THE 45-MINUTE RESET: Why My Haircuts Are Therapeutic (Even If I Don’t Vent)
May 16, 2025
There’s a quote floating around from Iman Shumpert that hits hard:
“For most Black men, your therapy is that 45-minute haircut.”
And while I don’t pull up to the barber chair unloading my life story, I get it. Fully.
Because every time I sit down for a cut, it’s like the world shuts up for a second. The stress of money, women, art deadlines, court appearances, family tension—none of that exists for 45 minutes. No opinions, no battles. Just clippers buzzing, shape-ups sharpening, and a stillness that’s hard to find anywhere else.
I don’t need to talk about my problems in the chair—because what happens in that space is deeper than conversation. It’s ritual. It’s reset. It’s the moment before I go back outside and kick life’s ass.
I had a song back in the day called “Mickey’s Parlor” everyone loved when I said, “Clean cut, compliments go to my barber…” lol
And yeah, it’s different for me too—because my barber is a woman.
There’s something about her precision and energy that adds a whole extra layer of healing. The way she moves with care, how she’s focused on details most wouldn’t notice. That feminine touch—it’s something a lot of men never get to experience regularly unless they’re in a relationship. For me, it’s both business and art. And honestly? It’s a form of grace.
So no—I don’t vent. I don’t spill my guts. But I leave that chair lighter. Sharper. Aligned.
Haircuts don’t just clean me up—they remind me who I am.
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