ST. FRANCIS — Believe it or not, there’s a place in Wisconsin where the ocean beckons you, the sand under your feet is heavenly, and the tropical air kisses your skin.
You just have to go to a strip mall to find it.
“When it was like negative 10 outside a couple weeks ago, you come in here, you escape to the, you know, South Seas or wherever you want to feel like you are," Zach Marsh, the owner of Southpaw Barbershop in St. Francis, said.
Marsh is tantalized by tiki culture. So, he decided to turn his barbershop into his own island getaway. It’s the only barbershop of its kind in Wisconsin.
“I think people need a place to go to feel like they can get away from stuff. I mean, that’s part of the beauty of tiki, in my opinion. They call it the escapism," Marsh said.
His love for tiki culture is relatively new, actually, and the barbershop has only looked like this for about three years.
“I just like that paradise vibe, and I get asked a lot, oh, you must travel a lot, somewhat, but never to those places yet. It’s a bucket list," Marsh said.
Even though the space has only been decorated in the tiki theme for a few years, it’s already well known. He’s had clients come from all over the country and even Austria. Yea, even people in the Austrian Alps are wishing they were catching a wave and hanging ten.
The tiki vibe brings in people like Michael Reese. He’s not the guy from Austria, though.
“When I saw there was a tiki barbershop in the area, I gotta check this place out, and I’ve been coming ever since. It’s been a few years now because Zach is a really great guy. We’ve become friends through all of this, and then on top of that, get great haircuts.”
The shop is a little hidden, actually. It’s located at the back of his sister’s shop, Serendipity Salon and Spa.
“I don’t want to be such a hidden gem that nobody finds me, but I also like that it’s kind of speakeasy-ish," Marsh said.
To answer your question, no, tiki cocktails are not sold here.
The barbershop is a great way to bring like-minded tiki fans together, but he wants to make the scene even bigger, so he started the Milwaukee Tiki Community.
“To get a space where people can meet online. Then we usually meet at Foundation, which is a really unique, awesome tiki bar.”
That’s when they get together for jungle birds, mai tais, and piña coladas.
The barbershop, though, is Marsh's slice of paradise. Sure, physically, he is in a strip mall in St. Francis, but mentally, he’s on a beach, sitting under a coconut tree, watching the waves crash on the shore.
Watch the story to see all the tiki decorations inside Southpaw Barbershop...
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