It’s January 2026, fresh with all the possibilities that come at the start of a new year. Every January, we have the opportunity to reset our lives: to reflect on what worked well in the past year, what didn’t, and what changes we want to make moving forward. In the days leading up to New Year’s, you see a lot of year-in-review material online, on TV, and on the radio. Then comes the big night, New Year’s Eve. We gather with friends and loved ones to eat, socialize, and ring in the New Year with a celebration as the ball drops in Times Square. On New Year’s Day, we relax and unwind—perhaps attending a parade, watching a college football game, or, for the adrenaline junkies, participating in a polar bear plunge. It’s also a day to make New Year’s resolutions—a commitment to change one or more things in the coming year to make this year’s trip around the sun better than the last one.
The older I get, the more I appreciate the New Year’s rituals. As someone who invests a lot of time and energy in self-development, this annual pause to take stock of my life, enjoy the present, and plan for the future is something I relish. The only problem with New Year’s is that it only comes once a year. That’s too long to wait for that infusion of hope and renewed energy that we get at the beginning of a new year. There’s no reason we can’t experience this feeling more often throughout the year. Luckily, I have discovered a convenient, affordable way to engineer New Year’s optimism every three to five weeks. It’s something I’m sure many of you have experienced as well, but may not have thought about it until now. Ready for my solution? Here goes: Visit a Barber Shop.
The Search for Consistency
In this post, I’ll share three reasons why going to the barber shop is a great opportunity to reset. But first, an important distinction: To get the most out of this experience, choose a shop and a barber you can stick with. I learned this the hard way. When I was young, Mom took me to a small barber shop near my home on 22nd Street and Tucson Boulevard, owned by an elderly man named Johnny. No matter how I asked him to cut my hair, he always gave me a bowl cut. I think it was the only way he knew how to cut a boy’s hair. During my tween and teenage years, I went to Supercuts. They were better about cutting my hair as requested, but every time I went in, the stylists were different. That invariably meant someone new cut my hair each time, which wasn’t ideal when trying to get a consistent look. I didn’t begin frequenting traditional barber shops until I was in college, and it was then that I learned how transformative the experience can be.
The Legacy of El Continental
El Con Mall in Tucson, Arizona, once had a barber shop that kept customers returning year after year: El Continental Barber Shop, which opened at the mall in 1964. An article printed on February 8, 1964, in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper noted the shop’s debut:
A new men’s hair-do parlor is open in Tucson for the particular fellows who seek to escape the annoying hum of barbers’ clippers that ordinary men are forced to contend with at their regular cuttings. It’s the El Continental Barber Salon at the south end of the El Con Plaza Mall. The salon has a three-man staff, plus a woman cosmetologist.1
By the time I was old enough to remember it, El Continental moved to the west wing of the mall near the second Levy’s building, which later became Sanger-Harris, then Foley’s, then Robinsons-May, and, finally, Macy’s. The exterior walls of the barber shop were made of large sheets of glass encased in brass trim, allowing mall passersby to see directly inside. It had an old-fashioned barber pole on the outside, and the interior of the shop was always clean and bright. Very classy.
Dale Radtke was one of the three original barbers at El Continental, and he remained at the shop throughout its 47-year tenure in the mall. Josh Brodesky, a columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, interviewed Radtke in March 2011, just before the mall was torn down and El Continental had to relocate. By this time, El Con was a dead mall with only a handful of stores still operating. Yet, “Even in this hollowed-out place, where footsteps echo and demolition draws near, there is brightness,” Brodesky notes. “To find it … Walk El Con’s long hallway all the way to the west end where Macy’s used to be (and a Walmart is coming). There, behind glass doors, you find Dale Radtke. The El Con Barber. Owner of El Continental Barber Shop.”2
It’s true. I spent three months writing at El Con Mall in 2010. When I needed a break from writing, I walked laps around the mall interior. Amid the dark and shuttered stores, the barber shop was one of the lone signs of life in the mall—always busy and bright. Brodesky points out that Radtke had been cutting one customer’s hair since 1962. “He’s [Radtke] cut the hair of families for generations,” says Brodesky. “Watched as little boys and girls turned into men and women (and then brought their kids in for cuts). Watched as parents turned into grandparents. A constant in a sea of changing life (and hairstyles).”3 What was it that kept so many people coming back to El Continental year after year? Their loyalty proves that good barber shops, like El Continental, offer something far more valuable than just a haircut.
