The barber culture in Shanghai has increasingly matured in the past five years. We visited seven excellent barbershops in Shanghai for fans who would like to immerse themselves in the barber culture.
A dedicated male social hangout spot
In recent years, the iconic old barbershops have been on the rise in the city.
While barbershops may remind us of vintage slick hairstyles and hip-hop, it need not be associated so.
The word ‘barber’ originated from the Latin ‘barba’ (beard), so ‘barbershop,’ from the beginning, referred to ‘a place dedicated to trimming men's beards.’
Nowadays, a barbershop not only provides beard trimming and shaving services, but haircuts are also a part of its main services offered. It still serves men exclusively and does not accept female guests. They also do not offer perms, hair dyes, and other items.
The stylist does all haircuts, and the ‘male-only’ rule is one of their greatest selling points.
The barbers who use faders and razors as their main tools rely on excellent craftsmanship.
You can also communicate with the barbers, based on your needs, and choose a hairstyle that suits you.
The most important thing is that you don’t have to worry about barbers asking you to sign up for a membership card and package.
In foreign countries, a barbershop is a community place for equal exchanges. Therefore, a barbershop has a certain message of peace and love attached to it.
We have selected seven barbershops with their unique characteristics in Shanghai, which will give you a comprehensive view of the barber culture in Shanghai.
DOC's Guthrie's Barbershop
Shanghai’s First-gen Traditional Barbershop
Founded: February 2015
Address: 873 Kangding Road
Services: Haircut RMB 368 / RMB 328 / RMB 198
DOC’s plays a vital role in Shanghai’s barber culture.
In early 2015, Scottish hairdresser Scot Anna Elliot and partner Dylan Byrne opened this barbershop at 873 Kangding Road.
This is the first modern barbershop in Shanghai, and it brought about the rise in barber culture in the city.
Founder Dylan Byrne said that what DOC’s wants to present is the look of a ‘traditional classic barbershop.’
There is also a whole wall of family photos in the DOC’s store, mainly photos of one of the founders Anna Elliott and her grandfather James Guthrie.
According to Anna, her grandfather James Guthrie was a doctor during World War II, and he had a great influence on Anna's growth.
Also, many elements in the store are inspired by Anna's grandfather.
In 2017, DOC’s also opened a new store in Pudong Kerry Hotel.
Emperor's Culture Barbershop
King of Barbers on Julu Road
Founded: December 2016
Address: 158 Julu Road
Services: Fine cut or trim RMB 498
The Emperor’s Culture Barbershop is hidden in the Datongfang underground bar area. One of the founders, Xin Xiao, is an indispensable figure in the barbershop industry in Shanghai.
Studying hairdressing at LaSalle College in Canada, and he now serves as the President of the ABA Asian BARBER Association in China.
There are various kinds of wine in his bookcase. If you would like a drink, you can have it any time during the haircut.
The shampoo and barber chair equipped in the store are all from Takara Belmont in Japan, and each set costs more than RMB 60,000.
The barbershop provides hair cutting, beard trimming, and shaving services.
The barbershop has set some house rules for guests. If guests are more than 15 minutes late, they will need to make another appointment.
Emperor’s Culture Barbershop has launched a special promotion for fans of Shanghai WOW! Enjoy up to 37% off for premium haircuts or shaves, starting from RMB 399.
CULTURA BARBERSHOP
Traditional oil head barbershop
Founded: December 2016
Address: No. 263, Lane 99, Zhongtan Road
Tel: 187 0174 3842
Services: Haircut RMB 258 / RMB 298 / RMB 358
This is a cultural barber store hidden in a residential area.
In 2016, Canadian Paul J.C. came to China and opened this barbershop in the COSCO Liangwancheng residential area in Putuo District.
As the largest residential area in the inner ring, it is not easy to locate this store.
However, this does not affect Cultura's reputation. It has attracted many well-known brands.
The store manager Paul has been exposed to Barber culture early on, traveling around the world to take in rich experiences and diverse cultures.
Paul also combined his mother's haircutting skills with his practical experience to develop a barber training system.
It is this rigor that makes Cultura to be considered by many barber fans as ‘Shanghai's most authentic barbershop.’
Homie Barbershop
Pioneer barber brand from Quanzhou
Founded: December 2017
Address: 1/F, No. 8, Lane 632, Yan'an Middle Road
Services:
Manager Haircut 318
Lead Hair Stylist Haircut RMB 238
Premium Shave RMB 200
Shave RMB 100
Eyebrow Trimming RMB 50
Eyebrow Shaping RMB 50
Cross-border cooperation with brands is a major feature of Homie.
Homie has a great reputation among the socialites in Shanghai, and the founder Ollie is considered a legendary figure.
As he likes barber culture, he started a global learning model.
Ollie has also been working hard to promote barber culture in China and has held many sharing sessions.
After working as a programmer for more than ten years and being an avid fan of street culture, Wenquan met Ollie in Quanzhou and opened Homie’s Shanghai branch after learning from him.
Homie's Shanghai store is opened under the Yan'an Highway and has a small storefront.
Compared to others, Homie is better at gradient hairstyle design and styling.
Every Sunday, there’s a hairstylist with over 40 years of experience in the shop to provide his services. Besides, there are often guest activities here.
BUD X The Fixx Barbershop
Barber Store and a Hip-hop Paradise
Founded: February 2018
Address: 848 North Shaanxi Road
Services:
Men's Slicked Back/Haircut RMB 300
Men's Haircut + Shave RMB 350
BUD Budweiser sponsors X The Fixx Barbershop, and there are plenty of street elements in the store.
Hip-hop culture is a major feature here. One of the founders, Luce, is also one of the co-founders of Shanghai music label SHFT.
The barber in the shop, Victor, has ten years of haircutting experience and is very good at making comfortable conversations with the customers.
FADE ROOM 83 BARBERSHOP
Trendy shop manager who taught himself hair styling
Founded: July 2019
Address: 30 Donghu Road
Services:
Men's Premium Haircut RMB 338
Men's Professional Haircut RMB 268
Beard Trimming and Shaping RMB 150
In July 2019, a new barbershop was opened on Donghu Road.
The owner Davo used to run a barbershop in Melbourne, and after moving to Shanghai, he opened Fade Room 83.
Davo claims that he picked up men's haircutting skills by watching videos online and technical exchanges with barbers in Melbourne.
He has a unique way of dealing with customers, and his strong personal style is one of the highlights here.
Kim's Homie Barbershop
One-to-one service personal studio
Founded: September 2018
Address: Ailixuan Building, 98 Zhenning Road
Services: Haircut RMB 598
Kim opened a very low-key personal studio after remodeling his own home and provides one-to-one service through a reservation system.
There is a photo wall in the store, which specifically records Kim's life and highlights over the years.
Shanghai WOW! has teamed up with Kim's Homie Barbershop this time to launch a limited-time promotion, allowing visitors to experience it at a 50% discount.
Apart from the seven brands above, we found several barbershops with either a dedicated female department or added elements to cater to the youth. But for customers, ‘a good haircut’ remains the core demand.
Which barbershop do you like the most in Shanghai? Let us know in the comments section below.
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