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Rocker Dad Doubles as House Call 'Hair Whisperer'

By Janet Upadhye | January 27, 2014 7:11am
 Lucas Radcliffe shows up at the doorstep of his clients with a full-service haircutting kit.
Rocker Dad Makes Haircut House Calls
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FORT GREENE — He rocks out on his guitar by night and gives killer cuts by day.

Lucas Radcliffe — a Bed-Stuy dad and member of the Six Machine rock band — said he makes his living by delivering professional haircuts to the doorsteps of hundreds of regular clients in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

His chair-side manner with young kids has become so admired it's earned him the name "The Hair Whisperer" among customers.

"I was trained at a high-end salon — Dop Dop Salon — and came up with the idea to take my services to people who can't leave the house, primarily new moms," he said.

"My clients are used to getting certain types of haircuts but can't bring their kids to the salon. It's easier for the cuts to come to them."

The hair stylist — who currently sports a fauxhawk — has never advertised his services. Clients find out about him primarily through neighborhood parent listservs where the buzz about his rocker style, fashionable cuts, friendly attitude and ease with children has spread over the last five years.

"People talk about me on the parent boards," he said. "That's how it started."

Radcliffe is so popular on the mommy and daddy boards that his tardiness for an appointment a few years back sparked a controversy that local blog Brooklyn Based called "Hairgate."

Still, Radcliffe, who is in his 40s, is considered a haircut genius by local parents based on his ability to make little ones feel at ease in his chair and his experience giving children their first haircuts.

His reputation, in fact, inspired an original song by a local dad with lyrics "Don’t be late Lucas, it’s my first haircut, ‘Cause my mother will be waiting with her camera and her smiles, And you only get one first time, And this is mine."

As new babies are born, Radcliffe's client list has grown, helping it become a reliable bread-and-butter gig.

Radcliffe's rates — $55 for a parent’s cut, $100 dollars for color, and $25 for a child — and his policy of one free children's haircut per household, have helped keep his appointment book full.

He's also got big dreams for the future.

"I plan to have a mobile haircutting van decked out with color walls, two chairs and a sink," he said. "I'll tweet out the location, go to a park, and the children can play while they wait for a cut."