I could write you a paragraph about passion and craftsmanship. You have read that paragraph on every barbershop website in Western New York, and it has never once told you whether you will walk out happy. So instead, here is what actually happens when you come to our Tonawanda shop at 578 Delaware St. — start to finish, prices included.
If you only read one section, read the one called “How to get in fast.” The rest is detail.
Who is behind the chair
Three barbers work the Tonawanda shop. Dorian Mayham is a master barber. Sam Balesteri and Zaid Blasiny are licensed New York State barbers. That last part is not a throwaway line. New York licenses barbers through the Department of State, and every person cutting hair in this shop holds that license. You can see all three, with their Instagram handles, on the Tonawanda location page, and the whole crew across both shops on our barbers page.
Pick one and stick with them. I will say this a few times in this post because it is the single biggest factor in whether your haircut is good in month three, not just day one. A barber who has cut you four times knows where your cowlick sits, how fast your sides grow out, and that you hate it when the top gets too short. A barber meeting you for the first time is guessing, however talented they are.
What is on the menu, and what it costs
The full list lives on our services page. The short version, as it stands today:
- Classic — from $25, about 30 minutes. A full-service haircut using clippers, scissors, edger and straight razor. This is what most people book.
- Classic & Beard — from $35, about 30 minutes. Everything in the Classic, plus full beard sculpting and line work.
- Hot Towel Shave — from $25, about 30 minutes. Pre-shave oil, hot lather, hot towels and aftercare.
- Edge Up — from $12, 10 to 15 minutes. Edging and a neck shave. The between-cuts clean-up. More on that in our edge up explainer.
- House Calls — from $225. The chair comes to you: home, office or hotel, anywhere in Western New York.
The “from” matters. Each barber sets their own rate, and when you book online you see that barber’s price before you confirm. Nobody is going to spring a number on you at the register.
One thing the Tonawanda shop does not do is waxing. Brow, ear and nose waxing is offered at our Williamsville shop only. If that is part of your routine, the Williamsville waxing guide covers it.
How a Classic actually goes
People ask what “full-service” means, so here it is in order.
The talk
Before anything touches your head, your barber asks what you want and, more usefully, what went wrong last time. Bring a photo if you have one. If you do not, describe how you want it to look in three weeks, not today. That one sentence tells a barber more than any style name.
Clippers and scissors
Sides and back are usually clipper work — a taper, a fade, or a plain even length, depending on what you asked for. The top is usually scissors, because scissors leave a softer, more natural edge on longer hair. Plenty of cuts mix both the whole way through.
Edger and straight razor
This is the part that separates a barbershop cut from a quick clip. The edger sets a clean outline around the ears and along the neck, and the straight razor finishes it so the line actually stays sharp for more than a day. If you have only ever had a clipper-only cut, the difference is obvious the first time.
The check
You get the mirror. Look at the back, not just the front. If something is off, say so then. Fixing it while you are still in the chair takes thirty seconds. Fixing it next week takes another appointment.
How to describe the cut you want
Most bad haircuts are not bad cutting. They are bad briefing. Here is how to give a barber everything they need in about thirty seconds:
- Say how short on the sides. If you know a clipper guard number, use it. If you do not, say “short enough to see skin at the bottom” or “short but no skin.” Both are perfectly clear.
- Say what you do with the top. Do you push it back, part it, leave it messy, or not touch it at all? The answer changes how it should be cut.
- Say what annoys you. Sticks up at the crown? Ears get covered fast? Neckline grows in uneven? That is gold for a barber.
- Say how long until your next cut. Three weeks and six weeks are two different haircuts.
If you want words for the sides, our fade explainer was written for parents but works for anyone: low, mid and high fades, and how each grows out.
How often to come back
The honest answer depends on how short you keep it. Very short fades lose their shape fastest — many people with skin fades come back every two to three weeks. A classic taper with some length on top usually looks fine for four to five weeks. Longer, scissor-heavy cuts can stretch further.
If you want to stretch a short cut without paying for a full one, the Edge Up is built for exactly that: ten to fifteen minutes, from $12, and the outline looks new again. Plenty of our regulars alternate: full cut, edge up, full cut.
The worst schedule is the one where you wait until it looks bad. By then the barber has to remove more, rebuild the shape and you spend a week looking over-cut. Book the next one before you leave.
How to get in fast
Walk-ins are welcome at both of our shops. Appointments are encouraged, and if you are planning to walk in, call first to confirm someone is free. Here is what actually helps:
- Know the hours. The Tonawanda shop is open Tuesday through Friday, 7AM to 7PM, and Saturday, 8AM to 1PM. Sunday and Monday we are closed.
- The 7AM start is real. If you have a job that starts at nine, you can be in and out before your commute.
- Saturday fills first. It is a short day and everybody wants it. If Saturday is your only option, book it early in the week.
- Book online. The booking page shows open times for every barber, any hour of the day. That beats calling and playing phone tag.
- Or call. 716-389-0192, during opening hours.
If you have a beard
Book Classic & Beard, from $35. You get the full haircut plus beard sculpting and line work, so the beard and the haircut are shaped to go together — which is the whole point. A great haircut with a shapeless beard underneath it still looks unfinished.
If you are still growing the beard in, tell your barber how many weeks you are in. Early on, the right move is usually to clean the lines and leave the length alone. Our beard-growth timeline goes through it week by week.
Kids, teenagers and the rest of the family
Kids’ cuts are the same price as an adult cut, because they take the same chair time — about thirty minutes, from $25. Little ones can sit on a booster seat or a parent’s lap. Every tool we use is cordless, which means the cut can happen wherever your kid is comfortable. Our kids’ haircuts in Tonawanda post covers it in detail, and if your child finds haircuts hard, read the sensory-friendly guide before you book.
One thing we do not do at the barbershop is girls’ hair. We would rather say that plainly than have you find out at the door.
Who comes to the Tonawanda shop
Mostly people from Tonawanda itself — both the city and the town — plus North Tonawanda, Kenmore and North Buffalo. If you are coming from across the canal, our North Tonawanda guide is written for you. If you are coming up from Kenmore, there is a Kenmore guide too.
If you want to know more about the town around the shop — recreation, parks, town services — the Town of Tonawanda keeps it all on its site.
Where we are
578 Delaware St., Tonawanda, NY 14150. The map below has directions from wherever you are.
What makes a good barbershop, honestly
I will finish with the test I would use if I were new to the area and choosing a shop for the first time. It is not about the chairs or the music.
- Do they ask questions before they start? A barber who starts cutting before understanding what you want is guessing.
- Do they finish the edges with a razor? Clean lines are what make a haircut look fresh. Without them it looks like it grew out on day two.
- Can you see the price before you sit down? If the price is a surprise, so is everything else.
- Will they show you the back? Every good barber hands you the mirror without being asked.
- Can you book the same person again? Consistency beats talent. A good barber you see every three weeks will beat a great barber you see once.
We were voted Best Barbershop in Buffalo Spree’s Best of WNY 2025, and we are proud of that. But a readers’ poll is not why you should come in. Come in because the person behind the chair asks the right questions, finishes the job properly and remembers you next time.
Book your cut
Book online any time, or call 716-389-0192. If you want the full picture first, the Tonawanda page has photos of the shop, the crew and the full opening hours.