1. A Moment for Reflection
First, like New Year’s, a visit to the barber shop is an opportunity to step back and reflect. Trapped in the daily grind, we rarely find time to slow down and ponder the direction we’re headed. The weeks go by in a blur of routine until, one day, you look in the mirror and realize your hair has become unmanageable. You make the appointment. After settling into the chair and donning the cape, your only job is to sit still. For the next 30 to 45 minutes, you are granted a rare reprieve. As each clipping drops to the floor, the stress of the previous weeks seems to fall away with them, and a quiet calm fills your mind. It’s more than a haircut; it’s a mini-retreat.
2. A Constant in a Changing World
Second, like New Year’s, a trip to the barber shop is an opportunity to focus on relationships. In the interview with Brodesky, Dale Radtke said, “We [barbers] are with people on every high and low of life.”4 I have found this to be true. When you find a barber you click with and go to him consistently, he becomes more than your stylist—he becomes a confidante. Every time I visit my barber, we catch up on everything that has happened since my last appointment. He talks about what is going on in his life, and I do the same.
In many ways, my barber has played a role in every uneventful and significant phase of my adult life. He’s cut my hair for weddings, funerals, job interviews, birthdays, and holiday parties. He’s been there for the ordinary weeks, too, for the moments when life is in a holding pattern, and there isn’t much to say. Having a designated barber for many years is like having a therapist who also makes you look good. You get to know each other and contribute something meaningful to each other’s lives through sustained connection.
3. The Power of the Reset
Finally, there’s the feeling you have when leaving the barber shop: You feel like a million bucks! For men, self-care tends to be last on the priority list. Getting a haircut is a cost-effective, practical, and socially acceptable way for men to practice personal care. One of my favorite experiences at a barber shop is getting a straight razor shave. It starts with the barber putting a hot towel over your face. In addition to softening facial hair and making it easier to cut, the warmth of the towel melts away all your cares. It feels wonderful. Next, the barber uses a lather machine to dispense a heated shaving cream, which he then applies to your face. This, too, feels great. Then comes the shave. For me, the scraping sound of the razor cutting each hair is tremendously satisfying.
After every stray hair is cut, the barber splashes your face with aftershave: a fougère with a fresh, herbal, woody, and masculine scent. Then, after removing a strip of white paper from around your neck, the barber applies scented talcum powder on the back of your neck with a soft-bristle brush. You pay, thank the barber, and walk out of the store feeling ready to take on the world. It’s that same optimistic feeling that you have at the beginning of a new year. Whatever bad stuff happened over the last few weeks, you put that behind you and move forward. Just like New Year’s resolutions, a fresh haircut gives us the mental headspace we need to start anew and try to do things better.
Finding Your Mirror
So, you don’t have to wait until next January to find renewed life inspiration. If you’re feeling stuck, don’t look at a calendar—look in the mirror. It might just be time for a trip to the barber.
What do you think? Have you experienced that ‘New Year’ feeling after a visit to the barber shop? And for the Tucson locals—did you ever sit in Dale Radtke’s chair at El Continental in the mall? Or at its new location on Speedway? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.”
Footnotes
1New barber shop opens at el con. (1964, February 8). Arizona Daily Star, p. 6.
2Brodesky, J. (2011, March 31). El con barber plans to move forward as 47-year-relationship with mall ends. Arizona Daily Star, pp. 2–5.
3Ibid.
4Ibid.