Philosophy
I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively. I was excited to see that in so many places – Europe, Asia and even America – there was a new generation of barbering experiences coming to market. They offered salon-level service in a facility designed to make a guy feel at home. Of course, a big part of what made the experience so special was the straight-razor shave.
I came to see a proper hot-towel shave as my reward and revitalization. If I had to travel somewhere I didn’t like, a shave made it bearable. Terrible jetlag? A shave was just the answer. It was a spa day I could compress into under an hour.
Looking around Canada I saw this was largely missing. I saw places that had technical expertise, but a limited facility. Conversely there were well-designed shops that gave a lacklustre experience. I thought if I could bring in industry experts to fill in the gaping void of what I don’t know about cutting hair and shaving (I spent 25 years in commercial finance after all…) then maybe we could build something here to rival any offering globally.
A heady goal to be sure and one I’d never be so immodest to say we have attained.
What we have done though, is bring in the best barbers, trained to deliver a consistent, quality service in a place designed to be comfortable, convenient and unpretentious. Backstopping that are robust business systems and a relentless desire to make the business better every day.