Jeffrey D.
Yelp
Time to reintroduce myself to Yelp since it's been ages since I've shared a review on this site, but I've found some solace with a great place: welcome to Fellow Barber, in the West Village (I'll call it Fellow from here on out). This Fellow location is located at the edge of West Village, and the Meatpacking District, and it's nestled atop a 3 story apartment red building. The business, in one shape or another, has *always* been a barber shop for around (since the 1960s), and I can recall Fellow has been here since around late 2013 under this business name, so it's on its way to being a decade old at this point from my perspective. Inside the shop, there's 6 wooden chairs to sit & wait on inc. a bench, and 8 barber chairs for the at most 8 hair stylists that can be on duty. The right side has a display shelf of select products that can be purchased, and in addition to a shampoo sink in the rear left corner, looks like a standard shop. The left corner has the front desk where you check in (if you've booked in advance) or can walk in and request a haircut, and when your finished with your service (or want to buy something), pay there. Behind that, there's the price wall for services, with 3 columns depending on who's your barber of the day (helpful if you're a first timer). There's also Venmo QR codes that has the name/photo of your barber if you want to tip them cashless, you can pay for your service with either a credit card, cash, or Fellow Gift Card (for services, not online products). You can tip cash too!
There's three ranks of barbers here: Junior Barbers (beginners/trainees), Fellow Barber (regulars, those with a few years experience), and Senior Barber (experienced hair stylists with years of experience, good marks, high praise). Pricing can differ depending on the barber you choose or if one's readily available for walk-ins and of course the service and expertise/rank they have. Some barbers can't do certain services, like a straight razor shave or a Benjamin Button Facial, so there's occasions only ~3 barbers out of 20 posted can do that if you want. For instance a regular haircut service (haircut + shampoo + hot towel) starts at 55$, but it can be as high as 75$ with certain (experienced) barbers. My go-to haircut for instance is a Haircut with Flake No More Scalp Facial (shampoo/conditioner/facial + haircut + hot towel), it would start at 80$, but expended barbers can do it for 121$. For me, I've only had experience with two barbers: Tenisha F., and Beth G., so I'll base this review's premise on both of those two female hair stylists & what they've done for me. I would recommend, even for first timers, to book in advance online because if you walk in and you're paired off with someone, the initial shock could be a lot if you have a service out of your budget. With some expectations, you too might like your time here! Also, if you've booked ahead, try not to be late or no show if you didn't cancel as you'll be charged (with the credit/debit card on file)! There's a 12 hour window where if you cancel (or reschedule) within that, there's a 50% charge of your service, and if you either cancel/reschedule within 12 hours, or don't show up at all, its a full charge for your haircut you didn't receive. Of course, it's your responsibility, but when in doubt, cancel in an appropriate time if you can't make it. There's a 10 minute grace period when checking in prior to your scheduled service, so make sure to come promptly, as tardiness also affects the next person in line too.
Although I don't have any photos of my haircuts with Beth yet, I did share one photo of my haircut with Tenisha I had from summer 2022, it was great, and she did a fantastic job taking care of my hair & full beard trim at the time. A bit regrettable that my schedule doesn't line up with Tenisha's and I'd prefer this location than SoHo, but I'm in good hands with Beth. All I can say with the 7 visits & 6 months I've known her so far, very little to say in the realm of disappointments and high praise all around. As for Beth, I can concur with others: she's amazing, worth the time to chat for an hour and have nearly immaculate haircuts, and as with others who work here, personifies the diverse culture of Fellow. Hopefully there'll come a time and place when I can have a photo of my service from her in the future!
Also to mention, Fellow does run a "pay what you can" program that's been running since November 2020, the program is really helpful for beginners/Junior Barbers: give them business and experience, and with that, you can pay what you want (40$ base cost for a Classic Haircut): can be something like 100$, can be less to the haircut, your choice. I do take care of the people giving me a haircut even if they're not Junior Barbers, but I'm glad this is available for people who don't have the means to pay for a haircut, or help Junior Barbers eventually graduate to a Fellow.