Was just here today. I have known Rafael for 28 years. It is always a highlight of my day when I get my haircut and chat with Rafael about the topics of the day. A few times I have also chatted with City Councilman Bill Rosendahl who lives in the area. Rafael never even knew the reporter had visited his shop. He found out later and Rafael's Brother has since framed the print article. It hangs just to the right of the door. Rafael is a class act! "Where cool never goes out of style" is more then a motto. It is Rafael and his nephew!
Comments (0) Best Old-School Westside Barber - 2011
L&R Barbershop's Rafael Victorin
It's a little funny that, just a few doors down from the relatively new Floyd's 99 Barbershop in Mar Vista, stuffed with hipsters blithely getting $30-plus hair treatment in a chain-store environment that tries painfully to re-create simpler times, there's the real thing: L&R Barbershop, where Rafael Victorin runs the show alongside his haircutting nephew, has been standing on Grand View Boulevard in downtown Mar Vista since 1940, and it shows. The patina of old black-and-white clippings and photos on the walls (in one, a group of young, James Dean–looking hot-rodders) speaks to authenticity. And, like a Concours-winning, classic muscle car, this is no re-creation. Step in and Victorin will put you at ease and give you a razor-sharp trim while, at the same time, he recounts the top stories in the morning newspaper like a true anchorman. While you're there, you might run into local City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who's a regular. The shop's motto is, "Where cool never goes out of style." Neither does a $12 haircut. 3823 Grand View Blvd., Mar Vista. (310) 390-1381.
—Dennis Romero





























