A long time ago, before the age of gender fluid clothing and Crocs, men were just men.
They did not play video games, eat ‘smashed avo’ on toast or talk about their feelings—they did manly things like shout at the television and smoking a cigar in a comfy leather chair. Y’know, ‘proper man’ stuff.
Since then a case could be made that we men have lost our way, and now spend far too much of our day collectively obsessing over Netflix dramas and the right amount of protein to eat on any given day. The role of the barbershop too has changed, and now you’re as likely to be offered a cucumber facial as you are a proper shave.
There are, however, still places you can go to that value the importance of a simple haircut and polite conversation, over a soy latte and some sponsored ear buds. Ultimately, your barber’s job is to chop your overgrown mullet down to size and not play host to your personal masculinity crisis—and Chivalry, in Dubai’s Downtown Dubai, does just that.
Chivalry is a barbershop inspired by the old school, complete with aged leather sofas and exposed brickwork. The barbers are not there to inquire about your day, they exist to style, trim and ultimately remove the hair on your face. That’s not to say they aren’t friendly enough to ask how you’re doing; more that they understand that two men can communicate more with a simple nod and grunt then a pained ten-minute conversation about your weekend travel plans.
These guys are masters of the hirsute arts, and take pride in that. They offer a no nonsense proper haircut and shave without the pretense of a ‘personal styling session’, and they do it well.
They cut your hair. They cut it well. Job done.
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