Academy Barber Shop

Ray is the best in Pasadena! I love his traditional style! Plus he’s a great guy! Been in the business for decades!
I know a few people have had negative comments, and all I can say is that the interaction that you have with Ray is all about your attitude going in. If you want to act like a snotty douche that is doing Ray a favor by gracing his shop with your business then I’d say it’s not the place for you. He’s been cutting hair longer than most have lived. I get simple haircuts when I see him. He actually taught me that you need to have your hair cut about three times by the same barber in order for them to better understand how it grows.
All in all he’s a great barber.

Ray is great. Very deliberate, gentle, cares that you get the cut you want. If you want a wonderful old-​school haircut, this is the place to go!

Nicest barber ever! Old fashioned scissors and comb haircut. If you’re in a rush, you may want to think about going elsewhere but if you want a calm enjoyable experience, Ray’s your barber.

I’ve read some snarky reviews on here and I know exactly what happened. Ray is old school, he doesn’t tolerate attitude, he doesn’t like jerks and know-​it-​alls make him roll his eyes. He will happily smile and recommend you go down the street or around the corner or anyplace else to get you out of his shop. And he’ll do it so politely and with a smile that you’ll never know you’ve just been 86’ed. You’ll think he’s a nice old guy who missed how hip and cool and sophisticated you are. Which is just what he wants because he’s a gentleman and life is too short to put up with fools.
As to hair, he’s taught me a few things. Mainly that he knows what he’s doing and he know what will look good on you. He’s happy to do whatever you want and he can do it. I get my hair buzzed every summer and every summer he objects and does it better than any of the shops in Silver Lake used to do when I lived there.
i’ve been going to Ray for six years and I’ve gotten some of the best cuts of my life from Ray and one bad one when he followed my directions explicitly. He will do exactly what you want whether or not it looks good on your or is good with your hair but he will tell you that before he does it. I knew it was bad and it was my fault. He offered to comp it, he offered my next cut for free. I refused. It was my fault. Now I listen to everything Ray has to say, at least about my hair.
Best I can say is don’t go to Ray. I hate waiting and I don’t want to wait for you. Go somewhere else. But for me, I’d rather spend my time getting a great cut in the presence of one of the last high-​quality gentleman barbers around.

I want to start off by saying the barber there is a sweet old man. Very old school vibe which i can appreciate. But, i for one will not be back.
I have a wedding to go to tomorrow and my normal barber wasnt available so i looked to Unilocal for advice and boy was Unilocal wrong this time. I went in and asked for a simple 2 all the way around. I have never cut hair before but how do so horribly f*** up such a simple haircut not once… but twice!!! I left noticing i had little patches of longer untrimmed hairs, so i went back and proceeded to get those taken care of. He went over the patches with a 1 ½ size… BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! He told me i was good to go after doing that, and I (the barber with no experience) told him to go over ALL of my hair with a 1 ½. At this point, im starting to doubt i will leave any hair on my haid because of all the screw ups thus far.
He goes over with a 1 ½ cut and i leave. I noticed after thoroughly looking over my hair, that there were still patches. Like wtf dude. So yea im screwed for tomorrow
Dont go here if u want a good haircut, plain n simple.

The owner, Ray, is an old school barber and the best that I have found in town. My son and I have been going here for nearly 10 years now. I will say that my son sometimes prefers to go to a stylist and that is fine, because Ray is a barber…
The shop, and Ray’s style, are not for everyone, and after reading some of the less flattering Unilocal reviews, I expect that folks looking for a salon experience, or a cheap quick cut, will be very disappointed (check out Mentors Barber Shop next door). But those who like the «old fashioned» experience should check out Academy.
Ray takes his time with each cut, he uses the scissors more than the clippers and gets out the shaving cream and straight razor to cleanup the stubble on your neck and around your ears.
If this is the kind of haircut you seek, you’ll be happy waiting for Ray’s chair.

Ray made me uncomfortable. He kept talking about how good his haircut was, saying stuff like ‘I’m professional’ and ‘you haven’t a good haircut in a long time’. Let me be the judge of that. He also got angry at me for asking him to make an adjustment. In the end, the cut was fine but the manner was not. I agree with one of the other reviews about him saying strange stuff.

As I said, I love the guy and have loved getting my hair cut there for the past 2 years — but recently, I got my hair cut there — and this time, he cut mine and my son’s, and he looked confused and butchered our hair.

