I have never really sought to have very stylish hair. I have straight, medium bodied, brown, white-guy hair with a mean cowlick at the part and a thinning double crown. As you can imagine, there isn't a whole lot you can do with a head of hair like that. \n\nI've been around. I've been to chains and colleges, old-timer barber shops with 30 year clients, and classy barber shops with the bourbon, mahogany and hot shaves. I've been to trendy, organic and alt chic salons. Through it all, I walk out with a typical guy cut -- longer on top with a fade on the sides. Sure, I'm open to suggestion as well as whimsey. And while it does change a bit in length and style,  its always pretty standard. The results of these grooming adventures have varied from \"holy shit, get the trimmer\" to \"hey there handsome, what's your name? *mirror wink*\" But never in all my years of hair-taming have I said, \"damn... this is the best haircut I've ever had.\" until going to Ro5.  \n\nNow then, my stylist Noah is a nice guy. He's professional. I'm treated like a valued customer. He massages my scalp during the wash, carries a good conversation,  invites me to come in for a free cleanup every couple weeks and offers me free Lola coffee. Those things are great, and appreciated, but not unexpected at a price point of $35 (though SMS or email appointment reminders would be nice!). While those things are not unique to Ro5, the reason that I have had multiple best haircuts here (yes, some men can achieve \"multiple best haircuts\") comes down to a few special ingredients.\n\n1.  Noah does not just give me a hair cut, he creates something unique to me that turns the various idiosyncrasies of my hair and scalp into strengths and features of the style. For example, he leaves the hair longer in the back to compensate for a steep decline toward my neck and blends it so that its not noticeable but still manages to improve the perception of my head shape. He uses the direction in which the hair grows in different areas to inform a more manageable style. My cowlick has been turned into a shelf that holds the style in place and traditional symmetry can be abandoned in order to balance the overall look with my face and head shape (no I do not look like the guy from the Goonies). \n\n2.  Great communication. If I come in with an idea of what I want, he won't just go for it, he will talk me through it.  Give me comments on what components of the concept will work with my hair and head.  He will show me different options and let me choose.  And if we have spent 30 or 40 minutes on one particular style and I or he isn't happy with it at the end, he will go back to the drawing board and send me home with something that works.  Sure, its expected that he respect when I feel like it is done and looks fine, but at the same time, he won't bullshit me if I ask for his opinion.  \n\n3.  It ages well. I'm not really sure if this is a result of #1 or something that he considers while he is cutting, but I've never had hair cuts that look so good while they are growing in before.  Traditional awkward phases and funky spots that I have come to expect are somehow circumnavigated and I'm able to keep a coiffure that looks styled with minimal effort throughout the 5 or 6 weeks I usually take to get back in there. \n\nI should probably say at this point that I do not work at or with Ro5 and I am not friends with anyone who works there, outside of the banter I have with Noah while I'm getting my hair cut. I only went in the first place on account of the close proximity to my home and the positive yelp reviews. I simply wanted to give credit where credit is due. \n\nAnd thus, I highly recommend Ro5. Try it out for a few sessions and see if it works for you.