Refuge For Men

I made a reservation at 10 a.m., showed up about two minutes early. The woman I made a reservation with didn’t even know that she was supposed to take me, so Ron agreed to cut my hair. Some red flags should’ve gone up right then because the dude seemed anxious as hell to work on me. I sit down and tell him I need a pretty basic cut — fade down to a guard size 2 on the sides and trim up the hair on the top so it looks neat. The guy grumbles in agreement, and proceeds to give me the worst haircut of my life.
He’s gouging at the side of my head to get my hair off, apologizing to me over and over. He’s yelling out to the people on the other side of the shop that he needs to take some haircutting classes, literally while he’s cutting my hair. He doesn’t know how to trim my hair up top, so he says he’s just going to cut my bangs. He’s poking my eyelids with theses shears, chopping up the hair on my face after spraying me right in the eyes with the mister.
Then he asks if I want any product in my hair, and I tell him I usually put pomade in it. He covers his hands with some random gunk, and is pulling off my scalp trying to run it through all the hair that he didn’t know how to cut, meanwhile searing my skin with the blowdryer that’s turned up to high and is half an inch from my head.
To finish it off, he hands me his card on the way out and tells me to come again, but don’t call his number because he’s just «the backup.» I won’t be going back, and I suggest taking your money to a real place instead of blowing it on this chop shop.

Have taken both of my boys here for haircuts. They have gotten consistently good haircuts, very nicely styled. Everyone here is friendly, including the dog. They take appointments and walk-​ins. The wait for walk-​in isn’t too long.

Came here with my boyfriend. They did such a great job. He got a haircut and a shave. Love it

Great haircut! A must for any and all Military personnel in Richmond and the surroumding areas. It’s the best fade I’ve gotten since I’ve been in the Marine Corps. Very clean and lazer focus! Also they will do razor fades. They use only the top hair products. If your a man this is your refuge! ¹⁰⁄₁₀!

I’ve gone here for almost two years now. About 16 or so haircuts from 8 or so different barbers. A couple haircuts were quality. But on average, they are below average. My last haircut here was atrocious and they raised the price so a ridiculous $ 28. They seem to hire whoever wants a job and the quality has suffered. Take my advice and DO NOT come here because I will never again

Great haircut!!! It was relaxing… great atmosphere and everyone is fabulous. Can’t wait to get another haircut!

Best Barber shop I’ve been to in Richmond. I’ve been getting my hair cut and beard trims by them for a couple years now. The barbers are skilled and take pride in their profession. I usually see Charles but Dot, the owner, is also great.
My only suggestion is that you make an appointment ahead of time. If you walk in they will see you but you might get one of their less experienced barbers.
I appreciate what Refuge provides to the neighborhood. They are very involved in the community. They sell goods from local business and galleries in their shop. They have a team in the local softball league. And, last time I was there they had a group of high schools girls helping out for some mentoring/​job-​training program. That says a lot.

Clean haircut every time I go to this place. I’ve had Brandon, Lindsey, Charles, Amber, and Ron cut my hair and they nail it every time. I just walk in to any open chair knowing this guys got it.

Dot gave me a great cut, taking my suggestions and executing seamlessly. She talked about some of the options I had for styling and then hooked me up with Jinx to get washed out and styled. Jinx gave me a great towel/​massage and styled me up. They have some quality products if you’re running low and the prices are beyond reasonable for the level of service I received.

I live one block away from this place and they advertise to me every time I walk by them with their discount coupons so finally I decided to try it. I called ahead to make sure they were taking walk-​ins and they told me no problem. When I got there, it didn’t take long for people to be done with their clients and a couple chairs to free up. For the next hour I watched them play with their dog (who runs around and chews on people’s shoes), talk to their friends on the phone, and just chit chat right in front of me. After 60 minutes of being the ONLY person waiting, I just got up and left without a haircut. Needless to say I won’t be coming back.

I went here for a quick haircut, but I’ve had some bad luck at other places in the past. Being new Richmond I decided to give this place a try am I’m so happy I did. Best haircut I’ve had in a while! Ask for AMBER when you go, she’s fast, but precise and will do exactly what you want and add her opinion as well which was so helpful. Thanks for the haircut! I have a wedding this weekend and I’ll be lookin fresh now :)

I read all these positive reviews and wanted to believe the hype, got excited as I thought I had finally found my go-​to shop before the first try.
I was wrong.
Poor technique, uneven hair. Give it a week and it grows out like a monster.
The first time I went it was probably top ten worst haircuts I’ve gotten. Thought it was bad luck so I gave it another shot 2 weeks ago, and I can now say that the haircut has moved into top five worst haircuts I’ve ever gotten.
Just happened to be the same barber, whose name I will not mention.
I feel bad leaving this review because the staff was really nice and the place had a cool vibe. Their dog was lovable and payment method was simple.
But the cut? Skip it.

They took me as a walk-​in and did just a great job on a quick cut. Always precise and personal, Dot’s crew is organized and skilled. Great experience.

I am so disappointed with the cut I received here a few months ago! For the first time in three years, I cheated on my stylist as she was out for a while and then fully booked, so I decided to give Refuge a try based on their reviews. I’m so upset with myself for going. I made an appointment with Dot and ended up waiting a good while for her to finish up with her earlier client. When I sat down I said I had been growing the top out for a long time and wanted just a tiny bit taken off. I was just in for a reshape of the back and sides. Within a minute, three inches hit the floor. That’s a lot of hair for just a trim! She further explained she thought it made my face look thinner with shorter hair, so she was doing what was best for me. My mother owns a salon back home and I know the cardinal rule is always do what your client says and if you think they need something else, explain to them why. You should never ever cut without consulting the client first. But after the first chunk of hair was cut, there was nothing I could do but sit there and let her finish. I ended up leaving with uneven sides and the hair around my ear was cut about a centimeter up from my ear, leaving me looking like a fool until it grew in. I highly would suggest going anywhere but Refuge. This was one of my greatest mistakes.

