London's best barbers
Got a face that's fuzzing or a mop in need of buzzing? Here's where to get the best haircuts and wet shaves in London
Research has shown that we trust our barber more than a priest or the police. It probably comes down to the fact those wielding the scissors know that if they get it wrong there’ll be hell toupée, ahem. Plus you really have to be able to trust a man holding a sharp weapon near your neck. To cut a long one short, if you’re after a lemon squash (wash) and a Sandy Lyle (style) to pair with a new suit or just for a freshen up, this selection of the ten best barbers in London are head and shoulders above the rest.
RECOMMENDED: Best menswear shops in London
The best barbers in London
Ruffians
With countless awards under its belt, you can bank on more than just a bog standard snip at Ruffians. The Edinburgh export is now on its third London location, the most recent opened in Shoreditch in October 2016, manned by talented hair experts ranging from an ex-butler to a former social worker and even a part-time cage fighter. We’ll let you guess who is who.
Haircuts from £50
Manifesto
Venue says: “A modern man’s grooming salon offering the ultimate premium male grooming experience. A place for men to take a break from their busy lives.”
After the coolest cut in Clerkenwell? Take yourself and your tresses to Manifesto. The new razor-sharp outpost on Leather Lane is a metropolitan mix of Instagram-baiting interiors, speakeasy-inspired reception-cum-workspace and grooming packages with names like ‘The Dandy’, which include a glass of whisky.
Haircuts from £30
Jack the Clipper
Jack the Clipper might be the home of cut-throat craftsmanship, but the ancient techniques employed by its demon barbers also extend to using fire to get rid of hair. Thankfully your locks (and your loaf) are in safe hands: the suave saloon was established in 1996 by London's first and biggest family of Turkish hairdressers.
Haircuts from £26
Truefitt & Hill
Check in for a chop at this gentleman’s parlour and if you’re lucky you'll get a history lesson to go with it. Founded in 1805, Truefitt & Hill is officially the oldest barber shop anywhere in the world. As well as grooming everyday men for greatness for more than 200 years, the firm’s master barbers have tamed royal manes for nine generations.
Haircuts from £45
Joe & Co
With a celebrity client list that includes James Bay, Dermot O’Leary and Jamie Dornan, you’re guaranteed a barnet that’s more Brad Pitt than Boris Johnson at this Soho snipper. Headed up by Joe Mills and an army of hand-picked staff, Joe and Co offers style and technical expertise in an informal and unfussy way.
Haircuts from £30
Carter and Bond
Get a trim in a time machine at Notting Hill’s Carter and Bond. Set over two floors, the space is packed with vintage furniture and retro skateboards, with music played on cassette (yes cassette!) Plus, the men’s hair specialists are trained to serve a range of coffees from London-based roasters, Workshop. Barbers + baristas = barberistas?
Haircuts from £35
Huckle the Barber
Venue says: “No gimmicks, independent male grooming of the highest quality with no pretence. Two shops to choose from: Shoreditch and Holborn.”
Lamb’s Conduit Street has been transformed into a sophisticated hub for stylish men in recent years and now the road is home to the second outpost of Huckle the Barber. This independent spot promises to keep customers lubricated with top-notch craft ales on tap, and is also planning to launch its own range of products in 2017.
Haircuts from £45
Ted's Grooming Room
Bid (temporary) adieu to your mop at one of Ted Baker’s 11 Grooming Room spots across London and leave feeling sharper than sharp. The lifestyle brand offers a range of classic Turkish barbering treatments with an added ‘Ted’ twist. Plus, with cuts from just £28.50, the experience won’t shave too much off your wallet either.
Haircuts from £28.50
Pall Mall Barbers
There’s a lot more to be had than a quick short back and sides at Pall Mall Barbers. One of the oldest and most respected barber shops in the UK, the current line-up of coiffuring confidants boasts more than 350 years’ experience in the art of male grooming between them.
Haircuts from £17
The Nomad Barbershop
Miguel Guiterrez is not your average barber. Ten years after starting his career, the Liverpudlian embarked on an epic 12-month journey around the world to perfect his cutting craft. After spawning the immensely popular Nomad Barber YouTube channel, Guiterrez returned to London to set up his own barbershop just off Brick Lane in the heart of the East End.
