Questions
Straight answers.
Prices, booking, the policy, and the two or three things this shop does not do. If something you need is missing, ask in the chat and it will end up on this page.
Booking
- Do you take walk-ins?
- No. Onyx & Aurum is appointment only, so there is no walk-in queue and no waiting on a bench hoping a chair opens. Your slot is yours, and there is a seat in the room for whoever comes with you.
- How do I book?
- Online, on the booking page of this site, which runs on Booksy, or in the Booksy app. Pick the service and the time that suits you. A card on file holds the chair, and no deposit is taken.
- How far ahead can I book?
- Up to 30 days. Booksy shows and books openings 30 days out at a time, and a new day opens every day as that window moves forward. If the date you want is further out than that, check back closer to it.
- Do I need a card on file?
- Yes, a card on file is required to book, and no deposit is taken. The card is only ever charged if you cancel or move with less than two hours’ notice, arrive more than ten minutes late, or do not show at all. Either way it is the full price of the service booked.
- What happens if I am running late?
- There is a ten-minute grace. Inside those ten minutes you will still be seen, though the cut may be trimmed to fit the time that is left. Later than that and the appointment is rebooked and charged the same as a late cancellation, which is the full price of the service booked.
- What is the cancellation policy?
- Two hours’ notice to cancel or move an appointment, and that is one window for every reason. It is a short window on purpose, when most shops ask for a day. Inside it, or for a no-show, the full price of the service booked is charged to the card on file.
- How do I cancel or move an appointment?
- Use the link in your Booksy confirmation or the Booksy app. A text or chat message doesn’t cancel or move an appointment. With at least two hours’ notice there is nothing to settle.
- Can I call or text the shop?
- Yes. Call or text (406) 709-5931. Calls and texts are answered by the shop’s automated assistant, which answers questions and passes messages on to the shop. Booking, canceling and moving appointments happen in Booksy.
- I woke up sick. Am I charged the full price?
- Not if you cancel or move it in time. Do it in Booksy, from the link in your confirmation or the Booksy app, as soon as you know: a text or chat message doesn’t cancel or move an appointment. With at least two hours’ notice there is nothing to settle, sick or not. Inside two hours the full price applies for any reason, which is why the window is kept this short.
- How can I pay?
- Cash or card. Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay all run through Square, and credit cards carry a 2.6% surcharge to cover what the card costs to process, never more than that. Debit cards and cash carry none. The card on file that books your appointment is separate from how you pay on the day: at checkout you can pay in cash or with any card.
The haircut
- How much is a men’s haircut?
- A men’s haircut is $40 and books a 40-minute slot. That includes the blow-dry and styling, and it includes bald and skin fades: there is no separate price for a longer fade.
- How long does a men’s haircut take?
- Forty minutes. A buzz cut is twenty, a haircut with a beard trim is sixty, and a haircut with a steam shave is seventy-five.
- What is included in every haircut?
- Every cut is finished the same way, buzz cuts included, whoever is in the chair: brows, nose and ears detailed, a hot-lather neck shave, then a hot towel and a shoulder rub. That finish is not an add-on and is never sold back to you.
- Do you do bald fades and skin fades?
- Yes, at the same $40 as any other men’s haircut. The 40-minute slot exists so a bald fade has the time it needs rather than a separate line on the menu.
- What is the difference between a buzz to the skin and a razor head shave?
- A buzz cut can be taken down to the skin with a foil shaver for $5 more. The Razor Head Shave is a full straight-razor shave of the scalp, with pre-shave oil, hot towels, hot lather and a straight razor. It is $50 and books a 40-minute slot.
- Do you cut long hair, or only short?
- Both. A men’s haircut is cut to you and finished with a blow-dry and styling, whatever the length.
- What if I do not know what to ask for?
- Bring a photo, or say what you liked and did not like about the last one. The guide on this site walks through fade heights, tapers and beard lines in plain language, but nobody is expected to arrive fluent.
- Do you cut boys’ hair?
- Yes, at any age, with no minimum. A boy’s haircut is the same price as a men’s haircut. One honest note about the very young: a finished haircut cannot be guaranteed. Little boys move, and some decide partway through that they have had enough. If the chair stops being a good experience for him, the haircut stops, and we try again another day.
Beards and shaves
- What is the difference between a beard trim and a shave?
- The deluxe beard trim is $30 and shapes and details the beard, with the edges cleaned with hot lather and a straight razor, finished with aftershave and beard oil or balm. The hot towel steam shave is $50 and takes the face down with pre-shave oil, steam, hot towels, hot lather and a straight razor.
- What is a cleanup?
- Brows, nose and ears detailed, and the neck tidied between haircuts. It does not touch the front hairline, which is the razor line-up. It is $15 and books its own fifteen minutes, because it takes its own time, or it can be added to a steam shave or beard trim.
- What is a razor line-up?
- The front hairline and temples shaped and finished with a straight razor. It is $15 and fifteen minutes, added to any haircut, buzz cut, steam shave or beard trim, combos included.
What is and is not on the menu
- Do you color hair or blend gray?
- No. Color, gray blending, perms and relaxers are chemical services, and the license this shop operates under is Barber Nonchemical, which covers everything else. It is a straight answer rather than a preference.
- Do you wax nose and ear hair?
- No. Nose and ear hair is trimmed, and that trim is part of the detailing included in every haircut. Waxing is an esthetics service under Montana law and sits outside this license.
- Do you offer discounts?
- Military, veterans, police, fire, EMS and anyone 65 or over take $5 off a men’s haircut, and off the Haircut & Beard and Haircut & Steam Shave combos (not buzz cuts, beard trims, packages or retail). We may ask for proof at the shop. Tell us once and it stays on your file. It is applied at the chair rather than through the booking page.
The shop
- Where do I park?
- Street parking on Sixth Avenue West, and there is not much of it. Leave yourself a few minutes, or park a block out and walk in. There is no lot.
- Where is the shop?
- 45 6th Ave W, Unit 4, Kalispell, Montana 59901. Unit 4 faces the street, between Red Poppy Gluten Free Bakery and JMK Photography, and the door is labeled.
- Is the shop wheelchair accessible?
- Yes. Unit 4 is street-facing and wheelchair accessible.
- Are you Montana’s Okayest Barber?
- Same barber. Gus has been behind a chair in Kalispell for years and Montana’s Okayest Barber is his own name for himself. Onyx & Aurum is the shop. The name on the door is new; the chair is not.
- Can I bring someone with me?
- Yes. There is a seat in the room for a partner, a parent or whoever came along. There is no waiting queue, but there is somewhere to sit.
- Is there coffee or water while I’m there?
- Yes, on the house and never on the bill: coffee made fresh by the cup, still or sparkling water, and something small and sweet at the counter. There is guest Wi-Fi, and two restrooms just down the hallway.
- Do you sell hair products?
- Yes. The shop carries Reuzel, the full line. Stock is deliberately small to begin with and grows toward whatever people actually come back for.
Still deciding
Not sure what to ask for?
Fade heights, tapers, beard lines and the three numbers that actually matter, in plain language.