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Men seek 'grooming' experience
Benjamins Barber Lounge
Master barber Benjamin Vaughn, owner of Benjamin’s Barber Lounge in Ludowici, styles client Josh Cavanaugh from Chatham County. - photo by Denise Etheridge

“Beards will never go out of style,” Benjamin Vaughn, owner of Benjamin’s Barber Lounge and master barber, said. “Styles of beards will change.”

According to eastcoastbeardbros.com, the top five beard trends for 2019 are designer stubble, the balbo (a short, boxed beard), the Hollywoodian (medium to long length, no sideburns), the circle beard (type of goatee) and the Garibaldi beard (full and rounded at the bottom).

“Men are looking for a grooming experience,” Vaughn said. “Men are taking more pride in their look.”

As for current styles of facial hair, Vaughn said, “It’s all about personal preference.”

Vaughn, an Army veteran and California native who settled permanently in Long County five years ago, opened his upscale barber shop at 101 W. Cypress Street in Ludowici in April 2018. He graduated from barber school in May 2017, and was licensed in August 2017.

He said full barbering services - to include a shave, eyebrow trim, steam towels and scalp manipulation massage - has become more in demand in recent years.

“You have to experience it to understand what it is we do,” Vaughn said. “It’s about treating every client as if they are a VIP.”

The master barber said men in their mid-20s to mature men sport all types of beard styles, from mustaches to partial beards, full beards and “a few goatees.” What they have in common, he said, is the desire for maintenance. Vaughn says part of his service is teaching men how to properly care for their beards.

Vaughn has two other stylists on staff in his salon, which resembles a turn-of-the-last century barber salon, with pressed tin on the walls, low lighting and a relaxed atmosphere.

He said his customers come from Liberty and Long counties and other south Georgia communities, including Jesup, Brunswick, Waycross, Reidsville, Glennville, Screven, Blackshear and Vidalia.

Vaughn provides services to active duty soldiers, too, who request straight razor shaves and haircuts.

Vaughn said a decent haircut is still the bottom line, and other services that can add to his clients’ experience – like a head and neck massage – is a bonus. Most of the salon’s services range from $20 to $40, depending on the time and scope of the service. Kids’ haircuts are less, $17 for 45 minutes.

Vaughn also offers pixie cuts and undercuts for women, and freestyle designs in hair tattoo for the younger crowd.

“I take pride in my work,” Vaughn said. “I wanted my business to be different, I wanted it to be unique.”

Benjamin’s Barber Lounge is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Appointments can be made through booksy.com.

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