Straight Razor Barber Shop on San Francisco's Polk Street: People's Barber & Shop

People's Barber & Shop sits at 1259 Polk Street in San Francisco, opens at 9 am every day of the week, and has run this Polk Gulch barber shop since 2012. It is the original address of a small Bay Area group that now lists five shops, and it still trades on the same pitch it started with: hot-towel prep, straight-razor closeness and a free drink while you wait, set between Nob Hill, Russian Hill and the Tenderloin edge of Polk.

The Polk Street location page states the shop has served San Francisco from this block since 2012, and every later branch traces back to it. The website now lists Polk Street alongside Townsend Street in San Francisco, a Broadway shop in Oakland, another San Francisco storefront and a San Mateo shop, each booked through its own Squire page. Polk remains the one the brand calls home, with a striped barber pole outside that SFist singled out in 2014.

Early press framed the place as a revival rather than a novelty. SFist's 2014 roundup of the city's best barbershops called it new-school and old-school at once, and the shop's own press page collects a San Francisco Business Times feature titled Retro's Renaissance and a Maxim list of America's 15 best barber shops. The About page sums up the idea in one line about remembering when a shave and a haircut were two bits.

People's Barber takes both walk-ins and appointments, and the FAQ answers the booking question plainly: they will see you either way, but they recommend reserving to be safe. Bookings for this address run through the Polk Street Squire page linked from the website header, or by calling the shop. SFist gave the same advice back in 2014, adding Appointments recommended to its entry, which tells you the Saturday rush is not a new problem here.

Two written policies govern the book. Arrive more than 10 minutes late and the shop will reschedule you, although a barber may offer an abridged, no-frills version if your cut is desperately needed. The no-show policy kicks in only after a guest's third missed appointment on record, after which missed services are charged at full price. It is a forgiving system, but the 10-minute window is strict, so leave margin for Polk Street parking.

Parking is the other thing the FAQ jokes about. There is no lot; the shop points drivers to metered spots nearby or the paid garage across the street on Bush at Polk, and it notes plenty of bicycle parking, with a few spots inside the shop on a first come, first serve basis. Riders coming down from Russian Hill can lock up indoors, which matters on a block where a bike left on a meter pole is a gamble.

The straight razor shave is the service the shop is proudest of. The menu describes it as a traditional face or head shave complete with hot towel, and the FAQ walks nervous first-timers through warm lather, hot towels, soothing lotions and relaxing ointments over a 30 to 40 minute process performed by a master barber. Book it when you can sit still for the full stretch; it is not a lunch-break add-on.

The signature haircut at People's includes a shampoo and conditioning treatment, and the FAQ lists a consultation, hot towel and styling as part of the seated routine. For quicker visits there is the buzz cut, a detailed single-guard clipper cut with no scissor work, and a separate long haircut for hair at or beyond the shoulders. Parents can bring boys aged 4 to 10 for a little man haircut at a discount.

Facial hair gets two options. The beard trim cleans up mustache and beard, while the beard trim with razor line-up adds a straight-razor edge for a sharper outline along the cheek and neck. The hot towel treatment works as a mini facial with face wash and toner under a steaming towel. Skip the plain beard trim if you want crisp edges for a wedding photo, because only the razor line-up version puts a blade on the outline.

Time Out's write-up of the Polk shop said it could pass for a bar or record shop, pointing to black and white photos of San Francisco's past on the walls and a two-toned tile and wood floor. The same review counted ten tidy barber stations, which explains the busy, bustling hum on weekends. Shelves carry pomades, shampoos, conditioners and shaving creams, and Time Out spotted Layrite Super Hold and J.S. Sloane beard oil among them.

The regulars are hard to typecast, and the press agrees on that. Time Out described the clientele as old and young, hip and professional, tattooed and suited, which fits a block shared by Nob Hill office workers and Polk Gulch locals. SFist noted that you might be handed an Anchor Steam while you wait and that guys love this place, by and large. The FAQ also promises free wi-fi and a stack of magazines.

Walk north on Polk Street toward California Street and you reach Swan Oyster Depot, the century-old counter at the corner of Polk and California where the line often runs down the block. A fresh shave and a plate of oysters is a very Polk Street afternoon, though the queue rewards arriving early.

If the Polk Street book is full, the simplest plan B is another People's Barber shop, the Townsend Street location in South of Market, which uses the same Squire system and the same service names. The other route is time: the Polk shop opens at 9 am on weekdays and stays open until 8 pm, so an early slot before work or a 7 pm cut after it usually beats fighting for a weekend chair.

People's Barber & Shop is at 1259 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109, near the Bush Street corner, where the FAQ places a paid garage across the street. The California Street cable car stops at Polk Street two blocks north, the 19 Polk bus runs right past the door, and Civic Center BART and Muni Metro station is about a mile south.

Excluding holidays, the shop is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm. Card payment works for services, with Visa, MasterCard, debit cards and cash accepted, but gratuities are a different story: the website says staff accept Venmo and cash tips only. Bring a few bills or have Venmo ready before you sit down for that 30 to 40 minute shave.

Gift cards for the Polk Street location can be bought online through Squire or in person for any service or amount, which makes a straight razor shave an easy present for someone in Nob Hill or Russian Hill. First-timers nervous about the blade can read the FAQ's tongue-in-cheek trust exercises answer before booking. Karpo APP users can save 1259 Polk Street and pair the visit with Swan Oyster Depot.