This review has been long overdue, but I feel like I could not go without saying how impressed and lucky I was to find Refuge and Specifically Dot. I was in town for a wedding and desperately needed my hair cut (as to not embarrass the bride) and had failed to have time before I left NYC. Searching online for a place close to my hotel seemed to leave me option-​less for a good, reliable, and affordable haircut (and this is by NYC price standards). After speaking to the Concierge at our hotel (The Omni), she pointed us in the direction of Refuge. A short drive later, my fiancé and I were walking into the Barber Shop fingers crossed they could help me and my shaggy head. 10 min later, I was in Dot ‘s chair and under her care.
Dot was absolutely fantastic! I cannot say it enough. Hell, I’ll say it again: DOT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Now I’m a pretty easy to please guy when it comes to my hair and live by the feeling that it will always grow back, but it’s my desire to actually connect with people who cut my hair that leaves me disappointed. Who wants to sit in a chair for 20 – 30 min in silence? Not this guy, and the majority of times I have gotten my haircut the barber or stylist just does their thing and never speaks except for «what would you like to do today» and then «all set». Dot and I had such a lovely conversation and at the end of the cut (which was great) I wanted to pack her up, take her back to NY and have her cut my hair for the rest of my life.
Sadly not an option, if I’m ever headed south and passing through Richmond, I will definitely be stopping back for a cut.

If you have hair (any hair) and are a man (any type of man) and live in Richmond, you should get your hair cut here.
The haircut I received was awesome, but after I got home I realized it was a little too long on top for my taste (completely my fault).
I went back the next morning and they took care of it free of charge.
Solid group of professionals cleaning up Richmond one cut at a time.

I am so happy I found Refuge for Men. I always have trouble finding a reasonably priced barber that I love going to. I came in once to get a haircut from Dot and the rest was history.
Dot has been cutting my hair for almost the past year and after a botched easy clean up from Hair Cuttery, I refuse to go anywhere else. When I first started going I was growing my hair out and after discussing my plan, Dot knew exactly how to shape and style it. A few months later when it was time to go shorter, she made it look just as good.
You can schedule your appointments online which makes it simple to see their openings. Dot is the Owner of the barbershop and is willing to take appointments past her scheduled times. I’m not sure of the other barbers.
The shampoo feels really good and when they are done they wrap your head with a warm towel which feels amazing!
I agree with the other comments that $ 25 is a little steep for a haircut, but I purchased a 6 haircut deal for $ 100 (which makes it only about $ 16 per cut and that is a much more reasonable price). I highly suggest fronting the money (if it’s feasible) and then you don’t need to worry about it for a few months.
100% give this place a try. They’ll tidy you up very nicely.

As someone who’s been getting his hair cut at female-​oriented salons for my entire adult life, Refuge is an interesting concept that takes the male-​oriented barber experience and brings it into the 21^st century.
Atmosphere inside the shop is cool: there’s a large pool table and a few large-​screen TV’s to keep you entertained.
Quality of the haircut was very good. The barber asked me plenty questions to make sure it was in line with what I wanted. The shave of the back of the neck with straight razor was something I’d never had before but felt great.
My only complaint was the protracted bits of awkward silence. Being new to the barber shop experience, I’m not sure if there’s an expectation that men just want to come in, get their hair cut and get out. After making a couple of attempts at striking up light conversation I decided not to pursue it further and just sit there for the rest of the cut staring at the TV.
Payment is efficiently-​handled via Square on iPads and booking appointments is done easily online.

I have been trying to find places to get my hair cut that are more specialized in what they do and take care in giving the hair cut. I can’t imagine going back to a Hair Cuttery after a couple places I have been to now.
Refuge is another one I can check off my list. This place is very laid back and has a pretty classic barber vibe and feel to it. I don’t think they have an official receptionist as I didn’t see one my entire time there and one of stylists actually told me to wait until mine was finished with their current patron. Plenty of RVA based magazines and flyers will provide you with plenty of reading material while you wait.
My stylist was Charles and he actually gave a pretty good hair cut, I would give it an 8 out of 10. I was only hesitant when he was clipping my hair as he was using very quick «jabbing» motions which I was not familiar with. it didn’t hurt or anything I just haven’t seen anyone cut my hair like this before. I wanted a nice fade on both sides and the top to be long so I can do a nice sleek comb over. My hair cut did NOT include a wash or a style after my hair was cut. I am not sure if it was something I didn’t mention or if that was standard.
My hair cut was only $ 20 and that price applies for first time customers and current college students. The reason why this wasn’t a five star review was because my stylist wasn’t very talkative/​social with me. He was too busy talking to his other co workers and friends. which is cool, but I feel like if you are cutting a customer’s hair you need to give them your full attention. Great cut at a good price but I think I will continue to look at other hair salons.
P. S.- there is a pool table in the middle of the salon. I saw a little kid playing it at it the whole time. so I don’t know if normal patrons can play or if it’s just mainly for display.

Dot is amazing! She is the only one I would trust to take my long hair to a pixie. Total 14″ to donate to Wigs for Kids. Dot was very familiar with the donation process and walked me thru it. She even did the cut for free since it was a donation —-which I think says a lot.
Great vibe in the shop. Tip: tea tree shampoo with hot towels is so relaxing
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