'Two bits' men's shave now runs $45

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The 1899 expression "Shave and a haircut, two bits," meaning 25 cents, is now up to $45 just for the shave in Washington.

The old fashioned barbering skill is seeing a resurgence in popularity in the U.S. capital, where the warm, moist towels, facial massage and hot creamy face-scraping is once again being offered, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The revival of the skill is due largely to the Art of Shaving chain, based in Miami, which recently opened a Washington "barbershop spa."

At the competing Grooming Lounge, men pay $115 for a 90-minute haircut and shave in rooms of dark wood and black leather where they are provided free beverages.

"It's just getting bigger and bigger," said Charles Kirkpatrick, executive director of National Barber Boards of America, an association of state licensing groups. "Some states had talked about doing away with the (exam) shaving requirement, but the shave is coming back in spas."