Ray is the best. His barbershop is old school, and he’ll give you a proper grown man’s hair cut. The first time I went in, he looked at my hair, and said, «Close on the sides and a trim on top?» or something like that. He pretty much knew how I get my hair cut just from looking at it. When he shaves the edges, he even goes over it with a straight razor instead of the tiny clippers. He takes his time and doesn’t rush with it, so if there are a couple people waiting in front of you, it could take a while. Try to come in the early morning. He closes in the afternoon, so you won’t be able to come later.
Bring cash. He doesn’t take card. It’s $ 20 for a cut, and if you tip, he really appreciates it.

I’ve tried this place a couple of times already.
I’m not sure why people are giving this place a high rating.
Yes the guy is nice but he gives horrible haircuts.
All I wanted was a simple short haircut, nothing fancy or complicated.
He spent so much time cutting my hair and eventually all I got was an awful haircut. Very uneven, full of bumps, I was so embarrassed going down the street after I got the haircut that I had to go to another place to fix it.
Do your self a favor and stay away

The Great Barber Search Stop #3
As I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m willing to make certain sacrifices when it comes to my hair. I’ll travel across town. I’ll use a lunch hour. I’ll get up extra early.
A few of my friends who groomsmen in a wedding went here to get set up. They, like the many Unilocal reviewers, mentioned that there was just one barber and that there could be a particularly long wait.
I figured that in the end it would be worth it.
I work in Pasadena. I figured, I’d wake up super early and be the first one in for a haircut.
I got there and Ray was very nice and personable but he kept saying things you don’t want to here as a barber’s client:
«Oooh your hair is weird. It just goes all over the place»
«Wow. That’s funny»
«Hmmmmmm»
and finally the last thing you want to hear when a barber finishes your cut:
«Well, I did the best I could»
My hair looked like it had divots in it. My sideburns were tremendously uneven. When I made mention of it, he shaved them so that there was a huge bald spot between the top and bottom of the sideburn. When I got home, I had to shave them off completely. I had these weird jacked up sideburns for the rest of the workday
As I was sitting there, the shop filled up with 5 people. I was shocked.
Maybe he had an off day and truthfully, my hair grew back nicely but I am never ever coming back here.

Old fashioned barber shop. The barber actually spends 90% of his time with scissors rather than the clippers which is nice. He knows what he’s doing with your hair too. Very customer friendly and takes his time with you. He’s in no rush. The highlight of the cut is the hot shaving cream on your neck and around your ears followed by the barbers blade. I wouldn’t say the haircut is 100% perfect, but overall a good, trustworthy experience you’ll be satisfied with for $ 20+tip.

This was my first haircut here and I am quite pleased! It’s a touch high above the ears, but more a slight style preference rather than any sort of goof on Ray’s part.
Ray is the one and only barber here; there are two chairs but the other just sits empty. The place is quiet: no music, no talking. There are plenty of magazines to read while you are waiting your turn, but while you are getting your haircut, you just stare straight ahead. And that is straight ahead towards the future patrons; he has the chair facing away from the mirror (so the final result was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one).
Ray is quite the older gentleman, and is both friendly and polite. He is soft-​spoken and won’t talk at all while cutting your hair, but I prefer it that way.
The haircut was quick and well done; not choppy or cut too short. My instructions to him were really just nodding at his question of «so you just want a nice haircut?».
Cost of the haircut is $ 20; I tipped $ 5 and he seemed genuinely pleased. He doesn’t appear to take credit cards so bring cash.
There are no reservations, but the line was short (there was one person ahead of me as Ray finished up one other person, but the haircuts go quickly). As I left, there were two people waiting (including the one about to take my seat).
Hours are a bit unclear… the sign says 7am-​3pm Tue-​Sat, but he told someone on the phone that he is open 6:30am-2:30pm, so I would not plan on showing up at 2:55 and getting fit in (sounds like he plans on closing the doors at 3!).
Overall, this was a great basic barber experience, by someone who has obviously been doing it for awhile and enjoys it. I’ll certainly be back.

