If I made six figures, these would be mine

Nice!
And I do make six figures. Problem is that the decimal point is in the wrong place!!

 

Nice chairs..only problem is that if I put one of those in my bathroom, I'd have no place left to shave...

 

Bathroom? We're talking living rooms here!

 

Ya pretty cushy.. could sit there having a snack and watching Xena warrior princess..

 

You don't need 6 figures to get a barber chair. You can find them on Craigslist or ebay as a pickup in your area.Only problem is everyone thinks the rusty barber chair in their garage under the dirty clothes next to the dryer is an " antique" you know worth $10.000 firm . To refurbish them only involves upholstery and the price would depend on the material, leather , nauga etc.The upholstery service should be about $200 to do it. The metal parts can be chromed , $1000 +, thats the expensive part, replating . The hydraulicsc,an easy fix, $200 and you can find guys who do that sort of thing. Chairs like the one in th elink have just been refurbished by someone knowing how to do it well. Antique stores pick up old barber chairs get them worked on and then sell them for $5000.



Towel steamers are hard to come by because during WW2 many were copper and melted down for scrap metal so they are just plain scarcer. I am believing though they were probably more available in junk shops just a few years back. Barber shop collectibles are a hit now so steamers which are harder to come by to start with are going to go for bigger prices now.

 

I wonder if there is any modern equivalent to the steamers of old?

 

I guess the modern equivalent is the towel sterilizer cabinet sold to day spas, beauticians and barbers. You can find them on ebay starting at $75 . There has been much interest in these on the shaving forums over the years, many have thought about getting one especially straight razor users.

There are a few types of vintage barber shop steamer. One type you can still find in online auctions was like a big copper bucket with a cover, compartments for towels and barber tools and spigot to dispense hot water for shaving.It was heated on the shops wood burning stove. I would tend to think this kind can still work for fun . They are very old so condition is an issue. I saw a pic of a restored copper one recently and it was great.

Another kind was a gas powered wall steamer you can see this kind in the youtube video at the Waldorf Barber shop in Ireland. I have personally seen several of these on ebay UK over the years and they sold only for a few $100 . They have turned less frequently on ebay USA though.

 

You could get a couple of chairs and set up an underground barbershop network in the basement..smuggle in the good shaves...

 

I use a small crock pot and am happy

 

I can see it now...a false wall where the flick of a shaving brush rotates an ordinary bathroom countertop and mirror to reveal something akin to the batcave for shavers. It could be a speakeasy of sorts: a shaveasy!

 

You'd have to be sooo careful...

 

"Officer, you have to believe me! How was I supposed to know that someone built a full-service barbershop with deluxe Koken barber chairs behind my bathroom sink?! No, that Simplex steamer is not mine. I told you, I don't know how it got here. A dozen bottles of Barbicide in my trunk? No, no, simple misunderstanding! See, a friend of mine............"

 

Bootlegging Barbicide?..

 

Nice looking chairs, if only I had the money and the room.

 

Hello - I have a towel steamer that was in my Grandfather's Barber Shop in Philadelphia in the 1940's. My 91 year old uncle believes that it is close to 100 years old. It is not in the best condition as it was in my fathers basement for 50 years and he had some water damage. I am trying to determine a value for it so that I can make an intelligent sale and not get ripped off. Any suggestions?

 

First, welcome to the Den.

I would suggest checking some of the big auction sites (ebay, etc) and see if you can find what the asking price is. You may even find some that have sold, thus giving you an idea of worth.

 

www.shavesmuggler.com?

 

The URL you provided for shavesmuggler gives me a webpage does not exist error.