Men looking for a break from the average barbershop experience may be able to find the solution downtown.
Just 4 Him Men’s Haircut Lounge, one location in a chain of 15, opened July 5 at 2320 University Boulevard where the Matt Jones Gallery was previously located.
Co-owner Deke Brown said he and his brother Jake opened a Just 4 Him Haircut Lounge in Auburn nearly two years ago after their friends opened one in Louisiana.
“It kind of fell into our lap at a point in time that we were looking at other business options and decided that we were tired of working for other people,” Brown said. “[We] decided that we would like to give something a try on our own and see if it would work out.”
A year later, the brothers realized the haircut lounge could work in Tuscaloosa. With previous owners looking to move out, the brothers were able to slide right in, he said.
“It couldn’t have worked out better,” Brown said. “We wanted to be in the downtown area, close to campus. They’re doing a lot of reconstruction downtown and actually fixing it up nice.”
Brown said though opening the haircut lounge has not been as difficult as some might have thought, it has not been easy, either.
“If it was easy, everybody would do it,” Brown said. “And if we hadn’t had the people that are in the area that have helped us, there’s no way we would have ever accomplished this.”
Brown said Just 4 Him is different from the barbershop he went to while growing up in Selma, but he still wants to incorporate some things reminiscent of that time.
“Where I grew up, in the old school barbershop I went to, this old man cut your hair,” Brown said. “He’d cut it in the same way, he talked about the same thing every time you were in there.”
Haircuts at Just 4 Him include a complimentary beverage, and each cutting station has its own flat screen TV.
Besides cuts, they also offer steam facials, coloring, head and face shaves, brow waxing and a sports manicure/pedicure.
“Here you have licensed, trained cosmetologists that are actually doing a good job when they cut your hair,” Brown said. “This isn’t a chop shop.”
Jessica Thornhill, manager and stylist, said Just 4 Him is something new, fresh and different for customers, and the environment is very laid back.
She said her husband, Wynn, and her son, Grant, frequent Just 4 Him.
“They like the fact that they can watch whatever they want to on TV. My son likes to watch SpongeBob,” Thornhill said.
Steven Sanders, a freshman at Shelton State, said he decided to get his hair cut at Just 4 Him for the first time after driving past the shop days before.
“It’s got a lot different atmosphere – a lot different than normal barbershops,” Sanders said. “It’s more of a college kid haircut place other than your normal barbershops for old people.”
Sanders said he enjoyed the services he received during his visit.
“The shampoo was really nice,” Sanders said. “They put this steamed towel over my face. It was relaxing.”
Brown said Tuscaloosa’s Just 4 Him features a different décor from most barbershops, including those with the same name.
While other Just 4 Him Haircut Lounges are centered on a sports theme, the Tuscaloosa location is furnished with more rustic decorations centered upon the legacy of family and friends.
When surveying the crimson walls, customers see deer heads, big fish and black and white photos of family and friends.
Brown crafted the lamps from deer antlers and tables from cypress trunks and knees. Even the shelf that holds the hair care products was crafted from the original shutters of the Brown’s grandmother’s antebellum home.
“It’s more of a hunting lounge, so it’s new,” Thornhill said. “Customers can just come, sit around, have a drink while they’re waiting to get their hair cut and relax a little bit.”
