About
FINE
MEN'S SALON
We Didn’t Set Out to Open a Salon.
We Set Out to Raise the Standard.
1924 Fine Men’s Salon exists because we believed men deserved better — and we were willing to build it.
Better than a rushed haircut with no consultation. Better than inconsistency from visit to visit. Better than an environment that feels like an afterthought. And better than a franchise system that couldn’t live up to its own promise.
What we built instead is something we’re genuinely proud of: a men’s grooming experience defined by precision, personalization, and the kind of hospitality that makes clients want to come back — not just because their hair looks great, but because the experience itself is worth it.
Where We Started
We opened in 2015 as a franchised location of 18|8 Fine Men’s Salons — a national brand whose name came from the formula for 18|8 grade stainless steel: 18% chromium, 8% nickel. The formula was a metaphor: the right elements, combined with precision, create something stronger, more refined, and built to last. We believed in that idea completely.
From the beginning, we held ourselves to the highest standards the franchise set — standards that, frankly, many other locations around the country weren’t meeting. We cared about the details. We invested in our team. We treated every client like they were the only appointment on the books.
And then, in 2019, the franchisor filed for bankruptcy.
Earning Our Independence
When the bankruptcy court granted us independence in 2020, it wasn’t just a legal outcome — it was a decision we’d already made in practice. We had always operated as if the brand’s reputation rested entirely on what happened inside our four walls, because for our clients, it did.
Independence gave us the chance to protect that reputation formally. To build something that couldn’t be diminished by what happened elsewhere. To put our own name on what we’d built.
The question was: what should that name be?
WHY
We’ve always felt comfortable with numbers as part of a name. 18|8 worked because the number meant something — it wasn’t decoration, it was substance. We wanted the same for whatever came next.
Our first instinct was to name ourselves after the year Barrington, Illinois was founded. That’s our community, and we’re proud to be part of it. But the year was 1865, and the associations with that year are deeply inconsistent with everything our brand stands for. So we kept looking.
What we found was 1924 — the year that 18|8 grade stainless steel was invented.
It was a perfect fit. The number honored the 18|8 lineage and the transformation metaphor we’d built our culture around. And the decade itself — the 1920s — was one of the most transformative periods in modern history: the rise of aviation, the birth of broadcast radio, the golden age of American sports, a sweeping reimagining of what everyday life could look like. It was an era that rewarded ambition, craftsmanship, and the willingness to raise your standards.
That’s the spirit we wanted to carry forward. So 1924 Fine Men’s Salon it was.
What We’re Most Proud Of
While we’re honored by the awards we’ve received and proud of what we’ve built, those aren’t the accomplishments that matter most to us.
What we’re most proud of is seeing team members build careers, buy homes, get married, raise families, and create lives they’re proud of while helping our clients look and feel their best.
Because in the end, 1924 was never built around haircuts alone. It was built around people.
Recognized for Raising the Standard
2024 Best Barbershop and Best Hair Salon in the Chicago Suburbs
2025 Best Hair Salon and Best Barbershop in the Chicago Suburbs
2026 Best Hair Salon and Best Barbershop in the Chicago Suburbs
Our Philosophy
“The way you look influences the way you feel. The way you feel influences the way you show up in the world.”
That belief is the foundation of everything we do at 1924.
We don’t think grooming is vanity. We think it’s an investment — in your confidence, your professionalism, and your sense of self. And we believe the experience of getting there should feel as good as the result.
That’s why we’ve built an environment where nothing is rushed, nothing is impersonal, and nothing is transactional. Every service starts with a real consultation. Every stylist and barber is trained to listen, advise, and execute with precision. Every visit is designed around you — not the next appointment.
Our Approach to Men’s Grooming
Men’s grooming is our only focus — not an add-on, not an afterthought. Our stylists and barbers receive advanced training in men’s haircutting, modern barbering, scissor technique, fades, texture, beard grooming, styling, and consultation. Every service follows a detailed process built around precision, consistency, and results that hold up between visits.
We work with all hair types, all styles, and all goals. From the executive who wants a polished professional look to the client who’s been frustrated by years of inconsistent haircuts, our team’s job is the same: to help you find something that fits your face, your life, and your confidence.
And then to replicate it, every single time.
Visit Us in Barrington, Illinois
1924 Fine Men’s Salon is located in Barrington, Illinois, and proudly serves clients from throughout the northwest suburbs — including Lake Zurich, South Barrington, Inverness, Palatine, Arlington Heights, Cary, Crystal Lake, and surrounding communities.
If you’re ready for a grooming experience that’s been built around you, we’d be honored to earn your chair.