I was in Pasadena a couple weeks ago and badly needed a haircut before a wedding that I was set to attend. I went into Academy and caught Ray just as he was about to leave for lunch. He was glad I was there — it was obvious that he wanted to tame my overgrown hair.
He works in silence, which I prefer, although the fact that there’s no radio, no other customers, and no other barbers in the shop makes for a very quiet cut.
He did what I asked, which was to trim my hair without taking to much off. Several times, he told me that he could trim off some more and «really have [me] looking sharp». It was funny, and he wasn’t being overbearing at all (it was just clear that my penchant for longer hair was paining him).
After he finished my cut, we chatted for a bit, and I found him to be a really great guy. He told me about the old days and made me laugh.
Haircuts are $ 20, which is a quite a bit more than I’m used to (I pay $ 14 in Manhattan), but I know that in the wide world that’s considered a decent value.
My hair has grown out quite nicely, so overall, I’m very happy with the cut. I’ll try to go back and see him again next time I’m in CA.

In this day and age of frilly, sales driven, pretentious salons, it’s a relief to find a place that just cuts hair. It’s nice not to be upsold on anything. If you’re a guy, you’ll probably like this place.
Facilities: There’s only one chair, and when you’re in it, the focus is on you. Occasionally the phone will ring, but Ray does his best to keep it brief. On warm days, Ray put on the AC and it blows great! There’s street parking; some days its wide-​open, other days you may have to park on Union or Green and walk some. The chairs are comfortable. I don’t know if there’s a restroom, though.
Staff/​Service: Ray is a no-​nonsense kind of guy with a great attitude. He’s a traditionalist, so if you go in asking for a fade with a number 3 and some highlights, you might get a blank stare. He is friendly, takes pride in what he does, is efficient, and a neat guy to talk to. As others have noted, he does use a single edge razor with shaving cream. Also, he finishes your hair with tonic, although he does have gel.
Value: At $ 20 a cut, you really can’t beat it unless you prefer Supercuts.
Warnings: As previously mentioned, you may wait. As he’s a one-​man shop, and a haircut can take ½ hour, you may want to come back if there’s a line and you’re in a hurry. I’ve waited up to 90 minutes for a cut, but know that this was the case, I came prepared with magazines that I normally don’t have time to read.

After many unsuccessful tries elsewhere, I have finally found the PERFECT hair cut!!! Academy Barber Shop is an old-​school barber shop. Ray is a gentleman who knows his business too well. He’ll ask you how do you wear your hair, and then you sit down and shut up, and watch a master perform his craft! No thrills, no frills, no chit-​chat. just a great hair cut!
PS. I asked him if he takes credit cards, and he replied «no… pay me next time». I told him I’d go get some cash, he said «suit yourself…». That’s a guy confident you’ll be back.

Reading all the reviews on Unilocal made me really excited to go see this barber, unfortunately I had the opposite experience. My son has been needing a haircut and so I thought I’ll take him to the best reviewed barber in Pasadena. BIG MISTAKE.
When we walked in we asked if he could cut my boy’s hair. He asked what I wanted done and I replied, «a trim.» He said, «I think you should go next door, they charge 14.99 and it’s a standard job. All complete with an annoyed look.
Wow, I was pretty let down. Here I was excited to see this guy to get a straight razor shave myself, but instead I took his advice and went next door. He and I recommend the Mentor Barber Shop.

The barber is a great older man. I love his attention to detail and precision. He won’t talk a lot, which is nice if you love those quiet moments. One guy walked in after me and sat down. A few minutes later he gets up to leave a says he needs to find an ATM. The barber says, «don’t leave. I don’t want you to lose your place in line» (nobody else was there :) «You can always pay me later.», the barber finished. Wow! Such a great guy. $ 20 for a haircut, but he does excellent work. The first time I went there I was surprised at the cost. Out of kindness, I offered a tip but he refused. He said this is enough. I regular there now.

Ray is a gentleman and a true professional. He is friendly and good at what he does. He has been cutting hair since 1964! Plenty of time to hone his skill.
Be wary that his place can get busy — a couple of times I have been, there have been 3 guys waiting with one in the chair. And, he certainly doesn’t rush the haircut.
20 bucks is a good price for what you get. He even uses shaving cream and blade to touch up around the neck.

I love old school barber shops. Just moved to Pasadena and have been looking for a good barber shop. Just tried Academy this morning (right around the corner from Academy movie theater on Catalina). This place is old school. Ray, the barber, was super-​friendly, a very sweet guy. Did a nice job.
Things I really like:
— Open Early
— Has all the equipment to do a nice shave (towels, cream, etc)
— Did a good job
I also like the YMCA barber shop, which is a few dollars cheaper, but they never have any of the stuff ready for a shave (which you need if you want them to give you neat lines around the edges of a regular haircut).