TIFTON — The 1974 Beard Oil Company, located at 614 N. Central Ave., is owned by Ricky Day, a licensed master barber.

Day, who has held a variety of jobs, including law enforcement and truck driving, said that he was inspired to open his full service barbershop because of his personal experiences with growing a beard.

“Barbering and beards in general are a growing market right now,” he said. “A lot of people have grown beards for the first time in their lives and they don’t have any idea how to take care of it.”

He started off formulating and selling his own beard oil, then looking into barbering as a full-time job. He attended over a year of training to obtain his license.

“There is lots of training on that when I was in barber college,” he said. “How to trim and shape. People’s faces are all different shapes and sizes, so you learn how to read faces and figure out what accentuates that person.”

He opened his barbershop in December 2017. The business is located in the same building as two other salons, and Day said that the owners, Toni Phillips and Jann Bennett, have been very supportive of his fledgling barbershop.

“After years of going to the salon, people are finding their way back into the barbershop,” he said. “There’s an element of nostalgia that goes along with it, which is one of the things I’m trying to make a part of the experience. It is an experience when you come in here, and that’s what I’m going for.”

Day said that he got his first haircut at Hollis’ Barbershop.

“I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t say that he had an influence on me,” he said. “I’ve always found interest in it even before I knew it’s what I wanted to be when I grew up.”

He specializes in what he calls “beard work,” or shaping and maintaining facial hair, as well as haircuts and giving shaves with a straight razor.

Day offers a package he calls “the works.” The experience begins with a haircut, after which the client is treated to a facial and an old-fashioned shave with hot towels, a straight razor and aftershave, or a beard treatment.

He said that while a lot of his clients enjoy the full experience, he also feels men who may have a hard time shaving themselves would benefit from the services he provides.

Jaime Patrick, one of Day’s clients who was getting “the works,” said that the straight razor shave was what drew him in.

“I’ve heard so much about it and never had one,” he said. “I did it about a month ago and my skin felt like a baby face. My wife was like “you’re going back to do that, right?’ It was just a great experience.”

Brandon Medley, who was also in the shop for “the works,” said that he has worn a beard for years and didn’t really know how to take care of it properly.

“There’s not a lot of ways men can be pampered, so I enjoy it,” he said.

Day is open Monday through Friday by appointment, with “walk-in Wednesdays” being open to anyone without an appointment. He also has open hours on Sunday after church, from 2-8 p.m.

“A lot of folks work out of town and Sunday is their day to get their life together before they start all over again,” Day said. He said he’s had a lot of success with the Sunday hours.

For more information contact Ricky Day at (229) 326-8465.

Follow Eve Guevara on Twitter @EveGuevaraTTG.