We are going to go back in time for this one. This goes back to the infancy of the internet, forums and learning there are others into the fetish. As a 20 something trying to figure out life I stumbled upon all the classics. THCS, Cutters Crew, HOW ( if you know you know). Immediately I felt I found a community but I was still too scared to post, and connect with anyone. I had recently moved to New York right after college and noticed a lot of others posting in my area. I lurked a good year before I got the confidence to leave a comment in one of the forums. I started speaking with a few guys that were relatively local. I still had college hair, pretty long even by 90s standards, at least to my shoulders all one length. I rarely wore it down, usually tied back. I had been sniffing out barber shops in the area, reading the reviews on the forums about brutal barbers that showed no mercy, the old timers that had a beef with the social norms of long haired guys. The barbers that took no direction and just gave you a proper man’s haircut. I was smitten with this idea. I scoured shops, lurked outside to see what haircuts were coming out but never mustered up enough nerve to walk in and submit to the clippers. In the forum, the group of guys I was posting with all gave me encouragement to just go ahead and take the plunge. How I’d never forget the experience and if hated how I looked, who cares, put a hat on, it grows back. They were 100% correct. I was getting close to just saying #### it and jump in the deep end of the pool. I just needed a push. Here comes the new years angle. One guy who I had been chatting with a while now laid this scenario out to me. If you are going to do it, do it for new years for a fresh start. Part of my apprehension was what others would think with this drastic change. It’s a fresh start. To me this was push I needed. We exchanged phone numbers and I got a real voice pep talk. Mentally I was ready. I was going to a barber shop close to my apartment the next morning and doing this! Because I was so naive, and really only familiar with salons, I didn’t realize that shops opened early, filled up fast and wait times were long. Later in life I’d learn to appreciate the long wait for the show, but not that day. This was New Year’s Eve of 1998. I went to the barber shop, walked in and was overwhelmed. Standing room only. It was getting close to 11am. 1 man shop. The barber was in his 60s with a grown out flattop. Lots of military memorabilia on the walls. He made eye contact with me as I walked in and said, we aren’t taking anymore today. We are closing early for the holiday. I didn’t realize he opened at 6am. I nodded and walked out. Gutted. All the anticipation that was built up was gone. I thought of going to another shop on my walk home, but none on the way. Even if there was it was probably too late.

I got home, disappointed and noticed a message on my answering machine. It was the guy I had been talking with. He left an encouraging message about going through with the haircut, hoping I liked it and talk soon.

The message was only a few minutes old so I called him back. He picked up and was immediately asking how it went, how short did I go and did I like it.

I gave him the news, how I missed out and wasn’t able to get in the barber chair. He sighed, said he had an option if I was open to it and said hear him out. He said he was having a small get together later that day, a pre New Year’s Eve party. He said the theme was haircuts. He invited me, said it’s up to me whether I want to participate but there would be a barber there that shows no mercy. He said the barber would be happy to facilitate a proper haircut.

In my head I was apprehensive but I immediately and happily accepted the invitation. He said to come over around 5 or 6.

I arrived at his apartment around 5pm. He opened the door and immediately commented about how long my hair was and said this will be fun. I was the first to show up. He gave me a pep talk about committing to this haircut and kept reassuring me that I would love it. He pointed to a barber chair in the corner of his living room and said we take this seriously and laughed.

I was getting more excited now. I said when does the barber get here? What kind of haircut should I get? Who else is coming? Lots of questions. All he said was the haircut would be barber’s choice and that I was in good hands.

A few more guys arrived. 3 in total. I was introduced to all of them. All by their forum handles first then their real names. I felt comfortable, like I knew these guys. All already had short barbered hair. None to me looked like they needed a haircut but I later realized you can never go too short. Phil, the guy who invented me over excused himself to go get ready. After few more minutes of socializing and getting to know everyone, Phil, emerged from the other room with bdu pants, boots and an army green t shirt on. He had a tool box in tow and put it down by the barber chair. The others immediately got into a hoo rahhh battle chant yelling let’s get this started!

First man up! I wanted to, I did but someone beat me to the chair. Phil immediately caped him and went to work. I watched slack jawed as the first guy had his already short hair peeled to the skin on the sides and back and the top mowed down to stubble. Next man! I sat as I was the new guy and now wanted to watch. Again same treatment short hair already, now formed into an extreme military cut. Next! Next! Same as before. Next! I was up. No chickening out, no excuses, this was happening, this was happening now!

