Ray’s Asu Barber Shop

This is probably the worst barber shop. They won’t do shaves (really?), they charge too much, haircuts are uneven, and they talk too much about stupid things.

Avoid the male barber with the black hair. He’s sloppy and he doesn’t always listen to what you have to say. One time I asked if I could take a little bit off and then go from there and he refused because of the other customers in line. Another time I asked him to just clean up the sides and one side was puffier than the other.

Been here a couple of times thought I would write a review. First of all every haircut I have gotten from this place has been decent, I would never go out of my way to go there. Most of the guys that work there are older and seem to have a loyal older clientele this clientele has the privilege of skipping ahead of the line which has happened a couple times that I’ve been there. I have recommended this shop to a couple of friends and they have both come back to me saying they have received terrible service. Didn’t surprise me I get the vibe when I’ve been there that they don’t really care if you want to come back which to me means they will be out of business soon enough.

Pretty sad… This place has gone down hill… Use to come here as a kid… Now the lady here is nickel and diming about holding the door open… You’re ac is going out the door… Really? You are a business.

I’ve been going to Ray’s since 1987 and my first haircut was by Ray! When I started going there it was a great hometown feel that made my move to Tempe for ASU easier by giving me an experience similar to where I came from. The characters at the shop have changed over the years and the shop, regrettably, was forced to move but the quality remained high and the banter between long-​term customers was priceless. Most of the banter was lead by Charles, Ray’s son who took over the business years ago now. These guys have become more than barbers, they are friends after all these years.
Unfortunately, things have changed this year (I’d have given it a 5 star rating last year). Charles has apparently divested from the business and without his personality the atmosphere has changed. Maybe it is just my perception but the new owner is either not as accepting of past clients or isn’t as accepted by past clients. Charles gave the best haircuts in the shop which is why he had such a long waiting list on the days he worked over the past several years. Jerry had semi-​retired a few years back, he is one of the original crew, and now I hardly see him there. I would use him on occasion when the wait was too long for Charles or Lloyd. The last remaining original barber is Lloyd who I’ve used for many years. I make the trip from SE Gilbert to get a haircut but as of last week it is getting more difficult. I have to call to confirm Lloyd is working prior to making the trip. Last week I was turned away by the new owner being told the shop was closed for the week (it had been posted but I missed it). He was, however, cutting hair by appointment and there was another guy I’d never seen before cutting hair. Funny when the shop is «closed.» After being essentially turned away I can’t recommend Ray’s anymore. Shame Charles sold it with Ray’s name on the front, wish he’d just sold it generically as ASU barbershop. Hope it doesn’t diminish Ray’s name. I’m now looking for a new barbershop close to home despite being very loyal to Lloyd and his friendship. I have nostalgic feelings regarding Ray’s over the years but on the practical side it is now just an average barbershop to me.

Just went to Ray’s today for my first haircut in college. I just got a standard buzz cut and everything went perfectly well. There was only a short wait, my haircut come out just how I wanted it to and the guy who cut my hair was nice and made the standard amount of small talk. It’s definitely worth the 14 dollars I paid for it and I’ll go there every time I need my hair cut.

Great haircut every time. Right in line with competition for price too. The barbers take their time to do it right, great place conversation to boot. Local gang, good Tempe talk if you’re local. Only negative is the wait sometimes, but that’s not their fault — they’re that good and popular!

I’ve been a customer of Ray’s since my freshman year at ASU, 1983. I make it a point to try and get to Ray’s whenever I’m in town, and I always leave w/​a great haircut and a smile.
PROS: old school attitude; friendly customers; reasonable price; Charles, Jerry, and my favorite barber of all time, Lloyd
CONS: more ESPN, less Modern Marvels (ha ha)
Ray’s has a home town feel, and why wouldn’t they? They are an ASU staple. I’m guessing they have taken care of damn near every ROTC cadet for the last 4 decades. .. Thanks guys!
Rich

I’ve been coming to Ray’s for well over 20 years, back when it was located on Mill & University. The manager Charles (Ray’s son), along with Lloyd, Barb, and others… take the time to get to know you, especially if you become a regular. Usually some good barbershop convo, especially if Charles is around. Never had a bad haircut from Charles, Lloyd or Barb. Worth checking out especially if you’re an ASU student, or live in the area.

Since I moved to Tempe I have had no luck finding a regular place for a haircut. One place in Mesa closed after two visits, one place charged me $ 17 and the other place never opens on time. After waiting for 30 minutes I pulled out the droid and searched for another barbershop and opted to try Ray’s. Glad I did.
I’m not hard to please. My cuts are always simple buzz cuts. Ray’s had a lot more to offer in terms of atmosphere. The barbers were nice and the locals hanging out waiting for their services made the trip worthwhile. We talked about baseball, the weather and local Mexican food joints. Ray’s ASU Barber Shop is one of those places that make going to the barber a cultural experience. I will be going here from now on.

I read some other reviews about how this place makes you feel comfortable and the staff being very friendly and having good conversation while getting your cut. Now I haven’t been to a barber in years so I’m not sure if this is the norm or not but here’s my experience.
I walk in around 1:30 on a Wednesday there’s one guy getting a haircut in there. I walk in a get a hello from the barber and that’s it. So I sit down and grab a magazine. There’s some morning show on the tv, but given that it was a Wednesday afternoon I let it slide. The guy getting his hair cut and the barber seemed to know each other well, and were having a good conversation. A minute later another guy walks in, seemed to be another friend of the two guys and they all start talking. About 10 min later some guy comes from the back room and asks «who’s next» I got up and said hi, and i got a half hearted hi in return. Now I had longer hair and as I said hadn’t been to a barber in some time, so mostly I has going for a trim and to get it into some sort of style. The guy asks how short I want it and I told him I wanted it kept fairly long. He gives me a puzzled look, and then says «so about a inch to a half inch past the ear?» Sure I tell him. He begins cutting. He tries to ask me questions and I try to give him answers but our conversations end up going nowhere and there are long periods of silence throughout the hair cut. Also, the entire time he is smacking his gum in my ear. Eventually we get on the topic of fantasy football and stumble through that. Turns out he doesn’t know much about football. I tell him I also have a fantasy basketball team. He doesn’t watch basketball. I try to mention baseball in there just to see if I can get him to bite on something, but it turns out he doesn’t know much about that either. So much for the great conversation, what kind of barber doesn’t know anything about sports?
As for the hair cut, remember I told him I wanted it left longer, and we agreed on that? Guess he forgot, because my hair was much shorter than I had planned on it being. It wasn’t a terrible haircut but definitely not what I was hoping for. At the end of it I get out of the chair and he stares at me a bit before telling me it’s $ 12. Needless to say I was pretty happy to get out of there.
Maybe it was the guy I got, or maybe that’s just the way they run things at Ray’s, but it was a pretty disappointing experience. Seemed like he didn’t have a clue as to other hair styles, and just went with his standard. I don’t think I’ll be going back.

I am really unhappy with the way the cut turned out. It was tapered poorly, and is noticeably shorter on one side than on the other. I used to go to an old fashioned barber shop near campus in my last city before I relocated here, and always got a decent cut there. Therefore I gravitated to Ray’s ASU Barber Shop in order to get a haircut before classes started.
For a mere $ 12, the price isn’t too bad, but for the same money I probably could have gotten a better cut at a chain.