Single pedestal swivel barbers chair on circular chrome and white enamel base with pivoting footrest, white enamelled arms, green leather upholstered circular seat, square backrest with rounded top and padded headrest; This barbers chair was used by male and female politicians from around 1960 in various locations at Provisional Parliament House. The chair was moved to Australian Parliament House in 1988 and remained in service until the early 1990s. Interviews with hairdresser Lizzie Scott highlight the intimacy of working at Provisional Parliament House and the everyday interactions between staff and politicians. The barbers chair was manufactured by Koken Barber Supply Co. in St Louis, Missouri in the United States of America. The company was a large supplier of barbers’ equipment from the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century. Koken barbers chairs were considered ‘state-of-the art’, being the first to incorporate a hydraulic lifting mechanism to enable them to be easily raised and lowered.
The technology was labour-saving for barbers and became part of the barber shop experience for customers. Show Statement of valueshydraulic fluid in base column Koken Barber Supply Co.For businesses that offer shaving, dermatological, and (most commonly) hair cutting services, barber chairs are an essential piece of equipment. These chairs can come in a variety of versions that range from being height-adjustable through the use of hydraulics, to ones that come equipped with head cushions, to ones that may come with or without footrests, to others that come in many other different variations. Barber chairs can be constructed from vinyl, from leather, or from any of a number of other easily-cleanable surfaces, and while modernly-produced barber chairs have many convenient features, some shop owners may favor the aesthetic of antique chairs, both those that have been modified and those that are in their original, rustic condition. Buyers who are seeking to purchase barber chairs may find them in person at a wide variety of outlets, or they might find them online on various retail websites and auction sites like eBay.
This guide assists buyers in learning about the various types of barber chairs that are available, as well as providing information about where to find and purchase them, both in person and online. The existence of the barber profession dates back to biblical times, and there is evidence of barbershops in ancient Rome, where men would gather both to socialize and to be groomed. Previously, barbers not only cut hair and trimmed beards, but they also performed many functions of a modern-day dermatologists and dentists. They lanced boils, they pulled cavities, and they performed the outdated and obsolete treatment of bloodletting. As the profession grew, guilds were formed and strange laws such as a beard tax only helped to promote the steady business of the barber. All of their services were performed in special chairs that were meant to make customers comfortable while being treated and pampered. As advances in scientific study began to become more commonplace, barbers were no longer required to be teeth extractors and bloodletters, but the profession continued successfully as men still wanted to be groomed as well as to socialize with their friends and neighbors.
High seats, upholstery, and footrests are characteristics that are noted in engravings of barber chairs that date back to the Civil War era, which is not a drastic departure from what is seen in present day barber chairs. The year 1850 marked the first factory-manufactured barber chair, with the first one-piece reclining barber chair with an attachable footrest being patented 18 years later. Archer, which was the same company that patented the one-piece barber chair, introduced a chair that raised and lowered mechanically. Competing companies introduced such models as a revolving and reclining chair, and by 1900, the first hydraulically-operated chair was invented. This chair also included a joystick that allowed the barber to control the movement of the chair. Since that time, very little has changed in the basic design of the barber chair, although modern barber chairs are missing some of the ornate carvings and detailed attention to design that their predecessors featured. Today's barber chairs are more focused on function than on form, and they are typically of a sleeker, more minimalist design.
The standard features of barber chairs do not vary extensively, but there are some distinctions that are based on the dates of production as well as some that are geared towards specialized salons that offer unique treatments and therefore require a variance in design. All-purpose barber chairs are the perfect fit for regular barbershops that perform haircuts and shaves, as well as for dentists and tattoo artists. Given the roots of dentistry, it is no surprise that dentistry chairs so closely resemble barber chairs. All-purpose barber chairs also make great seats for those getting inked with a new tattoo since tattoo artists can adjust the chair's height and angle of recline to best suit their artistry. Since those receiving tattoos must remain seated for a long period of time, it is also beneficial to have a comfortable place to recline. Simply put, traditional barber chairs are chairs that are equipped with hydraulic lifts that are controlled by the barber. Footrests and headrests are attached to leather or vinyl chairs, and they are typically upholstered for comfort.
Antique barber chairs are usually quite expensive as they are difficult to find in good condition. They can make great decorative pieces for barbershops, and some owners may find them too valuable to utilize in everyday haircuts and shaves. Because of the time during which they were manufactured, antique barber chairs are typically crafted from wood and leather as opposed to being made from synthetic materials. Antique barber chairs are far more ornate than their modern counterparts are, as craftsmen took great pride in decorating these important pieces. European barber chairs are characterized by heavy, wooden arms, but they otherwise resemble traditional barber chairs with raised headrests and detachable footrests. With the exception of antique barber chairs, all of these types of chairs can vary greatly in their elements of style as well as in the varying materials from which they are made. They can be stark, functional pieces, they can be decorated and embellished, or they can be sleek and modern.
Barber chairs can also be constructed from leather and wood, from vinyl and metal, or be upholstered or hard in their design. To purchase barber chairs, customers may choose visit a number of different brick and mortar retail options, as well as investigating some online possibilities. For in-person options, those shopping for barber chairs can visit beauty supply wholesalers, resale stores, and even wholesale shopping clubs, which will often carry barber chairs as well as other beauty supply-related needs. A good source for used barber chairs would typically be any barbershop that may be going out of business and that is looking to liquidate its inventory and equipment. To purchase barber chairs online, there are a number of wholesale websites as well as the websites of individual manufacturers that buyers can investigate. Beauty supply websites are also a good source for purchasing barber chairs. To purchase used barber chairs online, buyers should look for liquidation websites as well as online classified listings.
One such resource for both new and used barber chairs that can be purchased either directly or through auctions is eBay. eBay is able to offer a wide range of barber chairs to fit almost any customer's needs, often at bargain prices that make purchasing a barber chair on eBay more economical than at buying one at any other retail outlet is. To purchase barber chairs on eBay, type "barber chair" into the search field that is located on most eBay pages. You can choose to be more specific in your search, adding keywords such as the type of chair or the type of material, although this will limit the number of your search results. At any time during your search, you may add these keywords to your search terms. For example, you might choose to add the word "leather" so as to eliminate any non-leather barber chairs from your results. Other ways to restrict results would be to choose some of the other filters that eBay provides, such as Condition (indicating whether the chair is new or used), Price (filtering both by the minimum and by the maximum amount that you are willing to spend), and Location, which would help if you wanted to try and save on cost of shipping by picking the barber chair up yourself.
Once you have limited your search to a listing that interests you, take the time to read the listing details carefully. If the seller has provided pictures of the barber chair, examine them closely and compare the photos with the seller's written description. You can click on the name of each seller to be taken to their feedback page, which is where you can read about each seller's eBay feedback rating. Buyers also have the option of leaving comments regarding their interactions, so read these through for a more complete picture of the seller's level of service. Whether buyers decide to purchase brand-new barber chairs at a wholesale warehouse store or on a manufacturer's website, or whether they find an excellent deal for gently-used barber chairs on an auction website such as eBay, prospective barber chair owners can use the information that has been presented in this guide to learn about the different types of available barber chairs as well as where to purchase them. A wide range of barber chairs can be found both in physical stores as well as at any number of online retailers.