COTTER BARBER — Local services in New York

I’ve been going to Cotter for years, and have always got great cuts; until today. Despite raising their prices to $50 from the $40 and then $45 that I used to pay, I’ve returned to Cotter for the atmosphere and consistency in styling. I showed up for my 1 pm appointment today with the first available barber, my usual choice. I met Sal, a strapping 33 year old Sicilian descended man from Long Island (all of which I learned from him during my extremely LONG session). He got off to a good start, but due to his extreme conversational skills, I left almost an hour later after much gesticulating and stop/start story-telling-cutting with an expensive hair cut that failed to meet both my expectations and my instruction. For the first time I had to ask my partner to touch up my “do” at home in order to avoid appearing unkempt in public. I will recommend visiting Cotter and also checking out their new location on Graham, but unless you are only in it for frenetic conversation and are not very invested in your cut, I’d probably pass on a session with Sal. 5 stars because all past cuts have been stellar, and I’m looking forward to my next great cut at Cotter with...

Stopped by this morning, met Mike, and was treated to good old fashioned hospitality and a couple shots of really high quality espresso. The gesture of talking coffee and getting sent home with complimentary coffee really made an impression on me. Came back later today after work for a haircut. Robert did the honors and I was very pleased by the quality of the cut. His attention to detail and gentle touch stood out to me. The owner made a kind gesture to invite me to the holiday party, which I might just accept. The haircut was excellent. Expensive, but the overall experience was very welcoming and made me feel like the good neighbor that I am. In summary, nice things cost money. While I’m not crazy about the amount paid, (55 plus tip) I really do feel that I received a premium quality service backed by truly genuine intentions. I left feeling better physically, mentally, and emotionally. It felt like treat to myself. Nice job team! I might drag haircuts an extra week in the future to keep costs more manageable, but overall I look forward to returning and...

Fantastic service at a very reasonable price: visiting from out of town and needed an unruly beard lined up and trimmed, called from a block away and was able to be seated in a chair no more than 10 minutes later. The shop is beautifully put together and immaculately kept, the staff was friendly and approachable, especially Robert, who quickly cleaned up my mess of a midwestern beard before offering an additional face mask treatment. I'm hear to tell you, for an extremely modest upcharge it was a fantastically relaxing and luxurious experience! Had the staff not been so swift I think I would have checked out the lovely coffee shop accompanying their shop, but I did avail myself of their impressive selection of grooming creams and tools to add a high-quality comb to my dopp kit. Highly recommend the spot, and especially the services of Robert, in whose hands I was very well cared for today. Thanks...