Who knew. 50 yr old Barber Shop would have a connection to the babysitter of my wife?

Someone once told me you have to choose, you cant have everything (or I once heard in a Leona Lewis song Happy via Pandora as I write this) regardless I beg to differ. Here I was Tuesday May 4th I was in bad need of a cut. Like usual I was on Twitter via TweetDeck and I see this: “I'm at Ray's Barber Shop in Salt Lake City, UT” by dcharrison in the #slc column I have set up on TweetDeck. My thoughts instantly was this must be a prank, just someone who works at Rays Barber Shop mentioning their work to attract customer from all over the valley? No. Come to find out it is a long time customer of Rays I think I saw a recent tweet by dcharrison something like 15 years.

So what else to do once making my decision where to visit next, google where it is. After finding out that Rays is one of the target barber shops I have on a growing list of “Barber Shop hits” I remember I drove past this place near my home tucked away in Millcreek on 2100 East and about 1300 South. What a lucky thing for me because I had a business dinner that I had to attend later that night. So being close to my home I quickly ducked out from work being it was approved by my manager of course and visited this very special barber shop.

I must admit I had no appointment, I forgot my camera and pulling up quickly remembered both of these. Lucky for me the neon NO WAIT sign was lit and I had to rely on my handy dandy Iphone (better pictures of Rays bottom of post). Literally as soon as I got out the car my phone rang, my coworker from my other job seeing if I had time for a conference call regarding our dinner that night. What was I suppose to do say no? (he is married to the boss!) Truly. But then again we are all best friends. So I make the call connect all the parties letting them know I am about to get a hair cut at my next barber shop, they know all about my barber shop enthusiasm. I am doing the thing I hate the most being somewhere I am suppose to be off the phone and being on the phone. People inside Ray's must have thought I was weird walking back and forth finally opening the door to only see my phone stuck to my ear and walking back and fourth in their shop. Why am I mentioning this here? Because with being on a conference call there was times when I was not directly needing to listen you know when other parties are speaking with each other and your just kinda there. Well in these few moments I was able to get an outsiders listen and vibe judging on our Ray's Barber Shop. I can truly say this place is legit barber aura. There were people laughing hard not just those sympathy public laughs but like a friends would laugh with each other. There was a smell that only a classic barber shop can obtain. Finally! “Good bye I will see you all this evening.” Call was over.

Up next though I felt like a trespasser not quite new customer after all I was parading back and fourth in the entrance of the shop, and not as much a repeat customer. I was in the grey zone. I had no idea what I was suppose to do next. So I waited.....nothing. How can one barber shop veteran be so confused in a barber shop? Well I will tell you smarties. Its split in two!!! YES. Two different areas. Once you walk in to your right is a well decorated (barber shop lingo: older, vintage and well equipped) area and straight ahead is another. Different feel to them both. What happened next really clued me in, another patron came in and grabbed a number. Now I have written my name down on a sheet in plenty of barber shops, and played the game “uh he was here first”, but yet to pull a number. Thats why I was so confused it was not my norm but for them it is. Here is how its broken up. The area to your right when you walk in is VIP “appointments only” and the area straight ahead if common folk “walk ins” however after speaking with my barber Bonnie she informed me the “other side” will take walk ins if they are slow or have no appointments, and you can request an appointment with any barber even on the walk in side. Bonnie runs her Bonnie's Haircuts (check review found online by clicking Bonnie) out off Ray's she only does appointments on Mondays. Good to know, now!

After all this damn confusion caused by only me is figured out I walk back over the the walk in side and Bonnie my barber comes and greets me. Bonnie is her name. I was hesitant at first I did not admit that to her, but after finding out the “other side” is all appointments and the side I am on is walk ins makes me second guess not making a appointment. So I let Bonnie know I might take some pictures I am working on a blog that focuses on barber shops in SLC, she was cool with it and starts educating me about Ray's.

She said the shop has been around for some 50 years in SLC. It was owned by different people back when and she started working there a few years back. She was telling me how she just picked up a few hours before moving to Israel! Now I hardly meet people who move to Israel..wait that was my first. We started talking about why she went to Israel about all the history and everything. I was saying most people in UT who leave for a few years go on a LDS mission, and was curious if this might be why she went. She informed me that was not why she personally went. Oh okay. I starting telling her how I attend a non-domination christian church in Draper. No sooner had I said the name that Bonnie said she attended one in Salt Lake. At that moment I played to ol' to great game “do you know”. Well happens to be that the person I asked her if she knew married her sister! I was like really? That means she was THE BONNIE! NO I do not know any secrets about her BUT I do know she baby sat my wife when she was a teenage. My wife told me all about her. How cool she was and she had some pet birds or maybe someone in the family did when my lovely wife was just a young girl.

