There are simply shy of 9 million individuals in London. And as anybody who’s ever tried to get a haircut there’ll let you know, solely a fraction fewer barber retailers.
As is the case with nearly the whole lot within the capital – bars, flats, romantic companions – the sheer depth of selection could make it nigh-on unimaginable to discover a appropriate barber store, which is why we have now taken to the streets to trace down the cream of the Huge Smoke’s crop.
From magnificent Mayfair grooming emporiums match for a king to South London chop retailers providing precision pores and skin fades for lower than a spherical of drinks, you by no means must accept a nasty haircut ever once more.
Fish (Soho)
What was as soon as a intercourse store in an outdated fishmonger is now a hairdressing establishment in an outdated intercourse store. If the partitions at Fish salon may discuss, they’d seemingly inform tales of seafood, seduction and among the best scissor expertise Soho has ever seen.
Opened by Paul Burfoot some 30 years in the past, Fish has develop into a reputation synonymous with London barbering and identified around the globe for its hair merchandise. It additionally has a uncooked authenticity about it that a number of trendy barber retailers lack, which is what makes it among the best on the town.
Cuts from: £40
193 Wardour St, W1F 8ZF
Ruffians (Covent Backyard)
Don’t let the identify idiot you, the highly-skilled employees at this Edinburgh-born barbering institution are something however violent, which is simply as effectively given the array of bladed implements they’ve at their disposal.
Ruffians was one of many names that spearheaded the barber store revolution of current years, giving rise to a brand new age of male grooming within the course of and serving to males to take pleasure of their appearances as soon as once more.
Cuts from: £55
27 Maiden Ln, WC2E 7JS
Pall Mall Barbers (Trafalgar Sq.)
With a historical past relationship again to 1896, the ground at Pall Mall Barbers is actually no stranger to a smattering of shorn hair. The unique Whitcomb Avenue store is without doubt one of the oldest within the capital and regardless of having modified palms a number of occasions, has by no means stopped getting used to cut mops.
For mid-price cuts, Pall Mall Barbers’ has a glowing repute, which has seen it open up places all around the metropolis to deal with demand. There’s even a New York store coming quickly, too.
Cuts from; £30
45 Fitzroy St, W1T 6EB
Pankhurst (Soho)
Simply off the severely overwhelmed cobbles of Carnaby Avenue lies Pankhurst, a haven for gents who like their haircuts timeless and basic. Wait on your flip within the barber seat flicking by way of chunky espresso desk mags within the basement conservatory, earlier than selecting between a basic reduce, moist shave or hot-towel therapeutic massage.
The clientele right here is extra mature than on the hipster Shoreditch spots, and the cuts they excel at match the viewers – neat and stylish, good for individuals who stay within the boardroom.
Cuts from; £55
10 Newburgh St, W1F 7RN
Ted’s Grooming Room (Charing Cross)
For an genuine Turkish barbering expertise with out having to set foot exterior of London, attempt one among Ted’s Grooming Room’s 11 city-centre places.
Right here you’ll have the ability to take pleasure in a calming sizzling towel therapeutic massage, one of many closest shaves you’ll ever expertise and, if you happen to’re feeling courageous, you’ll be able to even elect to have the hair burnt out of your ears with precise fireplace – which surprisingly is nowhere close to as horrifying because it sounds.
Cuts from: £32
19 Lancaster Pl, WC2E 7EB
Joe and Co. (Soho)
A DJ turned barber to the celebrities, Joe Mills is a person who is aware of his means round a pair of scissors higher than most.
His mild and ethereal Soho salon provides some welcome respite from the extra dimly-lit, ‘traditional’ barber retailers which have in any other case engulfed the town – which is probably why he counts a number of discerning musicians, fashions and actors alongside his loyal clientele.
Cuts from: £44
22 Peter St, W1F 0AG
Murdock London (Covent Backyard)
Producing its personal vary of acclaimed fragrances, lotions and potions, Murdock is greater than only a barber store – it’s a grooming empire.
With eight places unfold out over among the metropolis’s most selective neighbourhoods, the model is delivering on its pledge to make conventional London barbering a part of the fashionable man’s routine – incomes itself a nationwide repute within the course of.
Cuts from: £45
18 Monmouth St, WC2H 9HB
Slider Cuts (Holloway)
When the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Anthony Joshua, Tinie Tempah and Reggie Yates are after a flawless fade, there’s just one place on the town they’ll go.
Slider, a former MC, has been doing his factor for over a decade, incomes himself and his store a repute as London’s hottest spot for chopping afro hair. However don’t take our phrase for it, pop in and discover out what the fuss is about first hand.
Cuts from: £22
206 Hornsey Rd, N7 7LL
Manifesto (Farringdon)
If you happen to’re not a fan of the entire ‘ye olde barber shop’ vibe that a number of outposts appear hellbent on perpetuating, the modern, trendy styling of Farringdon’s Manifesto could be extra to your liking.
You received’t discover any wood-panelled partitions or males in waistcoats right here, however what you can be greeted with is a barbering expertise in contrast to every other, courtesy of a few of London’s most revered scissormen.
Cuts from: £35
96 Leather-based Ln, EC1N 7TX
Nomad Barber (Shoreditch)
Positioned simply off the East Finish’s bustling Brick Lane lies Nomad, an award-winning barber store that lives as much as its identify.
When proprietor and grasp barber Miguel Gutierrez isn’t within the store chopping hair to perfection, he’s jetting off around the globe to study his craft from the individuals who practise it and updating his Nomad Barber YouTube channel with the outcomes.
