Royal Clippers Barbershop — Local services in Hanover Park

Today Googled the barbershops around me, and because of the good reviews and some of the detailed comments, i walked in for a beard clean up, i was greeted and was asked to sit on the first chair on the other side of the dividing wall, i actually began to be skeptic, looking at this gentlemans dirty station, it looked like it had one or two hair cuts before me, yet i waited for another two min till he finished txting, which was no big deal, but i will mention it since some of the reviews did say that the staff takes pride in their work. After stating how i wanted my beard, i was clear on the clean up, and shape of the work needed, and also asked the guy to make me come back, as it was my first time there and wanted a good job done on my beard to make me return in the future. Once finished, one side was rounded and the other side was square at the top of my cheeks , i asked for the front of my chin to be Bushy, or almost intact, and it was fine to reduce it on the sides toward the ears, when he was done it looked like he had gave me a pass with the clippers at a 45°angle at the bottom of my chin, completely chopping off what i wanted almost untouched, he took the cape off and showed me with a mirror what he had done,, i told him it was fine, i didnt want anything else done or to get worse, i asked him how much it was, he said 15, i had a 20, and he asked me if i wanted change, till this day i havent had anyone who cut my hair or trim my beard asked me if i wanted MY change back as if entitled to a tip, even so i still gave him a 3 dlr tip, I am giving this place three stars because i cant blame everyone at the shop for one staff member. Apart from the good reviews, i looked for a place like this because my barber who is also an artist is out of town, and i prob should have asked for chevy as well, since the reviews mention him as having pride for what i want to believe is his art, not work. I want to think that this visit was just a fluke, and maybe sometime i can change my 3...

EDIT: About three years ago, I gave my initial 5-star review of this shop giving nothing but endless praise for the raw talent this place provides. A lot has happened since then—including but not limited to a global pandemic—but I am proud to say that absolutely nothing can stop these guys from killing the barbershop game. In fact, I'd argue the adversity has only toughened them up. New barbers, new digs, and just pure perfection of their craft. Time and time again, Royal Clippers prove themselves to be artists. Every time I enter the shop, it feels like I'm coming home. They did raise the prices for their services some, and sure it is a bit steep, but as I said in my initial review, haircuts are absolutely a "you get what you pay for" kind of deal, and the quality these folks provide is so high that I am more than willing to shell out the big bucks for it. (SIDE NOTE: As always, cash is king at this establishment. Sometimes you might not have any on you as I did when I last dropped by about a week and a half ago, but as I learned then if you operate with a bank that uses Zelle, you can just pay through that and avoid the credit card fees altogether. It's also purely contactless which is just an extra bonus these days.) I said it three years ago, and I will say it again. This is, by far, the best barbershop I have ever been to and quite possibly the best shop in this entire corner of Illinois. They go above and beyond in all aspects of their work, and they have far more than earned my highest recommendation and a repeat client for life.

UPDATE 2022-10-16: I don't even remember how long it's been since my last edit. This place is still fantastic. Just wanted to say that. Rest in power to Kevin—or as I've always known him: Chevy. Genuinely the greatest barber I've ever met. May he continue giving out the sickest...

Very disappointed with the service I didn’t even receive. I was in class and informed him I might be a couple minutes late being respectful to his time and Eddies response was your appt is at 1 if you can’t make it let’s reschedule. I rushed from class to get to my haircut and messaged him at 1:03 telling him I couldn’t find the shop, recieved NO response from him and finally found the shop at 1:07 walked in there and they told me they could not give me a haircut because he had already left. One of the barbers asked another barber who was lackadaisically laying in a chair if he could do it and he said “no, I don’t have time.” While I was messaging Eddie I sensed a feeling of his unprofessionalism already. I am very disappointed considering I am going on a vacation tomorrow and fhis haircut was very important to me. I DO NOT recommend simply because of there service and professionalism, although their haircuts were nice through pictures....