Capitol Barber & Stylist

201 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA

Address:	201 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Phone:	+1 202-544-8380
Rating:	3.8
Working:	10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 9AM–6PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 7

Reviews 8

Anonymous User

Youll have to try this place for yourself, but my three experiences with the three barbers (two men, one women) were awful. The first time I went there, the one barber (I think his name was Louis) somehow left my bangs no longer than 3/4 of an inch, while leaving a good three inches on the top of my head. I had to go back the next day to get it fixed, at which point the female stylist did a nice job correcting Louis mistakes. Giving Capitol Barber the benefit of the doubt, I returned for a second cut -- this time from the other male barber, whose name I cant remember. Unfortunately, he was just as bad as Louis. Some parts of my hair were 3/4 of an inch long, some were two -- it certainly didnt look good. Instead of bickering or causing a scene (and not wanting them to do any further damage), I thanked them for their work, paid my $20, and got the hell outta there. (The next day, when I went to another barber to correct their mistakes, the stylist asked, "Did you cut this yourself?") Of course, I should probably add another, final disturbing trend I saw at Capitol Barber. As I was leaving for the last time, I noticed that Louis and his colleagues hair styles were the same as those as their customers. In other words: These dudes only know how to cut hair one way. Their craft is limited to a single style -- nothing more. Now, perhaps youll have a better experience, but mine have been nothing but frustrating. I wont go back.

Anonymous User

Been going here for about 2 years, and more and more often Im experimenting - I just tell them "I want a scissors cut, not just clippers," or if I do want clippers, theyll say "how about a 3"? Whatever that number is: double it. Then youll get a pretty sharp-looking American male haircut, no part (unless you have), completely symmetrical, and with good-looking length and "bangs." Everyone is super friendly, though mostly they speak amongst themselves in ... Korean, I think. Pretty sure. Also Ive had everyone there, though this one woman has taken a liking to me and she definitely remembers her customers. $20? Are you kidding thats terrific. Hopefully, if your experience is like mine, youll tip generously (I gave them $10 one time when they made my hair positively badass with some styling gel and stuff, Im not really a hair guy but that one was neat, no doubt). Oh and they shave your neck as part of the clip: feels amazing and adds to the clean look. So remember: communication is the key! Start with a "scissors only" statement, and if you see them take out the clippers say no no no! Scissors and then clippers later.

Aravind Moorthy

I dont know much about how I want my hair cut. When asked, I usually respond that I want a scissor cut, and specify the number of inches I want removed - adjusted downward because hair stylists will always take off more than that (why do all stylists do this to me? does the profession unanimously disagree with me about how much hair I should be removing?). If I get any more sophisticated questions, my eyes tend to glaze over. Given my ignorance/simplicity, these guys were great. They did an exceptionally good job of evening it all out, blending the thingy-bits with the doo-hickies, and generally leaving my head looking neat and trim. And in DC, $20 seems like a decent deal. Of course, they took off 1.5 inches, when I asked them to take off 0.5 inches... but thats actually what I wanted! (Take that, stylist conspiracy!) Long story short: Ill be coming back. If you have more sophisticated needs, go elsewhere and (probably) pay more.

Anonymous User

This Barber Shop isn’t Afromerican, it’s Southeast Asian American. I’ve gone there for just over a year. Why? Because it’s simply the closest game by Metro or Walking distance to New York and G University Metro Stop. That’s pretty much the only reason I go there. The barbers (95% Southeast Asian women) seem to go by the book (haircut book they’ve learned at whatever barber/stylist school they went to – I simply wouldn’t believe they got their stylist degrees in America – if they had, than it was probably not English speaking). If you want something special, I suggest you bring a visual and pray. I always have a feeling that if they screw up – there will be no use trying to explain, they just wouldn’t understand. To be fair, if you are willing to get their run-of-the-mill and shut up, you won’t have a thing to worry about. Anyhow, that’s what you get for living in the Afromerican zone.

David Rosenberg

The first couple times I went to Capitol Barber, I left happy, and felt I paid a fair price. I got a haircut and beard trim for $21. The price board lists hair cuts as $20, and beard trims as $10, but I figured that was if you do one or the other. Charging the full amount for both wouldnt make much sense. Then, the last few times theyve started charging me $30 for the haircut and beard trim. The first time I protested and lowered the price to $25. I assumed it was just that that person cutting my hair didnt know they were supposed to drop the price for both together. So I went back again, and again I was charged $30. This time I didnt bother protesting. I just paid it and left, knowing that I wouldnt be returning. Higher prices are to be expected in DC, but theres really no reason a beard trim should cost half of what a hair cut costs if theyre done together.

Alex Valencia

I wish I had read the reviews before coming here. It was a convienant location to some business I had in DC. I too had a simple military haircut. My god, how can you screw up a crew cut? I went when there were 2 guys and 2 ladies on a weekday. The ladies haircuts seemed to be better. It was not busy but service was very slow. I got a guy, his accent was thick and he didnt know any military haircuts. I had to explain, in great detail, what I wanted and he still messed it up. I had my bunk mate fix it. Im used to a fast and perfect $10 haircut. I dont think any of them are proffesionally trained. I will stick with the barber near the base from now on.

Ivan Ivanov

I asked for a simple haircut (4 on top, 3 on the sides). It is unbelievable how someone could mess up a haircut like that. The person who was cutting my hair first used a really old clipper that was literally pulling my hair, when I complained he took a new clipper that was also in a really bad shape and made my hair look waivy. The end result was an absolutely terrible haircut so I ended up going to the place next door to fix the mess. I paid more than 50 bucks in total... I will never go back to this place!

Eric Christopherson

Shamelessly sloppy haircut! Ive gone there a couple of times and its been on the border of acceptable haircut for $25, but today was the worst haircut Ive ever gotten and I have to get a haircut every week to look clean for work. It went from a "medium fade with light trim on top" to a 1980s B-reel action movie "high and tight" with an inch off the top to match sides because he kept messing it up. Avoid this place if you want a clean short-haired look. Communication also difficult in english.