"Manly man's" barbershop opens up in South Lake Tahoe

The barbershop is making a comeback, something the clients at Beau's Barbershop in South Lake Tahoe are happy about.

"Barbering is a lost art," said Beau Baker, the shop's owner. "But, barbers are making a comeback."

"I just got the best haircut of my life from a new barber in town," said South Tahoe High Athletic Director Tony Sunzeri. "It's an old school barbershop with new school flavor."

For the past few decades, men had to visit beauty salons to get a cut, but Beau Baker has created a place where men can get a straight-edge shave and a hair cut while shooting the breeze with other men. The trend for "manly barbershops" is moving across the country, from New York to Los Angeles.

"It's always been my goal to open a barber shop," said Baker as he relaxed between clients. "My dad took me to barbershops where there were all men. They talked about what they wanted."

Baker worked at another local barber shop before setting out on his own. Beau's Barber Shop opened the first week of December, three months ahead of when he originally planned.

"My clients from the old shop were calling me, and they kept asking me when I was opening my shop," said Baker. "So I opened."

Baker's mother owns four beauty salons in the Bay Area, so he's been around the hair cutting business most of his life.

"I've been cutting hair since I was 15," said Baker. "I used to cut my friend's hair along with the baseball team and the basketball team."

Baker's childhood friend is moving to South Lake Tahoe in March to help him at the shop because of the high demand.

"I want to get a bigger shop some day, with a pool table so guys can hang out, shoot the breeze and get a haircut and shave," said Baker.

He serves complimentary drinks to his clients, who can enjoy the cozy feel of a man cave complete with two large screen televisions.

"I've known Beau for years," said Heavenly employee Ryan Werick who was in for a beard trim when I visited Beau in his shop this week. "He has the tools for the job and does a beard trim and straight razor really well."

Werick is having his whole head and beard shaved for the upcoming St. Baldrick's cancer fundraiser, but needed to be trimmed up in the meantime.

A recent Yelp reviewer had this to say about Beau: 'This is a manly man;s barbershop harkening back to days of old. Beau is doing a great job cutting many of my friends hair as well."

Baker said he does get some women in the shop, those who like their hair cut very short, but most of his clientele are men.

Baker and his wife Ashley have lived in South Lake Tahoe three years ago. They have three daughters, ages 10, 4, 11 months with another child due August 9. He and Ashley aren't sure if the new addition will be a boy or a girl, yet. His grandfather Robert "Bob" Baker is a long time local and still lives in the home he bought on the south shore 60 years ago. They will all be celebrating the elder Baker's 90th birthday in February when they rent a suite at Golden Gate Fields and enjoy a day of horse racing.

At some point in the near future Baker said he'd like to open a barber college in the area to train the next generation of barbers.

Beau's Barbershop is located in the Pine Cone Plaza at 2494 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Unit C-2 in South Lake Tahoe. The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.