly and trying to get others to join in, nobody did and I think he may have got the hint. I was astonished and really upset but didn't say anything as I did not want to escalate things and upset my son. My son initially didn't say anything but the next time I mentioned a haircut and scheduling he made a statement about not wanting to go back and asked, did I notice... I let him know that I had. I get that my son made an awkward comment, I get that it may not have been something that the barber expected from someone that age but putting a client on blast, no matter the statement just shows the emotional immaturity of that barber. This was a little over a year ago but I am still upset as my son has had enough without adding to the burden. My son has a heart of gold and is so thoughtful and empathetic of others. I would rather my son be socially awkward and love the world than treat people as this barber did. I would say, if you want a good haircut they are fine. If you have a child with social anxiety or are a socially awkward adult be careful what you say. read more

Three years & on going client - Austin, owner & my go to barber at The Parlor is the best. Located in a Capitola shopping center with convenient, easy free parking. They have great prices for experienced, thorough barbers and most of all cuts with a lot of care. May not seem like a lot, but going to a barber for some guys is just another trim on the top or just another buzz but for more of us men's hair is really important, Austin & his team gets it. Austin has been through a lot of my different hair eras, but he always knows what works best for me. It's always refreshing to be with a barber who gives honest feedback when you ask for guidance on either small adjustments to changing up your cut completely & is not afraid to say "I think we should go for this instead, it would work great for you", if you ask for input. I always leave the chair feeling refreshed and more handsome than when I came in. If you come to Santa Cruz or live locally, highly recommend this place for a solid cut, it's a comfortable space with awesome barbers. You can book appointments easily on their website, they're pretty popular so make sure you book ahead of time. It's worth it. read more

Cody was such a homie. Good convo, clean environment, and a great haircut. Can't recommend this shop enough. This was my first trim here, but I know it won't be my last. Thanks dudes read more

Think twice before you become a customer of The Parlor Capitola Barbershop. I'm generally not picky about haircuts, but I received a very poor cut from Mickey, seemingly due to his inexperience. I was patient with him, politely asking for an adjustment before he finished, but returning home I saw it was indeed a very poor haircut. I sent a respectful email to owner Austin, asking for a fix, then received a reply that he'd refund the cost of the cut, that I wasn't a good fit for his shop, and to not come back. Wow! A day later I visited another barber who commented about numerous issues with my cut (it looks great now). Given their inexperienced barbers and surly owner who doesn't take care of his customers, I'd suggest steering clear! read more

Followed Austin to his own shop after experiencing his hair-craft at another location. He's always given me my best cuts and his staff also makes my son happy with each cut. The Parlor has a great vibe, has great staff and gives consistently great service. Highly recommend them! read more

Jake is an awesome barber and this is a Great barber shop! friendly barbers and good cuts also can't beat the vibe definitely recommend!

couldn't be happier with my experience at this shop and with the barber cody! from the moment you walk in, cody makes you feel welcome with his friendly attitude and great conversation. he's detail-oriented, listens to exactly what your goals are, and even takes into consideration how your cut will grow out with time to keep it looking great. his talent with the scissors and razor makes my hair the perfect texture and shape every time. the shop itself is clean, has great decor and overall good vibes. if you're looking for a top-notch cut in a laid back atmosphere, i highly recommend parlor! will be coming back and booking with cody as long as i'm in the area :) read more

My husband is a fan of Austin. He met him at another barbershop and was excited to hear he was going to open his own shop. The Parlor is awesome. Austin did an amazing job getting the place up and running so quickly. Everything looks great. Definitely check this place out and treat yourself to a nice haircut. read more

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I have been taking my sons to the parlor for haircuts for several years now. It's generally been a positive experience. Until this time. We booked a haircut because my son was taking a trip for his spring break and wanted to look fresh. He's leaving Monday, and the appointment was for Friday. The appointment gets canceled last minute, because the barber is sick. This is absolutely understandable and these things happen. I am asked to go online and rebook. I do so. I make the appointment now for Saturday afternoon. Waking up Saturday morning to a notification that yet again, the appointment has been canceled. It's hard to get a hold of somebody, because they prefer you to do everything online. But obviously, that doesn't work very well now does it? So I finally get a hold of someone who tells me that the system seems to have booked me with the same dude who is still out sick. And that there's literally nothing they can do about it. There's no adjustment they can make, no one willing to stay 30 minutes late to squeeze in one extra haircut. I've been coming here for years with my kids. To have the appointment canceled once, is not a big deal. I understand things happen and I reschedule the appointment no problem. But to have it happen a second time the following day, and have the business take zero responsibility for their mistake? I run several small businesses myself. A small business is responsible for itself and should be better at taking responsibility for its mistakes. There were so many possible solutions that could've been suggested, but all I got was an "oops I'm sorry. Oh well." The unfortunate conclusion is that I would never book with this business again. read more

