Looking for somewhere to whittle your whiskers?

Our guide to the best barbers in Dubai includes the hipster perfect places for you to get a tidy up, a trim, or a full-scale wet shave. Whether you want a quick cut or something a bit more extravagant, here’s our list of the places to help keep your face in check.

Chaps & Co

Cost: Dhs170

Once we were done with Chaps & Co, there wasn’t a single hair on our head left out of place. Including on the inside of our nose.

From the moment we walked in to the moment we were sat in the chair, we knew we were in safe hands. Sure, it’s a little pricey at Dhs170 for a standard cut and beard trim – but if you’re a gent who’s a stickler for keeping his whiskers in check, you’ve come to the right place.

Our barber Sam was chatty, offering up consultation as well as a layman’s walk-through of what he was doing to our hair. After a serious ten-out-of-ten cut, he began on the beard – using a mixture of clippers and cut-throats to taper it into the perfect fit. A few dabs of moisturiser later and a quick thread of the eyebrows, we left the shop both looking and feeling like something out of an Levi’s catalogue.

Ground Floor, Trident Grand Residences, Dubai Marina, Dubai. Tel: (04) 5516192. chapsandco.ae. 

Gold Crest Executive Tower, Cluster C, JLT, Dubai. Tel: (04) 5516192. Metro: JLT. chapsandco.ae. 

chaps and co dubai

Beats and cuts

Cost: Dhs35
Set in the heart of Jumeirah, this salon boasts a cool hip-hop vibe, which means you are unlikely to see anyone over 35 in here. The self-proclaimed Barber Mo appeared instantly, sat us in the chair and offered refreshments.

The beard trim was like nothing we’d ever experienced in Dubai. Such meticulous care was taken that it felt like each beard hair was trimmed individually. Our beard was shaped and sculpted to suit our face, not just trimmed to whatever the barber felt like doing that day.

Barber Mo finished off the treatment with a painful, but much needed eyebrow threading and a covering of cooling moisturiser for the clean shaven parts of the cheek and throat.

Beach Park Plaza Centre, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3427727. Taxi: Beach Park Plaza. beatsandcuts.com.

Beats and cuts

Akin

Cost: Dhs150
Akin made their mark in the city thanks to a series of pop ups at places such as The Surf House in Jumeirah

Our beard trim at their temporary home in The Surf House began with a consultation on whether to opt for the blade or clippers – we chose the latter. A lot of attention was paid, with step-by-step tips handed out along the way on how to make the most of our beard and moustache. With all this information and advice, Akin is a good option for beard beginners. After the trim a few dabs of beard oil were applied, which smelt as good as they felt. Next up was a touch of moustache wax to finish a thorough job.

Burj Al Salam Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, next to H Hotel. Metro: World Trade Centre. instagram.com/akinbarber

Akin 3

The Barber Shop

Cost: Dhs30
This men’s salon – the brother of the existing shop in the main Arabian Ranches village – is upstairs in the Ranches Souk. There are no frills here. It’s a simple, stripped back place with grey concrete floors and walls. ‘Minimalist indie’ is how an interior designer might describe it.

The beard trim was just a touch brusque as the barber yanked our cheeks and chin to get the right angle for the clippers. There was no consultation about what shape or length of beard might work best for our face shape. The trim was finished with a wash in a sink to eliminate any stragglers but, sadly, no moisturiser was offered. It was fast, functional and we left with less face fur than we walked in with. Job done.

Ranches Souk, Arabian Ranches, Al Qudra Road, Dubai. Tel: (04) 5587142. Taxi: Arabian Ranches 2. thebarbershop.ae. 

The Barber Shop