Haircuts from £32
Indulge in some retail therapy
The 100 best shops in London
We've managed to whittle the list of thousands down to the 100 best shops in London. There's something to please every taste and budget, including a selection of the best department stores, quaint little boutiques, cavernous thrift stores, chic homeware outlets and designer fashion shops.
Comments
Huckle the Barber
You don't always get what you pay for with a haircut. Oftentimes a pseudo-sexual head massage and the dubious whiff of heritage are enough to double the price of a snip. So, at Huckle, a no-nonsense barbershop that still charges £35 an appointment, you'd expect the service to be damn good. Luckily, it is. Chris Ward, my barber, and the shop's owner, pays attention to the twist of my crown, styles a trendy sweep across my forehead (we are in the middle of Shoreditch after all) and even shaves off my neck fluff during a 45-minute appointment. The in-trim entertainment is limited to zeigeist-y dream-pop on the stereo, Chris's easy conversation and some locally brewed Howling Hops craft beer, or a glass of Balvenie whisky. The barbershop is located on the site of the recently departed Murdock, and most of the staff have migrated from there. But this is a very different beard-trimming beast. With butchershop-white tiles and swanky but austere Belmont chairs the design avoids the old-fangled clutter of other premium barbers. The attitude at Huckle is that men are grown-up enough to care about grooming without having to pretend to be in 'Mad Men'. 'Guys don't particularly like getting their hair cut,' admits Chris. But in this case, they had us at Howling Hops.
Venue says: “No gimmicks, independent male grooming of the highest quality with no pretence. Two shops to choose from: Shoreditch and Holborn.”
For sure Crew Experience Barbering & Grooming in Fulham and Putney should on top.
www.crewexperience.com
check us out and judge for your self.
Thank you
Shavers Users gave it higher than average points for providing a close shave without the irritation that is common with many other electric shavers. This is perhaps the single most popular feature that was discussed as a positive that makes it a must-have product. This shaver provides one of the smoothest and most comfortable shaves possible
ShaversRuffians in Covent Garden should be on here! Time to update your list I think...
Clifford's in Barbican has been my barber for the past year. Great price and great cut for only £11 in an old school shop that has been there for probably more than 50 years. recommend the place strongly (2 mins walk from Barbican station)!
Highly recommend Drakes of London in Fulham. Service is excellent and the traditional shave is worth every penny. http://drakesoflondon.com/
Gutted - just spent £40 + a £7 tip on a very substandard shave @ Carter and Bond. Forgetting the lack of friendliness or any sense of welcome - the shave itself was crappy and basically unfinished. My neck is still subbed, as is my chin - and cheeks - I'm trying to think where is actually smooth. So gutted as I was really looking forward to it.
Does anyone know somewhere that actually does a good close shave in London? I'm happy to travel more central or East & pay more to avoid this kind of comedy.
Come on guys, for £47 it's got to be better than we can do on ourselves for free. Not worse.
@AJWBS the owl barbershop on essex road my good man. will leave you feeling re born.
Barberette, Hackney Downs, is an up and coming little barbershop. It's very unique and caters for all people.
@Michael Surprised not to see The Legends on this list too! With their impeccable service, they're the favourite barbers of many of my vintage friends and of course, my partner. (http://www.thelegendsbarbershop.com/)
I will definitely recommend it. I want to go through with the treatment. But I think Jack The Clipper also provide the good services. You can also visit here http://jacktheclipper.co.uk/
now hobbs is in this list, their prices have rocketed. I went for my usual £14 cut and got charged £20. I won't be back.
dd
I am a director at Genco Male Grooming with salons in Notting Hill, Chiswick and the City. Hence it would be wrong of me to actually review our own salons here, but did want to say that we are really glad to see the men's salon industry being celebrated through articles like this one. Obviously we would love to be included in your next write up. Come and see us anytime and see what we're about. www.genco-uk.com
what about Pall Mall Barbers!? Stocked this place is not on this list......