Cuts from: £35
8 Heneage St, E1 5LJ
Aveda (Covent Backyard)
A brilliant and breezy area with industrial touches and an on-site espresso store – Aveda Males isn’t what you would possibly name your typical London barber shop. And that extends to extra than simply the decor.
Fusing ‘traditional barbering and holistic wellbeing’, Aveda Males provides a spot the place the town’s males can unwind whereas having fun with remedies starting from a basic reduce and shave to a 30-minute facial.
Cuts from: £35
174-177 Excessive Holborn, WC1V 7AA
Barber Barber (Spitalfields)
A staunch supporter of the notion that barber retailers needs to be locations the place males can search refuge and revel in a trim, a shave and even only a chat. Coated in tattoo concepts, proprietor Johnny Shanahan has designed his two London outposts accordingly.
Conventional leather-based chairs and vintage picket apothecary drawers are offset by ornamental neon indicators and brightly lit Hollywood mirrors. So if you happen to want a fast, quirky break from trendy life, Barber Barber is the place to go.
Cuts from: £42
51 Brushfield St, E1 6AA
RXB Barbers (Oval)
If the free Wi-Fi, free drinks and pleasant chatter aren’t sufficient to get you thru the door of this South London barber, then the supreme cuts certainly might be.
If you happen to’ve ever marvelled on the flawless edging and masterful fades rocked by the likes of Drake and thought to your self, “how is that even possible?” Surprise no extra, pay RXB a go to and all will develop into crystal clear. Quick on money? Why not get your trim without cost courtesy of an apprentice?
Cuts from: £20
80 Brixton Rd, SW9 6BH
Truefitt & Hill (Westminster)
The world is awash with salons trying to copy that genuine, old-world barber store really feel however Truefitt & Hill doesn’t must. Why? Nicely, as a result of it’s certifiably the oldest such institution on the face of the Earth, and almost definitely past for that matter.
This London mainstay has been open and operating since 1805. In that point it’s earned a number of royal warrants which have seen its barbers chopping the hair of many generations of the Royal Household, in addition to revered figures like Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra and John Wayne.
Cuts from: £50
71 Saint James’s Avenue, SW1A 1PH
Jack The Clipper (The Metropolis)
For greater than 20 years, the expert Turkish barbers at this London establishment have been doing their bit to maintain the artwork of chopping and shaving alive within the capital. They’ve received themselves a cult-like following within the course of and have opened 5 places throughout the capital to maintain up with demand.
The professionals listed below are among the final nonetheless practising their commerce, so whilst you wouldn’t have needed Jack the Ripper anyplace close to you with a blade, Jack the Clipper is value paying good cash for.
Cuts from: £27
47 Bow Ln, EC4M 9DL
Huckle The Barber (Holborn)
Whereas many retailers depend on vintage furnishings and questionable claims of heritage to get bums on barber’s seats, Huckle the Barber does exactly the alternative.
There’s no pretence, gimmicks or fuss to be discovered right here – simply skilful barbering, strong cuts and good dialog. So sit again, take pleasure in a drink of your alternative and let your stylist get to work, secure within the data that once you strut again out of that door, you’ll be a brand new man.
Cuts from: £22
55 Lamb’s Conduit St, WC1N 3NB
Carter & Bond (Notting Hill)
Located within the coronary heart of picturesque Notting Hill, Carter & Bond has been offering residents with among the greatest barbering in London for the previous decade.
The upstairs of the store is stocked with grooming merchandise galore, together with premium shaving luggage and equipment from Carter & Bond itself. Downstairs in the meantime you’ll be handled to among the sharpest moist shaves, beard trims and haircuts the Huge Smoke has to supply.
Cuts from: £35
215 Westbourne Park Rd, W11 1EA
Sharps Barbers (Fitzrovia)
With its flagship store in Fitzrovia, Sharp’s provides up trendy barbering in environment that give a nod to the previous. The model has been in operation since 2002, chopping and styling the hair of London’s males and that of their cousins throughout the pond in New York.
Nevertheless, nearly as good as they’re at it, the blokes at Sharps don’t wish to name it ‘grooming’ – they are saying ‘prep’ as an alternative. So why not nip in and see what else they do in a different way, too?
Cuts from: £32
9 Windmill St, W1T 2JF
Gentleman’s Tonic (Mayfair)
If you happen to’ve ever left the barber’s considering to your self, “that was nice, but it would’ve been better with a facial and a Swedish massage thrown in,” then this unapologetically opulent Mayfair grooming parlour and spa might be proper up your road.
Select from a number of remedies – together with all the standard barbering companies – whereas enjoyable in both one of many luxurious non-public cubicles, or the palatial barber store room, all full with TVs, floating sinks and each different mod con you’ll be able to consider.
Cuts from: £55
31a Bruton Pl, W1J 6NN
Dunhill The Spa & Barber At Bourdon Home (Mayfair)
Not content material with simply making distinctive garments and equipment, the connoisseurs of all issues luxurious at Alfred Dunhill determined to present this barbering lark a go too.
On paper, the leap from stitching seams to snipping sideburns doesn’t sound like a very pure one, nevertheless it’s one thing that The Spa & Barber at Dunhill has managed with aplomb. So take pleasure in a radical consumer session, earlier than kicking again within the store’s ornate environment and placing your hair within the hand’s of one among The Spa’s highly-skilled stylists.
Cuts from: £50
2 Davies St, W1K 3DJ
