Momentum Grooming

Great cut, great service

I stumbled upon Momentum by pure happenstance on my recent trip to Vancouver. My wife had scheduled time at some other salon, so I decided to treat myself to a nice shave-​and-​haircut. I had seen this barbershop the previous day, and decided to give it a shot.
I walked in on a Tuesday just before the lunch-​hour. The shop itself was very inviting, with comfy leather chairs, coffee/​tea on the sideboard, and a bookcase filled with a variety of reading materials. However, as luck would have it, the shop was empty and they were able to get me on the chair right away, with Alicia on the job.
The haircut was pretty straightforward. I have super-​curly hair, which can be somewhat vexing for most snip-​artists, but Alicia handled it with aplomb. I described to her what I wanted, and she pretty much nailed it.
It was with the shave, though, where Alicia really shined. I’ve had several barber-​shaves in my day, and this was definitely among the most relaxing I’ve had. She really took her time to do it right. She started off with the hot towels, as they do, but she her pre-​shave process went through three hot towels before digging in with the pre-​shave lotion. The pre-​shave lotion they used was delightfully citrusy, a pleasure to my nostrils, and she applied it with a firm facial massage before slathering on the shave cream. Her facility with the blade was evident; not a single cut or scrape anywhere. Then, once the first shave was done, she started the whole process all over again: three hot towels, pre-​shave lotion, shave-​cream, snicker-​snack with the razor. The final step, of course, was the cold towel with an after-​shave chaser, which briskly snapped my pores back to attention. It was an all-​around excellent shave.
I think I will become a Momentum habitué on my Vancouver visits in the future. It was, soup-​to-​nuts, a nice, luxurious treat for me.
Next time, I might even make an appointment.

This review has been a long time coming. Don’t know what took me so long to be honest. This is a sweet shop that carries all of your manly grooming needs run by a bunch of awesome people who care about their clients and clearly knows their stuff.
Kurt is my barber here. He has been for over two years now. He’s the best because not only does he give you a kick-​ass haircut but he does so all the while being a kick-​ass dude. Wow what sophisticated choice of word there, Elton…
To be fair, it’s difficult to describe it any other way because he really is kick ass and the cuts he gives me are just the way I want it. If you’re anything like me you will have an idea of what kind of cut you want and how you want your hair to look. But as soon as you’re asked what kind of cut you want you pretty much go blank and can’t explain a damn thing. Well Kurt does a pretty good job of bridging that gap because apparently he reads minds. Yep Kurt — I figured it out — you read minds. Otherwise, how do you do what you do so well with my terrible verbal instructions and the vague descriptions I give? Also, you know that awkward moment when they show you your new haircut and even though you know it’s not right but you just force yourself to say, «looks great… thanks»? Yeah, that’s not happening when you go with Kurt.
If a haircut is anything other than getting your hair shortened in a literal sense, it is you spending a chunk of your time with a stranger. In that case Kurt is an excellent company. Of course I can only speak from my own experience as I cannot literally be someone else (contrary to popular belief) but how many of you can claim to have had an engaging conversation filled with movie quotes with a barber?! (Start Wars, Monty Python and Pulp Fiction spring to mind) I sure can’t! Well except for Kurt that is.
Bottom line? Go see Kurt: You won’t be disappointed. Kurt, I shall trust no one but you for my hair-​chopping needs. Also, they carry some really high quality products at very reasonable prices. My favourite brand they carry is Baxter of California.

First of all, I would love to know why there are so many filtered reviews with a 5 star rating! I came here to get a straight shave for the first time, just to see what it’s like and I know I went to the right place to have it done.
I’ve always known this place was here and always meant to stop in, I just never though of coming in for a shave. I already had my mind made up that I was already going to come here but I still thought I would check out the reviews on some other places that have a similar service. Just for fun. As I expected, there wasn’t anything comparable at all; the only other business only had a 2 star rating on Unilocal and they like to entice customers with free beer during their services… LOL.
I had made an appointment for the shave (not sure if was necessary or not) and they were ready for me as soon as I arrived. They did everything from pre shave stuff, to hot and cold towels etc. I layed back and let them do their magic. The person I had doing my shave was excellent; very friendly, upbeat and liked what he was doing. He was meticulous in making sure he shaved every hair until the skin was smooth. In the end it was a good experience.
After the shave I looked around at some of there products (all kinds of different shaving supplies& products) and asked one of the employees a few questions. He was more than willing to answer them and explained to me everything regarding a few different products available. They were very helpful.
At the end of it all, I had a good shave and left with a good impression. I would definitely come to this store again because of the fact that the people there are professional and take their business and what they do seriously. Plus it was a good experience.

No Macaulay Culkin face clutching/​screaming here!
I stopped by the other day as I had to sort out a dreadful fro that was literally weighing me down.
Half an hour later I left with a noticeable bounce in my step.
These guys really do have some great products here. Their aftershaves seem to be sourced from the four corners of the planet. All without alcohol, hence the MC reference!
The Lucky Tiger aftershave is exactly what my finicky skin needed. Ahhhh citrus relief.

Barbershop:
If you’re looking for more than the typical barbershop, and are willing to pay for it, this is a fine place. I found the staff to be very friendly, laid back and professional. I was offered coffee /​tea upon arrival, given a steaming hot facecloth after the shampoo, and the shaving was done w/​a straight razor. I brought in a photo, which the barber was happy to work with, and I was more than satisfied with the cut he gave me. The cut was $ 40, not including tip.

Pricey, I’ll admit, but you get what you pay for. The owners are incredibly helpful, walking you through each and every product to suit your needs, and aware of budgetary constraints as well. As a follicly challenged individual, I am pleased to advice to match my specific scalp-​related concerns. (This in contrast to Masc, in Yaletown — obviously aiming for a different demographic, the stylishly coiffed clerk looked horrified when I asked for recommendations for someone without a full head of hair — which I thought was in rather poor taste.)
I have been thoroughly pleased with every purchase — shampoo, safety razor, blades (agree with J B. regarding the savings on blades), badger hair shaving brush, shaving cream, after-​shave balm… wow, I didn’t realise how much I’ve bought there!
Haven’t had a chance to try their barber shop yet — but hope to find an occasion to do so!

I think my search for a hair salon downtown for over a year is over after my hair cut at Momentum yesterday.
Before staring a new job next week, I needed fix my mistake of having a razor mowing my hair for a #2 a month ago. It was fun to wear a crew cut for a week or 2 but it has not grown out well.
I found Momentum on Unilocal.The service was professional and friendly. Kurt, my barber, thinned out nicely the lumps of hair growing out along the sides and the back. I was only charged half the regular price since my hair was soooo short :)