Hobbs Barbers has now secured me as a lifetime client. It can be a long and exhausting search to find a quality Barber who can deliver not only that first time in the chair, but also to produce a cut that is even better than imaginable time after time. Its a good old fashioned Barbers that i can remember from been a kid. Small, Quick and astonishingly well priced. There is no need to venture further than London Bridge even though other places offer cold beers, because after fifteen minutes in the chair, I'll just nip around the corner to the pub.
Rocket Barber shop, best barber shop in London. Not a 'male grooming salon' a real barber shop.
The Pleasant Barbers on Rosebery Ave in EC1 have been my regular barbers since finding them in 2005. Always a great haircut and at really good prices. They are also a good laugh which helps!
Very surprised to not see my favorite and the oldest barber shop in the world, Truefitt & Hill? Royal hair dressers to the H.R.H The Duke of Edinburgh and it does not make the top 10, sounds rather suspect to me!
Where is macko and johnathans? Cant find them anywhere online
Jack The Clipper - Toynbee street spitalfield By Far the BEST, and i mean the BEST barbershop by FAR! All the staff are friendly and well manered, the layout, decor and location of the barbers is EPIC! greeted with a nice cold Beer or soft drink, the service in here is amazing, attention to detail sligtly bordering on OCD, but in a barbers this is definatley not a problem, was a once every other month guy for haircuts now go every fortnight for a shave and cut
Ace of Blades is damn good. They're in Buckhurst Hill. Wandered in after driving past and glad I did - rock and roll with a beer or two!
billy & Bo brewer st the best
Brilliant review! Ben Sherman barbers in Bluewater were great!
No Pall Mall Barbers, No Truefit & Hill?? Who did this review Stevie Wonder???
what about toppers!
Macko and Johnathon ,Tried that place today at totally agree with you both. why pay £50- 60 when you can have perfectly good shave at the fraction of the cost. I had a cut throat shave with hot towel and massage. withe added extras of Ear hair wax removal and Eyebrow threading which perfectly tidies up the Eyebrows all for £13. The only negative is what the parrot say when you having your wet shave ...'whoops!'... while you have a razor on your neck, Which i found very and appropriately humorous. If you do like to look at google maps to find places that sandwich shop is replaced by the barbers shop. Total thumbs up
Macko I visited this place on your recommendation today. Absolutely superb. Cheap as chips and the best shave ever.
Warning - do NOT go to Briggs Brothers! I had been looking forward to having my first traditional wet shave and went to the one ranked at the top of this list, Briggs Brothers. I left feeling totally mutilated; I have never had so many cuts and bruises in my face in my entire life! This is what happened… The place is indeed tucked away in a cute little room with original features, so far so good. > No hot towel The chrome towel steamers that this article mention broke several years ago and the owner hasn't bothered to repair it (a barber that doesn't need hot water?!). This means that he starts shaving you without making your skin ready for it which is very uncomfortable. > No Pre Shave Oil He didn't use any pre shave oil to soften the skin which could have made up for the lack of hot water. > Dull knife The knife he used was incredibly dull so it really hurt when he was shaving which made it impossible to relax, especially around the throat which is a sensitive area. > Too much after shave When the shave was done he splashes so much alcohol based after shave that I get some in my eye and in my mouth, very uncomfortable. It burns. > Not sanitised equipment There was one cut that was more severe then the others, so to address that he takes out a little white stick of some sort that he holds firmly on the scar and then rubs around. This is clearly an old school technique, but needless to say it was extremely uncomfortable to have something poked around in an open wound. Afterwards it made me think; how does he keep it sanitised between customers that he applies it to. Nothing in that shop suggests that sanitation baths for his tools was a concern of the owner. > Uneven shave Maybe it's the fact the owner is very old, or because there is poor lighting, but when I got out I noticed that he had missed of patches of hair which clearly looks ridiculous. > Cuts More worrying, when I got back out in daylight I could see that my face was covered with red dots. I did the shave because I had a photo shoot at work later the same day, but before I could do it I had to go home to shower my face under hot water for 20 minutes and apply some mild after shave moisturiser and aloe vera to recover. I'm glad I didn't have any meetings that day - it looked like I had been in a fight. I much rather give the guy that runs the place a charitable donation to stop working, and pay twice as much to shave somewhere else, then to have myself shaved there ever again.
