Keeping Up With the Game

Southern Nevada sports fans can watch sports in a variety of venues ranging from the obvious (home and sports bars) to the only-in-Nevada (sports books).

But, for valley sports fans who wish to attend to their tonsorial needs without missing even a minute of this weekend's big games, there's Sport Clips, a nationwide guy-friendly, sports-heavy hair-cutting chain that currently has five outlets in Southern Nevada.

The company's menu of cut-and-service options bears appropriately sporty-type names: The Junior Varsity, the Varsity, the Triple Play and the MVP. Stylists' uniforms bring to mind referee attire. Sports memorabilia is the sole interior design theme, and waiting room reading material consists almost exclusively of copies of Sports Illustrated.

But -- and make a note, as March Madness reaches its peak -- best of all are the TV monitors at each cutting station that enable customers to de-bushify their 'dos while watching every layup.

Gregory Fisher, Sport Clips area developer, says the idea is to employ the sports theme as verbal shorthand, to convey to men that "this is your place, this is a place you can feel comfortable in."

It seems fair. After all, notes Kurt Hansen, an area team leader, "there are a million places in town that cater to women."

Any barber shop lives or dies on the basis of its service, and Sport Clips is no exception to the rule.

"Basically, people come in for a good haircut," Fisher says.

"We're not a come-watch-the-game store. We're a hair-cutting store. That's our minimum standard."

Then, he says, "our goal is to wow them on top of that."

Key to that effort are Sport Clips' stylists.

"Most of them are what I call guy's kind of girls," Fisher says. "They have a lot of brothers, they were daddy's girl growing up. They like working with men. They didn't enjoy their experience in full-service salons or unisex salons. They want to be here with the guys."

And, he notes, "most of them are pretty knowledgeable about sports."

Brie Gregory, who works at the chain's southwest location at 7225 S. Durango Drive, has worked in other salons in town but prefers Sport Clips, "just because I like it that we basically pamper men. It's a fun environment."

Occasionally, the combination of hair-cutting and sports-watching does pose a unique styling challenge. Once, Gregory says, "I did have a guy jump out of his seat. You know how they get when they don't make a basket or whatever? I didn't expect that one."

Another attraction, Fisher says, is that Sport Clips offers a few services regular barber shops don't. For instance, the top-of-the-line package, the MVP, includes a cut, a shampoo and scalp massage, a hot towel and facial massage, and a neck and shoulder massage for $20.

New customer Chad Mitchell, 31, of Las Vegas, says he enjoys "just getting pampered, with the massage. You can't beat that."

Ryan Hamann of Las Vegas says that, for the price of a basic haircut elsewhere, "I'll get the massage and the face wrap and all that."

Beyond that, says Hamann, 23, "the people here are good, and I like to be able to watch sports, too. I don't get too much time; I work grave shift, so I don't see sports."

A few customers have offered ways to take the chain's sports-and-cut combo even further.

Some have jokingly suggested that beer be served, Hansen says. "And we get a lot of: 'The only thing you need is a little Leroy's (sports betting) station.' "

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0280.