PUBLISHED March 31st, 2013 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 03:27 pm
The barber shop remains one of the last vestiges for masculine refuge in today’s metrosexual and androgynous social frame. It becomes increasingly difficult to find a straight forward barber who can do a simple ‘short sides and back’, with most barber shops more focused on branding and marketing themselves to look as savvy as the ‘chain gang’ multinational hair brands of Europe.
But ‘difficult’ does not translate into ‘impossible’. And to that end Singapore has exposed some gems in the way of the classic gentleman’s barber. In this month’s column I will focus on two in particular, both delivering an impressive standard of service and quality, despite presenting themselves in very different ways.
First up is the new boy on the block, Hounds of the Baskervilles.
Opening it’s doors only in September 2012 by 25 year old Feroz McLeod (who prefers to say he is ’25 years young’ when asked of his age)- a Singaporean of mixed heritage, Malay/ Kiwi- with a paternal supporting hand, H.o.B has made incredible traction on the blogosphere, gaining the kind of attention that could provide a textbook case study for marketing grads.
And rightly so, HoB seem to have delivered the kind of substance to their product rarely matched by the sharp blades of style they carry. Not only are McLeod and his team equipped with the requisite skill to cut like seasoned pros, they have also presented their work as an art form that deserves the recognition they have received thus far, with prices starting at $15 for a crew cut up to $35 for a full cut. And judging by the sometimes 1 week waiting list, booking an appointment is strongly advised. And to complete the package for the nouveau gentleman, a tattoo parlour has recently been opened at the back of the shop providing a fittingly thorough service in consulting on tattoo designs through to the finished body piece.
Asked what inspired him to open his fine establishment, the young Mr McLeod professes his love of everything from the first half of the 20th century, to the point of wishfully declaring: ‘secretly I wish I was born and lived in that era’.
Sensing an entrepreneurial zeal in the owner, I ventured to ask where he saw his business in ten years time. Expecting a hard-nosed response underlined by the impatient ambition of an entrepreneur on the cusp of taking flight, I was surprised by his humility: ‘I see myself and the shop being exactly the same with maybe more barbers. I do not wish to expand or get into the businessman state of mind. I’m extremely content with what I have and I don’t need a million bucks’. What else is there to be said…
Hounds of the Baskervilles: 24 Bali Lane, S’ 189860, T: 6299 1197, Open everyday 11am- 10pm (Closed Tuesdays) More information can be found on the Facebook page here
On the opposite end of the blade- in the strictest marketing terms at least- is the long time establishment of Lucky Star in Upper Bukit Timah, located on the 2nd floor of Beauty World Center. Operated by its 4th generation family owner, Lucky Star is, in its own way, one of the last few gems in the frontier of men’s grooming. I say this with some degree of authority considering my all too many varying experiences of servicing, at the hands of barbers whose only objective is maximum commerce at minimum standard, quality and service; or worse still, those who do their job as little more than a means to pay the bills.
But not at Lucky Star, no sir. Currently in its 58th year of business and now operated by the former owner’s son, Selvam, Lucky Star provide the most professional and skilled of services to their roster of long standing loyal regulars, amongst whom I met an elderly, well put-together gentleman who told me he’d been a customer for the last 40 years. A fixed patronage of that many years is in itself an account of the kind of standard of service offered by Selvam and his father Mr Kalaimuthan Palani, who makes an appearance on a regular basis to help his son with appointments. On my last visit here I had the honour of meeting the senior himself and had the even greater pleasure of being cut and shaved by him. His skill with the blade during my shave was unparalleled, moving with the kind of speed and confidence gained since the inception of his apprenticeship at the ripe old age of 14- the man is now 72.
With a very modest and kind manner to him, I took the time to speak to Selvam, my first question being a curiosity as to why he had chosen to take on his father’s business, to which he responded:
‘If I don’t take over the business my father gave to me, then who will? In our culture businesses are handed down to sons not as a business but as a matter preserving family pride”. His pride in his business and skill was palpable indeed as he explained how his great grandfather was the first in the family’s long line to pick up a pair of scissors and make it the chosen family trade while still in their native region of Tamil Nadu, South India. Today their customer base ranges from Singapore’s young ones going for national service to the elegant gentleman who will be 99 years old this year and has freshened himself under Lucky Star’s blades since 1957.
With a confident but humble and softly spoken certainty, Selvam elaborated on the specifics of how they have marketed the business in times gone by and in today’s digital age: word of mouth! I asked him whether he had considered using any of the new age marketing tools such as Facebook or Instagram, to which he simply and politely answered:
“I can survive without electricity in my business because the only tools I need are a pair of scissors, a mirror and a chair”
You will part with little more than a modest $20 for a full cut and shave, while a wet shave with a hot towel will set you back $8, including a firm massage of the shoulders and neck…not bad at all sir!
Lucky Star Hair Dressing Salon: 140 Upper Bukit Timah Road, 12KM, #02-16, Beauty World Plaza, S’ 588176 T: 6468 9080 Open daily: 9am- 8.30pm
So when next in need of a good old tidy, take a trip down to either one of these establishments, take a newspaper with you- a broadsheet is recommended- and maybe even allow your son to tag along, take your own father too, hell let’s make it all 3 generations in one fell swoop in fact. Upon arrival take a seat, relax and read while each of you waits his turn. Once departed I am certain you will reflect with a savory fondness for that simplest but most necessary of exercises, a haircut, and you will be back for more before you know it- the experience will count for more than the sum of its parts…such are the gentleman’s truest of pleasures.
Next month-
Shoes:
“The shoe tells the whole story”
“Always keep your feet on the ground…just make sure they’re in a good pair of clogs”
Written by guest writer Style & the Dandy