The lunch hour in Midtown is not really an hour. It is forty five minutes after the meeting runs long, and most men spend it eating at a desk. A haircut in that window sounds ambitious until you look at a map. Grand Central sits at 42nd and Park. We sit on 34th between Park and Lexington. That walk is about eight minutes, and we have been timing it on clients for years.
Here is how the 30 minutes works. Eight minutes down Park or Lexington, into the chair, a line up or a fade or a hot towel shave, and eight minutes back. The chair time is the variable, and we cover it below with real prices and times. Deja Vu Barbershop takes walk ins all day and takes online bookings for men who want the chair waiting when they arrive at 12:15.
Yes, a lunch break haircut from Grand Central works
It works because the walk is short and the shop is built for men on a clock. Eight minutes each way leaves a real window in the chair, and a licensed barber who does this every weekday does not waste it.
The men who do this regularly are in law, finance, consulting and the hospitals along the East Side, and they have the same problem: a calendar with no room for a Saturday appointment, which is fine because we are closed Saturday anyway. They walk down at noon, sit, and walk back with a fresh fade and a hot towel neck finish that was included in the $35. The trick is not speed in the chair. The trick is not spending twenty minutes finding a shop and waiting for a barber who is finishing a long color job. Walk in or book, know what you want, and the window is plenty. Our guide on whether to wash your hair before a haircut covers the rest of the prep.
The route, minute by minute
Walk south from Grand Central on Park Avenue or Lexington Avenue to 34th Street. It is a straight shot either way, about eight minutes at a Midtown pace, and the shop is on the block between Park and Lexington.
- Minute 0. Leave your desk. If you are already in Grand Central, head out the south side toward Park Avenue.
- Minutes 1 to 8. Walk south on Park or Lexington. Lexington has more lunch spots if you want to grab something on the way back. Park is quieter and the lights line up better.
- Minute 8. Turn onto East 34th Street between Park and Lexington. The shop is on the block.
- Minutes 8 to 38. Chair time. A line up is quick, a hot towel shave is about 30 minutes, a fade sits between them depending on what you ask for.
- Minutes 38 to 46. Walk back the way you came, or take the 6 one stop from 33rd Street to Grand Central if it is raining.
If you are coming from the 6 train instead of the terminal, the 33rd Street stop at Park Avenue is about two minutes from the door, which turns the whole trip into a chair time problem and nothing else.
What fits in the window
A line up, a fade, a classic scissor cut or a hot towel shave all fit a lunch hour from Grand Central. The Royal Shave and the bigger packages want a longer break or an after work slot.
| Service | Price | Chair time | Lunch hour from Grand Central? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line up and edge up | $18 | Short | Yes, with time to eat |
| Fade haircut, any height | $35 | Depends on the cut | Yes |
| Classic scissor cut | $35 | Depends on the length | Yes |
| Beard trim and grooming | $18 | Short | Yes |
| Hot towel shave | $35 | About 30 minutes | Yes, 46 minutes door to door |
| Sharp Edge, line up plus beard | $30 | Short | Yes |
| Royal shave | $50 | About 45 minutes | Better after work |
| Full Refresh, fade, shave and beard | $75 | Longest on the menu | Book an evening |
Haircut times vary with the cut and the hair, which is why the table does not pretend otherwise. Our post on how long a haircut takes at a walk in barbershop goes into what makes one fade quicker than another. If you only have the 30 minutes and not a second more, the line up and edge up is the answer, and it is $18.
Walk in or book: the lunch hour move
Book online if your lunch is fixed. Walk in if it floats. Both work, and the shop takes walk ins all day, but a booking means the chair is yours at 12:15 instead of whenever the man before you finishes. If you book on a rhythm, our guide to how often you should get a haircut gives the interval for each style.