WOW now the barber I am getting to know is BONNIE. What a small world I thought. Makes for a great blog story also including telling her bro-in-law my good friend. Well it got smaller her husband is good friends with the people I was on the conference call with and we just laughed.

Now Ray's is owned by someone else, who has barbering in their blood. I have heard the owner's uncle owns 9 to 9 barber shop in Draper (the shop that got me wide-eyed over barber shops). Ray's shop is set up nicely. One unique thing they had at Ray's was a real shoe shine chair. Yes you can wear your shoes in and have them shined. Ray's has a wonderful story and history. I feel like I should not include all that story here now, because I can tell you OR you can find out for yourself by visting Ray's.

As the barber cuts your hair they position you toward 1 of the flat screens that had ESPN on. Nice touch! The cut was $13 but I saw a sign for straight razor shave and I have been getting request to refer people to places but I have not had any I would recommend. I said I would be back to try it and then if I liked it I would refer there. So if anyone knows of any barber shops that do a superb job with straight razor face shaves please let me know. BEST OF ALL they end their hair cuts the good ol' fashioned way! Classic shoulder massage! My hair looks professional and clean. Great job and very special barber shop experience for the barber shop connoisseur.

This is my story and I might stick by it. Hope you enjoyed. I would love to hear your barber shop experience and if you have received a face shave via straight razor from a professional where and who?

Found some professional pictures taken of inside of Ray's by Chris Detrick of the Salt Lake Tribune. Check them out. Click to view

True Professional

Wes the Barber

I put a vote on my blog: Who should I visit next? Wow I was not expecting so many people to come to the blog to vote for one specific barber. But they did. With all the votes being counted and re-counted I had a winner Wes the Barber.


The funny thing about it was the day I was calling to make an appointment a friend at work said “dude you have to check out my barber, he is legit.”

I was like “Neil you have a shag and girly hair why would I ever go to your barber?”

“Well all my friends get fades and he does the best one I have ever seen, he even cuts hair with a straight razor.” Said Neil the longhaired coworker

“Okay man I will at least look into him.” Then the longhaired fellow hands me a Wes the Barber card. I was like get out man this is who I was going to next. Already I was confident with my next SLC Barber Shop visit.

When I made the call to Wes the barber he only had appointment for a few days out. In my mind I thought, “okay this guy has plenty of customers that is good.” It is always weird when the barber is desperate like well I can get you in whenever I do not have any appointments. So once again I felt good about this SLC barber.



I set an appointment for 10 AM Saturday. That time rolls around and I am just walking in to The Hair People off of 152 South and 400 East right next to Crown Burger. Once I sat down it was a cozy comfortable waiting area, plenty of great magazines around. Old classic rock was playing over the shop.

Three little boys, I think they were brothers just got their haircuts before me. It was cute they were all matching and Wes asked them “so is today a matching day?” They were so happy he asked about that. They had little fades all lined up for Easter. They all ran over after the last one got of the chair and gave him high fives and thank you. They all liked their haircuts A LOT cause they said it multiple times.
I remember when I was young my dad would take my two brothers and I to get our haircuts for Easter on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. We felt so special like a million bucks afterward. Your little and you just think yeah I am cool after getting your haircut. You could tell this was how these little ones felt. Classic.

The layout of the shop is unique with each barber having a station with 5ft walls this makes it feels like you really are paid attention to. Wes’s station is really clean and well decorated. His great grandpa was a barber in Texas and he had tons of straight razors across the wall, a collection of his belongings that was framed, and multiple other barber items. One I my favorites was a special collection of aftershaves, lotions, and crèmes. Most of the time the barber uses his favorite, not Wes he uses his clients favorite and remembers if they don’t like a certain one or scent.



I asked for a low fade with short on top cause I like my hair messy spiky, if that is even a style? He went to work. AMAZING!! Truly I was very impressed with his talent. We talked about all short of things his great grandpa, stuff about my blog, barbering, our wives, etc etc etc. Something that you can only get from visting a barber. He is a genuine guy with some significant energy. I was asking about his website how it talked about a true “razor cut”. He taught me what is. This is where the barber takes a straight razor and comb and literally cuts the hair with it. He did my and it was awesome. He goes over the hair 3 or 4 different directions. Watching him perform his magic was very interesting. He is very good at what he does and very professional. If you have not been to Wes I recommend you go!! I am so pleased at the job he did and such a good guy. There at the shop they cut the mayors hair and the former mayor. What place can brag about that? Only at the Hair People. If not for the hair cut he is deep in the tradition of Barbering. I will be back to this place. This is yours truly SLC Barber signing out. Take care and may the shears be good to you!