Warning - do NOT go to Briggs Brothers! I had been looking forward to having my first traditional wet shave and went to the one ranked at the top of this list, Briggs Brothers. I left feeling totally mutilated; I have never had so many cuts and bruises in my face in my entire life! This is what happened… The place is indeed tucked away in a cute little room with original features, so far so good. > No hot towel The chrome towel steamers that this article mention broke several years ago and the owner hasn't bothered to repair it (a barber that doesn't need hot water?!). This means that he starts shaving you without making your skin ready for it which is very uncomfortable. > No Pre Shave Oil He didn't use any pre shave oil to soften the skin which could have made up for the lack of hot water. > Dull knife The knife he used was incredibly dull so it really hurt when he was shaving which made it impossible to relax, especially around the throat which is a sensitive area. > Too much after shave When the shave was done he splashes so much alcohol based after shave that I get some in my eye and in my mouth, very uncomfortable. It burns. > Not sanitised equipment There was one cut that was more severe then the others, so to address that he takes out a little white stick of some sort that he holds firmly on the scar and then rubs around. This is clearly an old school technique, but needless to say it was extremely uncomfortable to have something poked around in an open wound. Afterwards it made me think; how does he keep it sanitised between customers that he applies it to. Nothing in that shop suggests that sanitation baths for his tools was a concern of the owner. > Uneven shave Maybe it's the fact the owner is very old, or because there is poor lighting, but when I got out I noticed that he had missed of patches of hair which clearly looks ridiculous. > Cuts More worrying, when I got back out in daylight I could see that my face was covered with red dots. I did the shave because I had a photo shoot at work later the same day, but before I could do it I had to go home to shower my face under hot water for 20 minutes and apply some mild after shave moisturiser and aloe vera to recover. I'm glad I didn't have any meetings that day - it looked like I had been in a fight. I much rather give the guy that runs the place a charitable donation to stop working, and pay twice as much to shave somewhere else, then to have myself shaved there ever again.
I've recently visited The legends barber in Holborn. Traditional old-school shop,excellent hair cut, great attention to details, professional service, definitely will recommend
I've had a few shave sin my time but I recently tried out a barbers at 123a Brent Street, Hendon, called Top Class. It doesn't have a website or a phone number I can find on the web but it was simply divine. Hot towels, lather mixed in shaving bowl, moisturise, cut throat razors, scalp, arm, hand, back and neck massage, nose, nape and eyebrow trim and flaming hair removals from the ears. A cracking 45 minutes, and all this for just £12. Visit this place, you will not be disappointed.
I've had a few shave sin my time but I recently tried out a barbers at 123a Brent Street, Hendon, called Top Class. It doesn't have a website or a phone number I can find on the web but it was simply devine. Hot towels, lather mixed in shaving bowl, moisturise, cut throat razors, scalp, arm, hand, back and neck massage, nose, nape and eyebrow trim and flaming hair removals from the ears. A cracking 45 minutes, and all this for just £12. Visit this place, you will not be disappointed.
I have just found this amazing barbershop in Bromley, superb service and had a great haircut while supping on a cool beer. Top Shop top staff and a must if you're in South East London.
Just moved to shoreditch from Camden and found Rocket barber shop on hackney road. Really surprised this isn't on here too, the prices are so reasonable and a great cut and atmosphere!
Yes, Sue, he'll throw his electric razor in the bin; and rightly so.
I have just moved to South London and have discovered a barbers in Addiscombe (Croydon) that specialise in hot shaves, traditional hot towels and bespoke male grooming. I've never tried a real old school barbers before and it blew me away, the staff are really cool and knowledgable and it was really relaxing. http://www.thevaletmalegrooming.com 0208 656 9222
My partner uses an electric razor. I wold like to treat him to a wet shave. will he have a reaction?