Epic beards and alchemy

Beardsgaard Barbers showcases its services within the clientele that frequent the shop.

If you happen to visit during a rare slow period, however, the attributes also appear on hoodies for sale near the entrance at 117 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia.

Classic haircuts, epic beards, straight-blade shaves, and alchemy. A combination of these is available at Beardsgaard and other barbershops around Kane County, offering one-stop shopping ahead of weddings, parties, big dates, and other events.

Just be mindful that getting spiffed up doesn’t always happen in a snap.

Asked what makes a barber’s services stand out, Tyler Anderson, who co-owns Beardsgaard with his wife, Natalie, doesn’t hesitate.

“Attention to detail,” Tyler Anderson said. “Making sure that the haircuts look clean and finished. We can work through a variety of different styles and can talk about products and do a lot of client education. Help people learn about what it is that they want their hair to do and how they can achieve that.”

He then gestures to his bald head before continuing. “And in some cases, have to break the bad news that they might be going in my direction, and you just have to kind of embrace it, and that’s OK.”

“We’re gentle but straightforward,” Natalie Anderson said.

Looking your best for a Valentine’s Day engagement may be one reason to make an appointment at a barbershop.

Natalie Anderson’s recent doting observation to her husband, then, seems fitting.

“You live vicariously through your clients with hair, and I’ve always lived vicariously through the bearded ones because that seems cool to almost have a pet that lives on your face,” she said. “Everybody seems to treat it that way and I like that vibe.”

Beardsgaard obliges with a signature beard grooming that includes a hot towel and straight razor around the edges. Face shaves also feature a steamy hot-towel treatment as well as hot lather, facial treatment and a straight razor.

Services are specific and built to last. A Beardsgaard buzz cut, for example, calls for clippers all over with no scissors and is less expensive than a haircut, which offers head sudsing, if desired.

“They’re constructed not just for this is how your hair is going to look today, but this is going to grow into this sort of a shape,” Natalie Anderson said. “We really work with people as their heads work.”

To that end, the Andersons find clients occasionally treat appointments as a bit of show-and-tell, toting photos of (usually famous) others with a haircut or beard styling they desire.

“That’s fantastic, but that’s not your hair,” Tyler Anderson said. “The texture is different. The way it grows is different, so we just do your version of that, so it looks like your hair. It doesn’t look like somebody slapped a sticker on it.”

Natalie Anderson concedes “there are definitely easier places to get a haircut” than a barbershop, where walk-ins typically need not apply. Booking online or by phone remains the norm.

“Good barbers are hard to find,” Tyler Anderson said, “and if you want a good barber, you have to deal with a busy barber.”

The good news? There’s a tradeoff: Knowing the individual contouring that awaits.