Jeff Laub Interview: Meet The Man Behind Blind Barber

Jeff Laub, the man behind the coolest barbershop in New York, talks to me about Blind Barber and the most common mistakes men make when getting their hair cut.

When I moved to New York City two months ago, I had a to-do list full of all the important stuff that comes with relocating to another country: find an apartment, apply for a social security number, set up a bank account, wander aimlessly through the East Village. While walking along 10th Street, I stumbled upon a brokerage firm that repped the neighborhood and noticed the cool-looking barbershop next door. Despite being a fashion editor, I’m not afraid to admit that I had no idea where to get my hair cut in Manhattan, and because I knew I’d need one sooner than later, I made a mental note of it.

Fast-forward a few weeks and I found myself in serious need of a trim. My friends recommended I check out Blind Barber or Frank’s Chop Shop, but after a quick Google search, it turned out these places were closed on Sundays. So I did what a lot of guys do in this situation: turn to what I know. I walked to the barbershop on 10th and asked if they’d cut my hair that day. They took me in and that was the beginning of my newfound thing for awesome barbershops.

You see, I didn’t just get my hair cut; I was served a drink. A strong drink. A makeshift negroni (we added more Campari instead of Vermouth), I befriended a sweet girl who’s dating one of the guys, I hung out long after the cut was over to shoot the shit. It was then that I realized I had no idea where I was, what the shop was called. Matt replied to me, “this is the Blind Barber.”

Suddenly, justifying  why “wandering around the East Village” was on my to-do list made a lot of sense.

Since then, I’ve returned to get my hair cut, to check out the bar at night, to hang out. I also brought in the AskMen crew to interview Jeff Laub, because when I stumble upon something rad, it’s my job to share it with the world. Jeff and I talked about how Blind Barber came to be, and for this video, we focused on common mistakes guys make when getting their hair cut. Like, what if you’re just not happy with what the barber is doing — do you say something? What do you say? Here’s what Jeff had to say.

Click here for more information on Blind Barber.