Courtenay’s Centennial: Bathing Barbers

Throughout this year, the museum newsletter will be providing glimpses into the back story on the City’s Incorporation, history and development.

Bathing Barbers

Early barber shops in Courtenay also served as bath houses. In the 1914 Courtenay Review newspaper, the “Comox Barber Shop” listed itself as the oldest shop in Courtenay and provided bathing facilities. Bill Sutliff’s “Courtenay Barber Shop” located on 5th Street between Duncan and Cliffe Avenues also offered use of a tub right up into the 1920s.