When McDonald's sought to promote the launch of its new oatmeal breakfast, the fast-food chain decided to hark back to a simpler time. Few places are more iconographic in American culture than the traditional barbershop, so that setting seemed like a natural fit.

Traditional barbershops can still be found in towns far and wide, but ask Santa Monicans to suggest a good one, and they'll likely name Tel’s. The barbershop has been in business since 1955, the year its still-current location was erected.

On Wednesday, McDonald's journeyed to Tel’s to shoot its new ad. This wasn't the first time the barbershop was used as a filming location. In fact, it gets scouted frequently. Once, the shop appeared in an H&R Block commercial.

“It was only on for about eight seconds ... I recorded it on my DVR so I could slow it down,” said Randy Trujillo, son of the owner.

The McDonald's commercial is due to air in February, although exactly when and where has not yet been determined. It might be a little tricky to identify: Famous as Tel's is to Santa Monicans, in the advertisement, the shop is renamed Marco’s.

Although the real shop is named after Tel Trujillo, he wasn't its founder. Decades ago, Tel was hired as a haircutter after getting laid off from Santa Monica’s aerospace industry. He took over the shop in 1962. Now, it’s a family business, with Tel's two sons and one of his nephews working there.

The place still smells of pomade, with a whiff of comb-sterilizing fluid. The mirrors, chairs and fixtures are all authentic. Although there is a modest barber pole, it doesn’t turn.

“We used to have an original barber pole here,” said Randy Trujillo. “But then one day we opened the shop and found it missing. Somebody had removed it and every sign on the block. The thieves just left all the wires dangling.”

Despite that incident, spirits tend to be high at Tel's. Almost all the customers are male, although Teri Hatcher famously got her hair cut there once.

“Local politicians, doctors, lawyers, they all come to Tel’s,” Trujillo said.

“I’ve got one customer who came to me for his first haircut when he was 1," he continued. "He’s been coming here ever since and just brought his son in for his first haircut. That’s two generations for me. My dad has a few customers who are starting to come here for three generations."

Although it may look like it, Tel’s is actually not stuck in the past. Its barbers no longer use straight-edge razors, sharpened by a strop, to shave their customers.

Trujillo says his father “had to make an adjustment in the 1970s. I simply learned modern techniques when I went to school.”

One thing hasn't changed, though, despite the times: At Tel’s, they take the time and care to get a haircut right. Ask any of the shop's regulars—or anyone in McDonald's promo department, apparently—and they'll tell you the same.