I'm new to the area and came in with my son for a couple of haircuts from Austin. So glad I did! My son has hair halfway between wavy and curly, and many barbers/stylist have a difficult time with it, ending in a horrible haircut for my boy. No such worries with Austin! He did an outstanding job and both our haircuts came out looking amazing. Austin himself seems like a really great guy. The "obligatory" small talk with some barbers can feel forced and awkward at times, but again, not so with Austin. With him it felt more like a genuine, enjoyable chat with a friendly neighbor and it made the time fly in a most pleasant fashion. The place itself is really nice too. Great décor, complementary drinks, and cool and comfortable retro chairs that make you feel a bit decadent just for sitting in them! It's a place you wouldn't mind hanging out in even if you didn't need a haircut. This is my new barber shop and I will be bringing my whole family here for as long as I have hair on my head. I strongly recommend you do the same! read more

I just got my hair cut by Austin. The haircuts good and the shop decor looks really cool. Unrelated to haircuts but he makes good lunch recommendations too. read more

I'm not a fan of this establishment. I visited in fall 2022 and I hope they've made some changes since then. The first thing that bothered me was being offered alcohol as soon as I sat in the chair. While I've been to other barbershops with waters, soda, sparkling water, etc, alcohol seemed inappropriate since many customers, including myself, drove to the shop. Moreover, the barber, CJ, didn't ask for ID to verify my age, he simply took my word for it. The haircut itself was quite disappointing. I went in with a specific style in mind, but CJ insisted on cutting it differently, claiming it would be better for my hair type. He even tried to sell me some layrite products that I knew didn't work for my hair type. Unfortunately, I had to remove a significant amount of hair when I got back to my hometown barber, which was quite inconvenient as I had to regrow it to get back to what I wanted. I suspect that my hair type, being different from the typical fine and thin hair, may have contributed to the difficulty CJ had in cutting it properly. I would have preferred him to be honest if he couldn't handle my hair instead of ruining it. Overall, I do not recommend this place. Edit: I wanted to add that the customer before me had fine, thin hair and seemed to be pleased with their haircut. Again, perhaps my experience is because of the unfamiliarity the barber had with my hair type. read more

Don't listen to the haters, this place is awesome and the barbers are extremely skilled and friendly. the place has a cool vibe and I look forward to my haircut every time! read more

2 Thumbs up for this Classic yet contemporary Barber Shop. Owner (Austin) has knocked it out of the park here with the classic style chairs, sleek decor and of course the complimentary bevvie Austin does great work, and while tasked with small talk per the profession, he is genuine and kind. read more

Mickey is extremely inappropriate with teenagers or young men. Never let him cut your kids hair or communicate with them! He knows only one hair style anyway.... read more

Great cut. Barber shops are many in number but few check all the boxes of a comfortable atmosphere and a great cut.

Worst customer service ever. Went in asked for a haircut with no one in the store not a single Soul waiting. was told he was booked up for the day. Never asked if I want to make an appointment. maybe because he was judging by the way that I looked. I will never go there again truly disappointed in people for not treating me with respect read more

I've been getting my hair cut by Austin since he started at another barbershop. He does an excellent job and I highly recommend him. His new shop is really nice and has a classy atmosphere along with the old school barbershop feel. I highly recommend him. read more

I moved to Capitola last year and have been coming here ever since. Make an appointment, show up on time, enjoy your beverage and conversation, tip your barber, and leave looking good. It's that simple. read more

I've gone to two different barbers here and they both have given top quality haircuts and beard trims!!!!! Keep up the great work guys!!!!!!!!!! read more

Austin was a fantastic barber. He didn't talk my ear off and drag out the appointment, he collaborated with me on what he thought would be a best cut. Best haircut I ever got and he did better than what I had imagined. Couldn't recommend highly enough. Great conversation, chill dude, fantastic haircut. Definitely going back. read more

Austin is very knowledgeable and I went with what he recommended and the wife loved it. Very easy to talk to and very friendly. I will definitely be coming back and referring to friends. Also the environment is great! read more

Way better and cheaper than waves and fades. You want a good haircut on the east side go to these guys. Waves and fades is great but too pricey for me. These guys I followed over from there and still do an amazing job and have a sweet spot. read more

Travis is the man. I so appreciate his accessibility and craft. I think a lot of us have travelled the globe in search of the right crafts person/artist to curate the perfect hair and don't know what to ask for or who to defer to in times of sheer (ooopp!) confusion and oftentimes disappointment. I saw this place had just opened and a coworker mentioned he had made an appointment that same week. Having been dissatisfied with my last 4 attempts to find the right person I gave it a shot. Not only did Travis ease my woes by qualifying my overall barber searching experiences, but he fixed me into a lifer in under 15 min in his chair. He's humble as hell, kind, skilled, and most of all LISTENS to what you want and delivers! Trust me you've got to try him. Fair prices too! If you're dissatisfied or don't feel like it worked out, you'll be glad you tried. Trust me, I'm a seasoned head (style) hunter! Also get on the books or don't bother. The secrets already out and walk-ins rarely get their chance. read more

It was my first time their and was not disappointed. Austin was great and got me right. Highly recommend!