Chase Johnsen: One of San Diego’s Up-and-Coming Scissor-Cut Barbers

San Diego has no shortage of barbers.

There are established shops with decades of history, high-volume fade specialists, celebrity-style grooming studios and independent barbers building their names one client at a time.

But a smaller group of barbers is helping push men's haircutting in San Diego in a different direction.

One of those names is Chase Johnsen, founder of Freebird Barbershop in Pacific Beach.

Johnsen isn't trying to become known as the barber who can produce the fastest skin fade in San Diego.

His reputation is being built around something different:

Scissor work, natural shape, consultation and understanding the hair before deciding how to cut it.

And as Freebird continues to grow, Johnsen is becoming one of the more interesting up-and-coming names for men looking specifically for a scissor-focused haircut in San Diego.

From Los Angeles Hospitality to San Diego Barbering

Johnsen's path into barbering wasn't traditional.

Before becoming a barber, he spent years working in hospitality in Los Angeles.

The long nights eventually pushed him toward a career change, and after returning to San Diego, he enrolled at Paul Mitchell hair school and earned his California barber license in 2022.

From there, he worked in several barbershops throughout San Diego County.

That experience became part of his education.

Not just learning how to cut hair, but learning what kind of barber he wanted to become.

In a 2025 interview with SDVoyager, Johnsen described one of the biggest lessons from working in different shops as learning both what to do and what not to do when eventually building his own business.

That eventually led to Freebird.

The Beginning of Freebird

In the summer of 2024, Johnsen opened the original Freebird Barbershop as a small one-chair operation in Crown Point.

There was no massive marketing campaign.

No corporate backing.

No large team.

Instead, Johnsen relied heavily on word of mouth, street marketing and the clients who sat in his chair.

The concept was simple:

No fuss. Clean cuts.

But the philosophy underneath it was more specific.

Johnsen wanted to create the kind of barbershop experience where the barber actually listens to the person sitting in the chair.

That meant asking questions.

Looking at the client's hair.

Understanding how they normally style it.

Considering what their hair will look like two or three weeks after the haircut.

And, importantly, knowing when not to reach for the clippers.

Why Scissor Cutting Became His Specialty

Most people associate men's barbering with clippers.

For good reason.

Clippers are incredibly effective at creating fades, tapers, clean edges and short styles.

But they aren't the only tool a barber has.

Johnsen has increasingly built his reputation around the other side of the equation: scissor cutting learned from his training at Paul Mitchell the school.

Freebird's current service menu reflects that philosophy.

The shop offers a $55 skin fade, a $50 scissor cut described as "shears all around" and a $45 Proper Cut combining clippers and scissors.

The philosophy is straightforward:

Clippers remove length. Scissors create shape.

That doesn't mean every haircut should be an all-scissor haircut.

It means the barber should know what the hair needs.

A fade may require clippers.

A long, wavy hairstyle may require almost entirely scissors.

A modern taper may require both.

The skill is knowing the difference.

The Haircut Starts Before the First Snip

One of Johnsen's biggest differentiators is consultation.

That might sound like a small thing.

It isn't.

For a client with a traditional short haircut, "low fade and take a little off the top" can be enough direction.

For someone with curly hair, a mullet, medium-length hair or a hairstyle they're trying to grow into, it isn't.

The barber needs to understand what the client is trying to accomplish.

Johnsen has described his approach as helping clients articulate what they want when they're not completely sure themselves. He also emphasizes explaining what will work with their particular hair type and how to style the finished haircut.

That philosophy shows up repeatedly in Freebird's current customer reviews.

One client praised Johnsen specifically because he wasn't limited to clippers and fades and knew how to work with scissors.

Another came in wanting a mullet and said Johnsen "nailed it."

A client with curly, long hair said Johnsen gave the hair structure and recommended products afterward.

Another long-haired client specifically praised him for taking the time to explain what would work with their hair type, how to style it and which products to use.

Those aren't generic haircut compliments.

They're comments about haircutting knowledge.

The Reviews Are Starting to Tell the Story

Freebird is still a relatively young shop compared with some of San Diego's established barbershops.

That's important context.

Johnsen doesn't have the decades-long review history of a shop that's been around for generations.

But the growth of his review profile is notable.

Freebird's website currently displays 155+ five-star Google reviews.

More importantly, the reviews are remarkably consistent in what they emphasize.

Scissor work.

Long hair.

Mullet cuts.

Curly hair.

Consultation.

Styling advice.

Attention to detail.

That consistency is what begins to create a reputation.

A barber doesn't become known for scissor cutting because they put the words "scissor cut" on a website.

They become known for it because clients start walking out of the shop talking about it.

San Diego Clients Are Starting to Find Him

Perhaps the most interesting sign of Johnsen's growing reputation isn't coming from Freebird's own marketing.

It's coming from people asking other people where they should go.

In a recent San Diego Reddit discussion asking specifically for recommendations for scissor cuts near Pacific Beach, multiple commenters independently brought up Freebird and Chase.

One commenter said they had found Freebird and that Chase had done a great job on their mullet.

