haircuts pinball and saddles

I like getting my haircut in Vegas, but I don't often have a car to manage the less expensive places. The El Cortez barbershop on the Vintage room floor did remind me a bit of those barbershops in the mob movies. But I remember it was a bit pricey and the barber was friendly but a bit too definitive in conversation. I felt as if I was part customer and part annoying tourist.
I also felt that he did not think he really had to listen too much to what I wanted.

Besides, being frugal I really like the bargain haircut shops.

Years back I used to go quite a ways our Tropicana to a woman name Linda at a Magic Nails spot in one of those plazas. I went looking for her.
Instead at Tropicana and Pecos I saw a sign for a haircut $8 and nothing on it about nails. I don't really want to smell nail polish while I get my haircut.
In the small plaza I found two barbershops. The traditional male barbershop was closed and the posted prices were much higher than $8, so I waited for the Unisex cutting place to open. I was ten minutes early, so I took a bit of a walk. This was a mistake. When I got back, there were four people ahead of me.
And yet the waiting was short and the cutting went quickly; soon it was my turn.
The woman fussed with my hair and beard (extra $6) really listening to what I wanted and taking time to make it right. I am not fussy. I never complain. Still it is fine to be fussed over.
So I recommend that shop if you would like an inexpensive haircut.

And here is the real draw.
Kitty corner from the $8 barber is the finest playland in Vegas.
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
Assembled are rows of old functional antique pinball machines; $20 in quarters can easily take you back in time.
My favorite are cartoon themed machines, especially the one based on the old Daffy Duck evening cartoon show from the 60"s which was watched by my high school friends.
Next in line of my favorites are the old fashioned shooting gallery machines with the little round targets mounted in the center of moving animals.
I also like the simple baseball machines where the flapper is the baseball bat.
Some I cannot figure out. There is one where you fire a continuous flow of small beads rather than a ball at a time.
I never understand how the scores total. I just know that however I will play I will get a million zillion points. Pinball is a point inflation sport.
I am no good at playing. I do not know when to shake and when not to. On the other hand, I never put the machine on tilt.
Hmmmm...pinball may be the source of that poker expression.
What I do is have a great time.
I can imagine spending an afternoon betting against a buddy on who could get high score.
Or better yet, if I could just find the pinball playing companion who is featured in this poster I found on the museum wall:

(photo on the blog version: http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2008/05/tr-snippet-barbers-and-pinball.html#links)

And in that same plaza, closer to Tropicana is the barbershop I will visit next time. It is part barbershop and part western museum. There are just two chairs, two very small rooms, and a very friendly barber. And all around is every Western decoration you could imagine, much of it real pieces.

He charges $15, but he said the beard trim would be included.
I'll certainly try him next time.
So there is an unusual spot to investigate in Vegas, if you are staying near the Tropicana and don't mind a short bus ride to Pecos, or if you rent a car.

More trip report snippets from my last visit found here:
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/

 

Thanks Dewey, I've always wanted to go to the pineball museum; but, I'll probably skip the haircut (Not much hair on top to cut).

 

Nice write up. I wanted to hit the Pinball Museum on my last trip; but my wife nixed that plan. I’ll definitely be going during my upcoming solo trip though (along with GameWorks).

 

Hey Dewey! Did they have the Bingo pinball machines there? I would spend hours on these in the 70s instead of going to school!

 

I don't remember. There were so many. I could only just sample a few. If you enjoyed any pinball in your past, you will enjoy this spot. All profits go to the Salvation Army.