″I wouldn’t suggest—or do—anything to a client that I wouldn’t do to my father,” says Oliver Zaitoun, co-founder of BO Barbershop, as he wraps a cold towel around my face to reduce any potential inflammation his cutthroat razor may have on my newly shorn neck. The conversation is flowing as thick as my in-need-ofhacking-down mane: “Although we can make a good markup on hot wax treatments or colouring someone’s beard, I don’t believe it’s the right thing to do. If you’re just in it to try to and make some quick money then people won’t trust you, and we trade off that trust. Giving bad advice to clients will only cause me—and them—problems in a few years’ time!” Zaitoun says with a laugh, but the message is crystal clear.
Tucked away in The Bay Gate building in Dubai’s Business Bay, you are unlikely to stumble across BO Barbershop, but since it opened in September 2020 growing its clientele has not really been an issue. “There are a few drop-ins, but most of our clients are Oliver’s clients that he has built up in the five years he’s been in Dubai,” explains Bilal Kabbani. “He is so respected in the industry here that people will gladly stay loyal and support him. He actually used to be my barber!”
In terms of the shop’s name, Bilal is the ‘B’ to Oliver’s ‘O’. Kabbani is very much the business side of the partnership, which frees Zaitoun up to express his craft and trade off his obvious charisma. Formerly working for world’s oldest barbers, Truefitt & Hill, Zaitoun’s 20 years in the business has seen him train barbers in Lebanon, Malaysia and London, before introducing the Dubai market to the intricacies of the ‘hot towel shave’ at Akin barbershop on Sheikh Zayed Road. Now, thanks to the support of his loyal client list—including Kabbani—he has now (quite literally) his name on the door.
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The small space houses three barber chairs in a wonderfully clean and bright aesthetic— one that is more homely and welcoming than it is clinical. Enhancing the space’s unique high ceilings, is a two-storey open bookcase that is populated with plants, a sample of grooming products, a Jerry can and a small selection of books and t-shirts— which focus on hiking. Kabbani and Zaitoun first bonded over their passion for surfing and the wilderness.
“We wanted the shop to reflect on who we are, and not just a shrine to cutting hair,” explains Kabbani. “Making something that reflects our interests was an important thing to make it feel homely and organic. We have just ordered a really cool custom surfboard for the shop!” It comes as little surprise then that the products used in the shop are provided by Davines—an Italian company known for its sustainability and chemical-free products—because, quite simply, at BO Barbershop they wouldn’t use anything that they wouldn’t use themselves.
