Barbershop is a shear--and sheer--pleasure for its adults-only clients
SUPER CUTS: It may be touted as a barbershop of the ‘90s, but Hawthorne’s Shear Pleasures offers men old-fashioned services: a shampoo, haircut, blow dry, hot-towel face wrap and shoulder massage.
The modern-day twist?
All services are performed by female cosmetologists clad in silky lingerie long enough to cover everything important, but short enough to keep clients interested.
The salon, which opened last week, caters to adult men; anyone under age 18 will be asked to leave, said owner Kenneth Michaels.
“This is all clean and classy,” he said. “It’s the old-fashioned thing done in a ‘90s sort of way.”
The 30-minute pampering has a $25 price tag and includes complimentary wine, soft drinks or bottled water; the morning paper or latest edition of Playboy or Cosmopolitan; use of cable TV and, for an extra $3, a shoeshine.
But the main attraction is the scantily dressed beauticians.
“The massage was wonderful, and the ladies are beautiful,” said customer Joe Scuteri, who said he came to Shear Pleasures because he was tired of being “treated like a hunk of meat at other (salons).”
Lingerie-themed businesses aren’t new to Hawthorne. The city shut down a lingerie show at a local pool hall two years ago and recently established strict guidelines for adult businesses.
After receiving more than a dozen complaints, Mayor Larry Guidi visited the shop to investigate. He said he did not find anything in violation of city codes, and turned down offers for a complimentary haircut and massage.
“This is not something I morally support,” he said.
Michaels said this could be just the beginning. “If it succeeds in Hawthorne, I’m going to open up three more and, hopefully, franchise.”
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THE BUZZ ABOUT GADFLIES: There’s normally no glamour in being a gadfly; the City Hall groupies spend countless hours poring over mind-numbing documents and enduring monotonous City Council and commission meetings, where they endlessly challenge and badger officials.
But last week Redondo Beach gadflies at least got some glory.
The Beach Reporter, a weekly newspaper that covers the city, announced the “Gaddy Award” winners, those gadflies who have distinguished themselves.
The categories included “best attendance,” “best gadfly couple” and “most colorful gadfly.” The competition was keen.
But in the end, Archie and Eva Snow emerged victorious in the best gadfly couple category, narrowly edging out David and Barbara Serena. As a couple, the Snows apparently had the better attendance record at city meetings.
The most colorful gadfly award went to Larry Cote, who uses words like boondoggle and rhubarb when he is steamed about a city decision.
And Chris Boyle was named the gadfly with the best attendance record. According to the newspaper, Boyle attends more council and commission meetings than even elected officials and city staff.
Maybe next year the newspaper can add a new category: the gadfly with way too much time on his hands.
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CLEANING UP AT CITY HALL: Wilmington residents say their street-sweeper has a pretty easy job. Unlike most, who have to steer their vehicles alongside curbs to pick up debris, their guy simply cruises down the center of the street.
But it’s not his fault. He has to stay away from the curb because enlightened city officials have scheduled street cleaning for the same day as trash pickup--and the sweeper can’t get near the sidewalk.
Frankly, it was a big deal just to get Wilmington’s streets swept at all. Residents complained for months before the Department of Public Works scheduled the service for one Thursday a month.
Now residents are complaining again.
Lagoon Avenue resident George Ferguson wrote to tell city officials he believes they are wasting his tax dollars. A simple rescheduling would remedy the situation. But, Ferguson said, residents still see “the same circus every month.”
And that’s because nothing is simple at City Hall.
“What (the Bureau of Sanitation) is trying to do right now is switch the dates, but due to the way the city (operates), we can’t just do it overnight,” said Tom Kruesopon, a spokesman for City Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., who represents the area. “It’s never as simple as a phone call.”
For now, the best thing residents can do is put their trash bags and cans on the sidewalk, Kruesopon said. And Public Works has told collectors to ignore rules that say trash cans must be in the street to be collected.
Or, residents can just pull out a broom.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The best I can say is that the city attorney sometimes brings Mrs. Fields cookies.”
--Rolling Hills Estates City Manager Doug Prichard, reacting to news that officials in Palos Verdes Estates have meetings catered by a four-star French restaurant. J3