Walk ins are the shop’s default and most lunch clients never book. If you have a hard stop, though, a booking removes the one variable you cannot control, which is who walked in five minutes before you. Book the slot, walk down, sit. If you are walking in, the quieter stretch tends to be right after the noon rush settles, but every day is different and the only honest advice is to come when you can and tell the barber your deadline the moment you sit. Walk ins who say they need to be out by 12:50 get out by 12:50.
The before work and after work alternatives
The shop opens at 8am Monday to Friday and closes at 7pm. If lunch is impossible, the 8am chair before the office or the 6pm chair after it are the same eight minute walk with no clock running.
The 8am slot is popular with men who want to show up to a morning meeting with a fresh cut and have the shop mostly to themselves. The after work slot is where the Royal Shave and the Full Refresh live, because nobody is counting minutes at 6pm. Sunday from 10am to 5pm is the other option for a longer visit, and it is where most of our father and son appointments land. The hot towel shave at $35 and about 30 minutes is the service that fits any of these three windows without planning.
What to tell the barber when you are on a clock
Say your hard stop first, then the cut. A barber who knows you have twenty two minutes will plan the cut around it instead of discovering the problem when you start checking your phone.
- Give the time. Out by 12:50 is more useful than I am in a bit of a hurry.
- Name the cut. Mid fade, number 2 on the sides, scissor on top, same as last time. Specific orders are fast orders.
- Skip the debate. Lunch is not the day to try a new style. Try it at 6pm when there is time to talk it through.
- Keep the beard for next time unless it is a quick line, which the barber can fold into the cut.
- Pay as you sit if you are truly tight, so the end of the cut is the end of the visit. Our guide on how much to tip a barber in NYC covers that part of the bill.
Every haircut here ends with a hot towel on the neck. It takes a minute and it is the part men on a clock try to skip and then thank us for.
Coming from elsewhere in Midtown East
Grand Central is the most common starting point, but the shop sits on a transit knot and almost every office east of Fifth Avenue is within ten minutes of the chair.
| Starting point | How | Time to the door |
|---|---|---|
| 6 train, 33rd Street at Park Avenue | Walk | About 2 minutes |
| Grand Central, 4, 5, 6, 7, S, Metro North, LIRR | Walk south on Park or Lexington | About 8 minutes |
| 34th Street Herald Square, B, D, F, M | Walk east on 34th | About 9 minutes |
| M34 and M34A Select Bus | Stop at East 34th and Park | At the corner |
| M101, M102, M103 | Stop at Lexington and 34th | At the corner |
| M1 to M4 | Stop on Madison | Short walk east |
Men coming up from Gramercy or Kips Bay walk it in about the same time as the Grand Central crowd. Men coming from Turtle Bay or the far side of NoMad usually take the bus or the 6 one stop and save the legs for the walk back.
Deja Vu Barbershop, eight minutes from Grand Central
Walk down at noon, walk back by one, and nobody at the two o’clock meeting will know where you went. Deja Vu Barbershop is at 101 E 34th St between Park and Lexington in Murray Hill, two minutes from the 6 train at 33rd Street and about eight minutes from Grand Central. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm, closed Saturday.
Walk ins are always welcome, or book online so the chair is waiting. Call (212) 576-1062 if you want to check the wait before you leave the office. A fade is $35, a line up is $18, and the hot towel is included.
Questions readers ask
How far is the shop from Grand Central on foot?
About eight minutes, walking south on Park Avenue or Lexington Avenue to East 34th Street. The 6 train at 33rd Street is about two minutes from the door if you would rather ride one stop.
Can I get a haircut in a 45 minute lunch break?
Yes, from Grand Central or anywhere on the 6. Sixteen minutes of walking leaves close to thirty in the chair, which covers a line up, a fade, a scissor cut, a beard trim or a hot towel shave.
Is it faster to book or to walk in at lunch?
Booking guarantees the chair at your time. Walking in is fine most days, and telling the barber your hard stop as you sit keeps you on schedule either way.
What is the quickest service if I am short on time?
The line up and edge up at $18. It cleans the hairline and edges in a short visit and is the service our lunch regulars take when the meeting ran over.