Traditional British barbering in a restored Chinatown shophouse. Hot towels, scissor over comb, and the straight razor when you want it. Nothing here is ever rushed.
For a lot of men, a haircut is something squeezed between meetings. Here, it is the meeting.
We have kept the old British way of doing things, the kind you would once have found on London's Jermyn Street, and given it a home here in Chinatown.
Every barber here has trained under Mr Hassan El Gamal himself. He has spent more than twenty five years at the chair, and in that time his work has quietly been trusted by royalty, statesmen and familiar faces from around the world, though he would always rather talk about the cut than the client. What he brings to every chair is the same: real precision, genuine discretion, and a great deal of care.
Nothing here is hurried. We cut to suit the man in the chair, not whatever happens to be trending, and a shave takes as long as a good shave should.
Consultation, a precision cut, and a considered finish, shaped to sit right the moment the cape lifts, and to hold its line long after.
Warm oil, hot and cold towels, and a straight razor taken with the grain and against it, closed with an alcohol free finish.
Trimmed, shaped, and drawn clean with intent. The lines right, every stray hair lifted away.
Grey softened or covered, highlights drawn in, natural and never obvious.
Brows, cheeks, nose and ears. The finishing details, quietly seen to.
The complete ritual, unhurried, for weddings, occasions, and the mornings that ask for it.
25+ yearsHassan has been cutting hair for more than twenty five years, in a style shaped by two traditions: the precision of British barbering and the craft he grew up with in Egypt. He is a member of the British Barbers Association, and over the years his work has been trusted by royalty and by people you would recognise from all over the world. These days he trains every barber who joins the shop himself.
10+ yearsTrained by Hassan himself, Shah has spent over ten years at the chair across Malaysia and Singapore. He is known for taper fades and modern crops that grow out as cleanly as they start. The sort of cut you never have to go back and fix in week three. He listens before he picks up a tool, and he cuts to suit you rather than the trend. Quiet, careful, and easy to sit with.
9+ yearsLan has spent over nine years building his name on one thing: a cut that sits right the moment the cape comes off, and holds its shape long after. His strength is in the modern detail. Clean skin fades, sharp crops, edges done with intent. He is certified under Menspire Education, Wahl and MSC Malaysia, and he is just as sure handed with groom styling, where there is no room for a second try. Precise by nature, and easy in the chair.
A quiet room off the noise of Chinatown, with warm timber, a good chair, and time set aside for you. Coffee or tea while you wait, served properly.
Hot towels. Scissors over comb. A straight razor when you want one. Everything in its own time, and nothing for show.
Find the room →The British Barbers Association range, the same products we reach for in the chair, made for the days between visits.
Lan did a great job with my shave.
