ALTAMONT — A barber’s pole is turning in the front window of the Re-Nue Spa at 119 Maple Avenue. In the back of the building — with its own side entrance — is a barber shop.

The decor in the tidy new shop is in sharp contrast to the decidedly feminine spa in front. “I wanted to give it a vintage feel to go with the Victorian village of Altamont,” says Rhonda Flansburg who owns the spa with her life partner, Barry Gasparro. She points to antique barber tools she has framed and hung on the wall.

The barber himself, though, is thoroughly modern. Derek Toussaint, 28, tried several jobs — starting with waiting tables when he was 16. He also sold cars, sold life insurance, and worked at the post office.

“I’ve been trying for years to figure out what I want to do...I want to get up every day and want to go to work with a smile on my face,” said Toussaint.

He found what he wanted at the Austin’s School of Spa Technology on Central Avenue in Albany. After completing the 600-hour course, he passed the test to be certified as a master barber.

His classmates gave him the barber’s name D Cutz, he said, explaining barbers each have their own handle.

Toussaint’s favorite barber is from Chicago and goes by the name Los Cutit. “I don’t know his real name. I follow his work on Instagram,” he said. Toussaint got to meet him at a barbers’ convention in Albany.

He gets out his cellphone to display a picture of himself, D Cutz, with his hero, Los Cutit.

Toussaint offers a variety of services, including a hot shave for $15. “It’s an old-school part of barbering,” he explains. “You use a hot towel to open pores and you use a straight razor for the smoothest  and closest shave.”

He also gives barber facials for $10. For 10 to 15 minutes, he massages a customer’s face with cleansing cream. “It’s good for the pores and the skin, and it’s relaxing,” he said.

A beard trim costs $7, a shampoo costs $5, and a haircut costs $15. People over 60, veterans, and kids under 12 get haircuts for $10. Toussaint also has regular customers punch a card; after nine cuts, the 10th is free.

The shop features products from Zorian of New York and from Roosevelt Grooming Company, which is local.

Nearby, is a screened-off section of the shop where April Jubrey does hand-grooming for men for $20 and foot grooming for $45.

Appointments can be made for any of these services, and walk-ins are also welcome. Toussaint officially started on Feb. 2. “On my first day, I had eight customers,” he said. “It takes a while to build clientele.”

Toussaint said he can work from a patron’s description of how he wants his hair or beard to look. A poster framed on the barber shop wall shows dozens of different beard styles. “But I love it if someone shows me a picture,” Toussaint said. “It makes it easier for me to give them what they want.”

Two of Toussaint “all-time favorite movies,” he said, are “Barbershop” and “Barbershop 2.” “They show you the atmosphere of a barber shop,” he explained.

Toussaint said of his new trade, “It’s an art and a craft. It’s important. People want to look good. I fell in love with the atmosphere...I love talking to people. We talk about man things, like girls and sports.”

He hung up a picture in the shop from his father of an important moment in football for him. “I’m a huge Giants fan,” said Toussaint. The picture is from the 2007 Super Bowl game where the undefeated Patriots were playing the Giants.

“If the Patriots beat the Giants, they would have had the only undefeated season in the history of the NFL,” he said.

The framed picture shows David Tyree, number 85, catching the football. “He wasn’t a very popular player; he just made the play of his life,” said Toussaint.

Toussaint was 19 when he watched that game. “It was one of the best games I have ever seen or will ever see,” he said. “It gives me chills to this day.”