Skin fades, gentleman’s cuts, ring lights and a fridge full of beer: Bay Area culture converges with the modern at Beyond the Pale Barbershop on 16th and Guerrero. A barbershop is “a place to kick it,” says owner Anthony Larrasquitu, aka LQ to friends, who believes “the conversation needs to be as good as the haircut.”
One Saturday night in February, Mission Local comes by while Larrasquitu trims a skin taper for his friend Jonathan Perez, a pro skater with Adidas who wants to get cleaned up before a trip to Europe.
The two talk skating, roommates and food. “We were just talking about escargot,” says Larrasquitu, nodding to Perez, who is vegan. “Seagan,” corrects Perez. “Seafood, but no dairy or meat.”
“That one time you ate that burger,” laughs Larrasquitu. Speaking of burgers, someone mentions the new-ish Chick-fil-A in the Serramonte Mall.
“You know why there’s no Chick-fil-A in the city? Because they don’t support gay marriage. They don’t want to be here.”
“Damn, so we’re the devil or something? They’re scared. They better be scared,” says Perez. The two laugh. A moment of concentration as Larrasquitu leans in to perfect the gradient on Perez’s cut.
“Y’all have to go to the vegan McDonald’s, Mr. Charlie’s. It’s downtown, right across the street from a real McDonald’s.”
Perez has been a loyal customer of Larrasquitu’s for over four years, following him from the now-closed San Francisco Barbershop down the street to his garage in South San Francisco during Covid-19, and now, Beyond the Pale.
The first-generation son of a Cambodian mother and Mexican father, Larrasquitu moved to the Bay from Anaheim four years ago. The Mission quickly became his base.
“The Mission is what SF is to me. I see a lot of people that are Latin, a lot of people who are Asian and Filipino,” he says. “I’m at home. Immigrants, first generation, second generation — we’re getting more opportunity now to open up businesses.”
The shop, which opened only three weeks ago, boasts 80 to 90 new clients, in addition to Larrasquitu’s loyal following from his time cutting hair at San Francisco Barbershop. A self-described “adrenaline junkie” with a warm smile and laid-back attitude, Larrasquitu, 27, brings more fresh energy to 16th, which has recently seen a number of openings.
Beyond the Pale, at 3242 16th St., is intimate, with four chairs and a sleek but comfortable black-and-white scheme. Vivid street-art style paintings of the city by Bay Area-born artist Jordan Herren line up evenly over mirrors facing four black leather barber chairs. Two of the shop’s barbers are born and raised in the city, and another is from Hayward.
Hiring local is a priority. All the barbers “know how things rock out here. They all came here with followings.”
To the shop’s crew, cutting is an art, and each barber specializes in straight razors. Larrasquitu’s No. 1 gauge for hiring is the skin fade, the most popular Mission hairstyle of the moment. “If you can do a clean skin fade, you can do any haircut.”
One regular, the Sacramento Kings’ mental skills coach, comes in just so Larrasquitu can keep his cascading beard “lined up and sculpted.”
The shop’s name implies shaking things up, and that’s what he wants to do. Larrasquitu thinks the city has gotten a little too “vanilla” since tech came in; “everyone’s wearing North Face,” he chuckles.
But Larrasquitu also loves the blend of locals and tech workers who come in. “Carrying OG SF with the modern — we all go forward together,” he says.
Ideally, he says, a barber and a customer should become friends. After all, would you rather cut your friend’s hair, or some stranger’s?
And, whether you are a friend or a stranger, Beyond the Pale has a “Silent Mode” cut, for those long days at work when you just want to get trimmed and not have to talk to anyone.
But who barbers the barber? His girlfriend or a friend does the job, not a professional. “I’m the chef who eats fast food,” joked Larrasquitu, for whom flavor is just as important as quality.
“I think San Francisco needs flavor back,” he says. “That’s where the shop name came from. I’m going to continue to push ‘beyond the pale’ in here.”
Check out Beyond the Pale at 3242 16th St. at Guerrero Street, open 10:30 a.m to 9 p.m, Monday through Saturday. Services range from $30 to $70. Follow the shop on Instagram @btpbarbershop.
I went in this week, great cut and conversation
I need a good cut — after that awful photo Mission Local put up of my hair flopping in the wind — maybe this is the place.
I would choose that “Silent Mode” cut. I really do not want any small-talk during a haircut.
Making Perez look as tight as his tricks! Looks like a dope place.