Johnny Lovato’s Barber Shop

An old school shop with an old feel. Although I just met Johnny, it seems like we’ve known each other for decades. He has something that isnt found in barbers these days… personality. He offers advice and great stories all while giving you a pretty good haircut. He can cut my hair fairly well too!
Go to this shop, you wont be sorry!

Worst $ 18 haircut in my life! First of all I waited an hour and there was only one person ahead of me. I asked for a low tapered haircut and a ½ inch off the top. I wound up with nothing off the top and a botched haircut with no taper. I asked him to fix it and he trimmed ½ inch off the top front resulting in what looked like a faux flat top. Still no taper and way too long on the sides.
Having spent 2 hours and watching the entire Larry Crowne movie I decided that this was a lost effort. I reluctantly paid Johnny $ 18 (no tip) and walked, taking my chop job to the Navy NEX barbershop for some much needed repair work.
This is what happens when your favorite barber is closed on Mondays and you have to rely on other’s for assistance. So much for the 4&½ star rating.
For those of you looking for the best barber cut in town with competent barbers, a straight razor neck shave, and good reading material all for $ 16 ($ 2 less than Johnny’s) head to Lefty’s on Garnet or Cass in PB. Make an appointment and bring cash. I guarrantee, you won’t be dissappointed. (One star for Johnny’s only because I got a free movie and some skin-​mag entertainment)

87 year old Johnny Lovato still cuts hair at this ‘real’ retro barber shop. I was one person back on what Johnny described as a slow day.
I needed a haircut bad, as the sides of my hair grow much faster than the top and I was looking my age.
Johnny asked me was I wanted and I told him a #2 on the sides shape up the top, I wear it messy. He understood exactly what I wanted and began his cut. I have never had a haircut that felt like this. His touch was so lite, it felt as if butterflies were cutting my hair. There there was not a mirror in front of me to see what he was doing, but I’ve had hundreds of barbershop cuts and this one one-​of-​a-​kind.
When he was finished, he gave me the mirror and spun me around to view his work. I liked it. It was a close cut, not shaved to a #2 the top he left longer and trimmed it just a bit. He didn’t wet my hair for the cut at all and it still was a bit messy on top from wearing my hat in.
So the true test was showing my wife. She liked it. My true test was after my shower how did it stand up to being clean. It was great. It even got better after a few days…
For $ 17 and a $ 3 dollar tip… it will be the best $ 20 you spent all week
Don’t miss out on this hair cutting legend.

Johnny is a classic and gave me a great cut, enjoyed the nostalgia of the old shop!

Tired of sitting for a Mens haircut and being asked, «What number?»
Tired of people putting «product» in your hair?
Tired of dirty clippers and scissors giving you bumps, ingrown hairs, or just a general feeling of having blonde hairs on your when you have brown hair?
If you answered YES or «HELL YES» to two or more of the above questions, Johnny’s is for you.
He is an experienced, professional, and reasonable proprietor of an old-​style shop that can’t seem to give a bad cut no matter what mood you enter his shop in.
I highly recommend this shop! 10 Stars if possible.
Not sure if he accepts cards, cash is faster anyway.

God I dread a haircut in SD. When I moved here from Mass. back in ’03 I never realized how difficult it would be to find a new barber shop. I won’t get into the details or count of how many times I have been «butchered» by hairdressers and barbers. I will tell you that Johnny Lovato’s is a classic barber shop that you wouldn’t be afraid to bring your 8 your old son or 80 year old father. Johnny is the only person working here, I think the other barber chairs are for show. He has a large TV that you can watch while your hair is being cut. Pretty cool in my book. Speaking of books — or magazines in this case — he has a large selection of magazines sitting on the coffee table. I dont know who sorts through them to keep them updated or where they get afterwards, but there must be at least 100 magazines there. Everything from National Geographic to Playboy (funny considering Johnny must in his 70’s and of course both magazines are infamous for their nudity).
The haircuts are basic, and I had a hard time understanding if Johnny knew what I was telling him, but I have had an all around good experience. As Adam V. said, buzzcuts, jarheads, high and tight style is the choice of a lot of his patrons, but he can give you a generic «haircut» too if you ask. A lot of his patrons are older men… perhaps officers… that keep their hair a little bit longer so its not out of the ordinary. Cost me $ 15 plus tip every time I went there.
In Summary: Don’t go here expecting to get frosted tips on your new fauxhawk. Do go here if you just want a regular haircut in a regular barbershop where the people won’t try to sell you Paul Mitchell products every time you go there.
BTW still haven’t found the ideal barber shop.

I used to go here when I had a buzz cut because I’m pretty sure that that, and «the Jarhead,» are all Johnny does. I once actually tried to ask for something clipper-​less but lost my nerve when he looked at me like I was speaking another language. «Just give me a number two, all around,» I conceded.
I would definitely reccomend this place to all you high-​and-​tighters out there. It’s great it’s like getting a haircut in your buddies living room. There are two reasons for that:
1) The magazine selection. Right by the door there is a coffee table covered with huge stacks of Maxim and Sports Illustrated. Sweeet. And also
2) The BIG SCREEN TV (!!) that sits in front of the only chair he uses. It’s awesome, you can watch basketball while you get a trim and Kobe is almost Kobe-​size.
AV