When it comes to pure talent, it’s fair to say that we have many entrepreneurs, creatives, and business owners in Hudson County that never cease to amaze us. That being said, once in a while, you meet someone that totally blows you away with not only their talent, but their kind and creative spirit. Recently, we got to sit down with Steven Torres, the new small business owner of the Hoboken men’s salon and barber shop Spesh, located at 932 Washington Street and experienced just that. Here’s a bit more about his new barber shop, Spesh, located in uptown Hoboken.

Upon walking into Spesh, it’s easy to see that a lot of care went into its ambiance. The shop is light, friendly, inviting, and has a slight edge — but totally unpretentious. {Editor’s note: When I arrived for our interview, there was a coffee from Bwè waiting for me. Totally unnecessary, but 100% appreciated. It’s the little things!} Steven was already busy at work with a client doing a shape up and trim.

“I just wanted to create a space that people want to come to and enjoy while they’re here. I created this space just to work and do hair,” he noted. Having worked in the hair industry for the last 10 years {eight of which he spent in Hoboken}, Steven has developed a loyal — dare we say cult? — of mostly men who seek out his #skillllz in cutting men’s hair of all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures.

While Spesh focuses mainly on men’s services {and children’s}, Steven and his four stylists also do pixie cuts and shaved side fades for women. Haircuts start at $30 and go up from there, and the salon offers an array of men’s services including shaves, beard blowouts {YES, BEARD BLOWOUTS for $15 and they’ll straighten the hair out in your beard}, and a variety of other things like gray blending, color, and texture services. “We pride ourselves on being affordable but our clients know that they’ll leave looking good. That’s the best part of my job. Helping people feel good and look good,” Steven shared with us. And as you can tell from looking at his Instagram {and clients in the flesh}, he’s put his money where his mouth is. Everyone looks impeccable after leaving his chair, and they keep coming back for more — some of his clients have been faithful for Steven’s entire span in Hoboken.

The coolest client he’s ever worked on? “Vic Mensa; Jay-Z signed this guy, and I got to cut his hair in Brooklyn. It was a pretty cool experience.” But celeb cuts, while impressive, aren’t the only thing that Steven is known for. Even though he was too modest to say, we did some social media digging and found out that he routinely cuts a local homeless man’s hair at his salon — just because. It was posted on a random passerby’s Instagram account, and was truly touching. Since a picture speaks 1000 words, here it is:

Steven just truly seems like an all-around cool guy, the type you definitely look forward to catching up with as he cuts your hair. Not to mention he’s talented AF, as evidenced by his Insta {follow @thespesh} and present client’s fresh-to-death haircut that looked really great post-scissors if we do say so ourselves. It’s no wonder Spesh already has 5 stars and dozens of reviews on Yelp and Google after a month or so of being open.

^Steven at his new front desk

Oh, and something that was very near and dear to our hearts: When asked about his feelings about man buns, Steven appears to be anti-bun, and added that he’ll “give anyone who wants to get rid of theirs a free cut.” How’s that for a little motivation to snip snip that extra shag?

When asked about his feelings about man buns, Steven appears to be anti-bun, and added that he’ll ‘give anyone who wants to get rid of theirs a free cut.’

^The Spesh mantra, found in the bathroom.

To schedule an appointment with Steven and his team, you can go online here to book.

Hours for Spesh:

Tues-Fri 11-9

Saturdays 9-5

Sunday 11-4

Definitely call ahead — Steven and his team get booked very quickly!

Have you gotten a haircut from Steven at Spesh? What did you think?

This post is sponsored, but all views are the author’s and truth be told, so many guys we know are religiously going to Steven for years {friends included} that his story needed to be shared STAT.