I walked towards the chair with the encouragement of the guys there. More hoo raahs and battle chants. I sat in the chair and melted. I felt out of body like I was watching a movie starring myself. Phil approached the chair, comb in hand. He pulled the hair tie out of my hair and started combing through my long hair. He parted it in the middle and combed out each side. Then combed it all back. He paused asking how I was doing and offering reassurance. He then combed it all forward covering my eyes. My bangs went well past my chin. He then put a piece of tissue around my neck lifting my hair up in the back to affix it. I heard the cape snap, but before it went on, he appeared out of nowhere with what looked like leather belts. I was about to be acquainted with restraints. He affixed both wrists to the armrests of the barber chair, then bound my feet together at my ankles. I was not expecting this and my face must have shown this. He said, you ok? This is just to make sure you stay committed. One more around my chest promoting perfect posture with my back firmly planted to the back of the barber chair. I was then caped. He then started combing my hair again. Combing my bangs forward again. He then picked up a set of scissors and started trimming my bangs. There was no mirror so I couldn’t see what was going on, by feel it felt like he was just cutting the ends off. Still below my chin. He then did the same thing with a few pieces in the back and then combed it out again. I realize this was intentional. Building tension and anticipation. It was exhilarating. He then went back to my bangs, combed them forward again and with no mercy snapped my bangs off above my eyebrows. I felt like I was floating. I felt the other guys watching every move and heard another hoo rahhh. Phil said that was the commitment cut. No going back. The snap of the clippers was next. The mechanical whirl of the Oster 76 was a sound I’ll never forget. He stood behind me out of my peripheral vision clippers humming just over my right shoulder then without any remorse he moved to the front of my head and ran the clippers from the front of my head clear to the back. He flicked the long pieces of hair to the side to clear the clippers and so I could see it. I felt like I was beaming. He quickly did another pass front to back with the clippers again, I saw the massive chunks of hair fall over my shoulder into my lap. The clippers silenced. He rubbed his hand over the freshly shorn strip on top of my head. I could tell it was short. Real short. He asked how I was doing. I could barely speak but I managed to stutter out this feels great. He smiled and nodded and snapped the clippers on again. Another pass over the top, then another and another. I now felt the breeze of the air in the room. He made sure to dump the shorn hair into my lap after each pass. The passes were slow and steady and precise. Mounds of hair were piling up in my lap. I wanted to feel my head so bad. I felt the resistance of the restraints I nearly forgot about. The clippers silenced again. I heard some noise behind my ear again. I heard the clippers snap on and off quickly and then on again and felt them immediately firmly pressed on my right side. The clippers traveled from the right side of my head clear around to the left side dumping the hair that came along for the ride in my lap. This felt much shorter as I immediately felt the air. And judging by the haircuts the other guys got I’m pretty sure I was being shorn to the wood, plus Phil just announced to the wood after that last pass. He then pressed the clippers at the nape of my neck and ran them straight up the back. I started to feel the cold on my neck. He attacked the back with firm grip. Pushing my chin into my chest and holding it there until he was sure there was no more hair attached to my head. He then moved to the sides. First the right, then the left. It felt like he was peeling the hair off. Still large amounts of hair falling all around me. I could now feel the air on my ears. The clippers stopped again and there was silence. I wanted to touch the back of my neck so bad! I broke the tension by saying that felt amazing, I can’t wait to see how I look. Phil snapped the clippers on again and said you aren’t done yet and ran the clippers over the top of my head again and again going in different directions. No hair was falling anymore. He then changed the blade again and went around the sides and back again this time not as high as before. It noticeably felt shorter, like THIS was now the skin.
He then put some tonic in the palms of his hands and massaged it into my head. It stung in the best way. I must have been smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Phil looked over at the others and asked, done? I got another battle rally and Phil said landing strip? Got another hoo rahh and the clippers sprung to life again. With clipper over comb, he went front to back over the top of my head with laser precision. The clippers silenced. More tonic all over my head, this time wiped off with a towel, then powder on my neck. He brushed my neck off, and wiped off the little hairs that were sticking around. Phil brought a mirror to me. I gazed at the person I saw with wide eyes. I was a new man. He said happy? I nodded and nodded again and again and said wow. I can’t believe this. The cape and restraints came off and my hands immediately went to my head where I rubbed my newly shorn head. I found a mirror and gazed at my reflection. What I saw was a skin tight high and tight #2 on top with a landing strip. Hoo Raah! I found my people.