Rudy’s serves it up
I go to the Fremont Rudy’s to get my hair cut. I’ve been several times since I moved to Fremont in January. I don’t mind the usual wait of 20 or 30 minutes because Rudy’s has a plethora of reading material. There’s something for everyone, really. And if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind perusing softcore porn in public, Rudy’s is the place for you, too.
When I started going there earlier this year I noticed several Playboys hanging from the magazine rack. “Huh,” I thought to myself. “What kind of person would look at Playboy while waiting to get a haircut?” That was the totality of my thought on the subject until tonight when I noticed a kid (probably 12 years old) and his middle-aged father waiting to get haircuts. See, right behind the kid’s head hung a Penthouse. I paused at the sight and wondered if this trip to the barber was a little uncomfortable for the kid’s dad.
Dad: You sit here, Bobby. Here’s an issue of Seattle Sound. It’s cool, trust me.
Son: Why dad? I want to sit over there.
Dad: [Lame excuse for why the kid needs to face away from the wall.]
Honestly, if I was 12 years old and walked into a barbershop to see a Penthouse hanging on the wall I’d run home and call all of my friends and tell them to go get a haircut right now. But as an adult, for some reason, it made me stop and think. It’s amusing, really. I mean, I get it Rudy’s. You’re hip. You’re edgy. You’re not to be trifled with. But when I saw the Penthouse hanging behind the kid’s head, it all seemed so… affected.
Your stylists/barbers are still good, though. That’s the most important thing.
What say you? Is Rudy’s cooler for offering softcore porn in its waiting area or are they trying too hard? I’m genuinely curious what Seattle thinks about this (if anything at all).
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Playboys and the like are staples of old-school barber shops, and I think Rudy’s tries to mix old-school and edgy (and does it pretty well). My shoe shine guy still has Playboy magazines, tucked inside brown leatherette binders for discretion. I’m not that into it, but I don’t see a problem either. If it’s offensive, don’t look at it, right?
Hi Ryan, your post made me feel old and I’m barely in my 30’s! You must be fairly young (not out of your 20’s?) as having nudey mags in a barber shop is a pretty old tradition that seemed to die out right around the time I was getting to be a teenager. I can remember going to many old school barber shops growing up and seeing Penthouse and Playboy in the magazine rack. The last time I saw nudey mags in a barber shop was a few years ago at a place on 105th and Greenwood (in between Aurora and Greenwood). Very old school place, old barber in a white coat, leather strop hanging from the wall, and nudey mags in the magazine rack. I think it comes from the fact that the barber shop used to be a male only type place. Women went to the salon and men when to the barber shop. They hung out talked politics and did "man" stuff, which I guess included looking at nudey mags. I for one think it’s kind of cool that Rudy’s is bringing it back, although considering Rudy’s isn’t a classed "mens" barbershop it’s a little surprising.
djbones: Totally not offended. Simply amused and curious. The positioning of the magazines almost seemed staged. It was like a marketing guy told them to do it so they would seem more edgy. It was an odd scene.
tony: Interesting story. I guess I grew up in a more sanitized environment because the barber I went to as a kid (it was an actual barbershop and not a chain salon) never had that kind of stuff. In retrospect, my 8 to 15 year old self sort of wishes he did!
Ryan - djbones and tonyb are totally right. Playboys and Penthouses in old school barbershops is like peanutbutter and jelly. They’ve gone together for ages. When I was a kid EVERY barbershop had girlie mags. It was part of the whole "Gentlemen’s Club" vibe of barbershops.
It doesn’t happen as much anymore but I am pretty sure that’s what Rudy’s is going for.
But yeah - I see what you’re saying, since Rudy’s isn’t REALLY an old-school barbershop it may feel a bit more affected.
Gotta Love Rudy’s.
It may be hip and edgy, but… doesn’t Rudy’s give women haircuts too? And if so, did they also have similar reading material for the women? Well, I guess they probably do have Cosmo, which is about as close as it gets, right? But still… that would make me a bit uncomfortable, I guess.
Since when did Sound on the Sound start publishing a print edition?
hmmm…sure, i guess i’m down with Rudys continuing the objectification of women. I mean, if thats what "old school" barber shops did then hell, why not keep on doing it?
I’m from the south and not too long ago barber shops forbade African Americans from getting their haircuts in "white" establishments.
If we follow the "old school" logic then Rudys should make a "coloreds" section in the back of the barber shop away from the rest of the white customers. That would really make the look "cool and hard", right?
I’m just sayin’.
chau,
Except for the fact that such blatant segregation was never a cultural norm, "old school" or otherwise, in this part of the country; whereas, nudie mags in men’s barbershops seems to be pretty much a universal cultural norm.
And so long as they give equal time to the ladies (Playgirl, Cosmo, whatev), and the objectification is equally distributed, then fair’s fair.
Nah, I reject that the South was less "enlightened" than the Pacific Northwest when it came to segregation and racism.
People are people and hate is hate, no matter the country or state you live in.
Here’s some enlightenment for you: .
Ha, i’m not even "enlightened" enough to know how to leave a link. have to do it the old school way, copy and paste:
http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/segregated.htm
holy chau! lighten up, dude.
holy chau is right. nice play on words!