One of my Yelp friends told me about, though didn't necessarily recommend, this barber shop as a…read morecheaper option than the one I had been eyeing. As long as I've been on Yelp, I've always found it difficult to choose barbers on Yelp to the point where I experience analysis paralysis when confronted with many a choice.
The first barber, which I had been to before, now charges $20 for a men's haircut, but this place charges $15, though I didn't find out until I actually got there. I tried calling at first, but nobody picked up, and the automated voice messaging system informed me they had not set up a mailbox for voicemail. I tried calling again a minute later, but it went straight to that same automated voice messaging system telling me the exact same thing.
I was already planning to pick up coffee not too far from the area, so I figured I'd give this place a try if I was already heading in that direction.
Sina Hair Design is located on the north side of Anaheim St between Orizaba and Gladys. There's a small lot just to the west of the barber shop that can hold about 15 cars tops, but be forewarned that lot is pretty narrow. So narrow that I almost feared I'd bump into another car, either while driving between the stalls or by backing my car out of one. If this is enough to deter you from parking there, another plausible alternative would be to park at Orizaba Park just a few hundred feet north as there's a long parking lot on the south side of that park.
When I came in, I didn't see a menu that showed prices, but one of the stylists greeted me shortly after entry. I asked her how much a men's haircut would cost, and she said $15. The language barrier almost made me think she said five-oh instead of one-five, so I asked for clarification, though she joked that for me, it'd be five-oh. She was friendly otherwise, but not sure what to make of that first impression.
A male barber then came from the back to serve me. I told him what I usually get from other barber shops, and he got my drift. And off he went to cut my hair.
There are four chairs on either side of the front door for customers waiting, but one of the customers was actually sitting at one of the barber chairs, waiting for his turn. He must be a regular at the shop because when it was his turn, he recommended I get a "line" for my cut, which I wasn't really sure what it meant, but the stylist who originally greeted me showed me by pointing to a photo on a sign in the near corner. I went for it, thinking I wouldn't really have anything to lose at this point.
The male stylist that cut my hair was a bit slower than what I'm used to. I spent a total of 30 minutes in the shop, about 10 minutes longer than if I had gone to the first barber shop on my mind. I thought he did a fine job at cutting my hair, but I do remember that when he used a brush on my face, I caught a glimpse of the bristles and didn't feel *that* comfortable knowing the brush had to have been used on other customers' faces.
When it came time to pay, I noticed I only had a $20 bill, a $5 bill, and a few $1 bills. I really should have asked for change beforehand at a different business because after handing him my $20 bill, I asked if there was change, but he said no albeit in a nice way. I had no other choice but to let him keep the $5 as tip; I just deduct an additional star in my rating in exchange for such incredulously unsensible logic of not having change despite being a cash only shop.
The customer who suggested I get a "line" for my haircut bragged about how he was banned from a nearby place because he got in a fight. He also mentioned something about fake IDs. That might be a tell of Sina's clientele, and yes, I meant to rhyme here. Luckily, he behaved just fine during my visit.
Hard to say when's the next time I'll be back. It's a little farther and in a part of town I don't go to or even pass by very often. If I happen to be nearby, and I have exact change, I'd definitely be open to a return visit; otherwise, I'll stick to the one closer to me or continue on with my search.