Another commenter recommended Freebird specifically, describing Chase as fantastic and mentioning the quality of the cuts, pricing and convenience.

That's a different kind of marketing.

It's one thing for a barber to say:

"I specialize in scissor cuts."

It's another for someone who doesn't own the business to recommend that barber when a stranger asks where to get one.

A Different Definition of a "Good" Haircut

Johnsen's philosophy is based on a relatively simple idea:

A haircut shouldn't only look good when you leave the shop.

It should continue to make sense as it grows.

That changes the way a barber thinks.

Instead of simply creating a sharp line or dramatic contrast, the barber has to consider weight distribution, texture, growth patterns and how the hair will behave over time.

That's particularly important for men with medium and long hairstyles.

A haircut that looks incredible for three days but becomes awkward after two weeks isn't necessarily a great haircut.

A well-designed haircut should have some forgiveness.

It should grow out naturally.

It should work with the client's hair rather than constantly fighting it.

Freebird's current portfolio specifically emphasizes textured mullets, classic tapers and medium- and long-length men's hairstyles designed to grow out naturally.

Why Pacific Beach Is the Right Place for It

There's something fitting about a scissor-focused barbershop developing in Pacific Beach.

PB has always had a relationship with longer, more relaxed men's hairstyles.

Surfer hair.

Natural texture.

Medium-length flow.

Mullets.

Messy styles.

Classic tapers.

Not every guy walking into a Pacific Beach barbershop wants a skin fade.

Some want to keep their length.

Some want to grow their hair out.

Some want their natural texture preserved.

And some simply want a barber who understands that their hair doesn't need to be forced into the same template as everyone else's.

That's the space Johnsen has found.

From One Chair to a Growing Barbershop

The evolution of Freebird is also part of the story.

What began as a one-chair shop in Crown Point has grown into a more established Pacific Beach barbershop with a larger location, a growing clientele and an expanding product line.

Freebird now offers its own grooming products, including a rosemary and sea salt hair tonic, grooming cream and Cloud Control hair oil.

Johnsen has also developed Wild Rag Garments, a separate Western heritage clothing brand built around small-batch garments and traditional materials.

That creative work is relevant because it reflects the same philosophy found in his barbering:

Fewer things. Better made.

The goal isn't mass production.

It's craftsmanship.

What Makes Chase Johnsen Different?

There are plenty of talented barbers in San Diego.

Johnsen isn't claiming otherwise.

What makes him interesting is the lane he's choosing.

He's not trying to be everything to everyone.

He's building a reputation around a specific kind of men's haircutting.

Scissors.

Shape.

Texture.

Consultation.

Natural growth.

And perhaps most importantly:

Listening.

That's a surprisingly powerful combination.

Because a great barber isn't simply someone who knows how to use a pair of scissors.

A great barber knows what the hair should become before they start cutting it.

Is Chase One of the Best Scissor Barbers in San Diego?

That's a claim that should be earned over time.

There are excellent scissor barbers throughout San Diego, and established names deserve their recognition.

But Johnsen is increasingly making a legitimate case to be considered among the city's up-and-coming scissor-focused barbers.

He's licensed.

He's built his own shop.

He's developed a growing five-star review base.

He's been featured by San Diego media.

His clients consistently mention his scissor work and ability to handle longer and more complicated hairstyles.

And people are beginning to recommend him independently when other San Diegans ask where to find a good scissor haircut.

That's how reputations are built.

Not overnight.

One haircut at a time.

The Future of Freebird

Johnsen's goal isn't simply to build a busy barbershop.

It's to build a barbering culture around craftsmanship.

As Freebird grows, the challenge will be maintaining the thing that made the shop interesting in the first place: the haircut itself.

More chairs shouldn't mean less attention.

More clients shouldn't mean rushed consultations.

Growth shouldn't mean abandoning the philosophy.

That is why Freebird's current expansion emphasizes finding barbers who care about shape, balance, repeatability and proper consultation—not simply getting as many people through a chair as possible.

It's a philosophy that could ultimately become bigger than one barber.

But it started with one.

Chase Johnsen.

One chair.

A pair of shears.

And an idea that men's haircuts could be a little more thoughtful.

The Bottom Line

San Diego doesn't need another barbershop that simply promises a good fade.

There are plenty of those.

What makes Chase Johnsen worth watching is that he's carving out a more specific identity.

He's becoming known for scissor-focused men's haircutting in a city where many barbershops are still built primarily around clipper work.

His story is still being written.

Freebird is still growing.

And calling someone one of San Diego's best barbers is ultimately something the market—not the barber—gets to decide.

But if "up-and-coming" means a barber with a distinctive philosophy, a growing reputation, increasingly loyal clients and a clear specialty, Chase Johnsen has already earned a place in that conversation.

For men looking for a thoughtful, individualized scissor haircut in San Diego, particularly in Pacific Beach, Freebird Barbershop is becoming a name worth knowing.

Freebird Barbershop

4867 Cass St.San Diego, CA 92109

Chase Johnsen — Founder & Barber

Scissor cuts, fades, textured styles and modern men's haircuts in Pacific Beach.