PARK CITY — It's a throwback to a bygone age — an antiquated service that nearly went extinct.
"It's kind of back on trend," said Chelsea Rose, a stylist at Barbarian Barbering Company. "It's been that way for the last, maybe five years."
She's talking about a highly traditional, old school straight razor shave. There was a time when you could find a barber's pole spinning on every other street. But times changed, and men became increasingly apt to scrape the hair off their faces with a disposable razor in front of their bathroom mirrors.
Rose works alongside her friend Jenna Elise, helping to resurrect an old tradition.
"We've had people walk into the door, and see both of us with straight razors in our hands and be like, 'Are there barbers in here?' laughed Elise. "Sorry! You don't have to come if you don't want to come!"
Both women found they love the challenge of working with men's hair, and thought it was only natural to do what they love.
"Any little detail or mistake will show," said Rose. "It just takes a lot of attention to detail."
Despite the difficulties they faced from judgmental customers, they refused to give up.
"We don't let anyone tell us that we shouldn't be where we are," Rose said.
They're so determined, they just took the next step — Rose and Elise aren't just employees, they're the owners of their little barber shop.
"I think women should have a little bit more faith in themselves to take charge," Elise said. "If you want your own business, I don't care what it may be, that's a beautiful thing, and there's nothing like having that kind of pride in taking your work to your clients every single day, and being able to make something beautiful out of it that is your own."
So while some might call this outdated, the owners are counting on their clients continuing to embrace the idea that being barbaric doesn't mean you're uncivilized.
"There's no reason not to chase after the dream and own a business, if that's what you want to do," Elise said.