Barber shops: From old-fashioned to trendy

Sara Kei Fonseca

From the features on the “big screen” of movie theatres to the daily lives of almost every man across the planet, barber shops are timeless and follow the lives of people in a cross-generational way.

The recently opened “The Macau Barbershop” is the region’s latest addition to a worldwide trend of cutting and grooming.

What is it about this barbershop that is worth mentioning? To start with, the shop is a new project taken into hands by two young residents; the second is that they are both women – the barber Sara Kei Fonseca and shop co-founder Yasmin Sung.

Even though the idea might seem weird to some at first, the fact is, who knows better what looks good on men than women? With this in mind, we decided to give it a try.

If you think that barber shops are inherently old-fashioned, you might want to think again. “The Macau Barbershop” is one example that combines the techniques and skills from the old days with the most modern technologies and trends that start right from the booking, which is made hassle-free online on the webpage an the Facebook page of the shop through an application that provides the times and dates of availability.

Through the app, you can pre-choose and let the barber know which service you are looking for from the range of services available. The services, all explained in English and Chinese, range from the simple haircut to beard care and, of course, the combined service. The list also includes the expected duration of each service.

Another service provided by the shop – which has been a trend in many other parts of the world and is now slowly gaining momentum in Macau too – is the haircut that includes graphic design on your hair, as explained by the barber, “it requires full attention to detail as we are here to provide the best [service].”

Another innovation presented by this shop, although small and very young in the business, has to do with its sense of social responsibility. They have created a special service dedicated to Macau’s Security Forces, where members can have their hair tidied at a special price.

Sung explained the concept of the offer to the Times, saying; “Being born and raised in Macau, [we] always had a strong belief in supporting the community. Whether it is [supporting] a new local business or in sports [both are well known Macau football team players].” She added, “the idea of giving a special discount to Macau’s police forces and firefighters stems from this belief. It is our way of giving back to the community in a small way.”

And if communication is one of your fears, fear no more, as at this shop you can converse in both official languages (Chinese and Portuguese) as well as in English.

When asked about whether she believes the worldwide “beard trend” has reached Macau, Fonseca says, “not as much as in others place, but it has been growing, especially among the guests of the Portuguese community.”

Reporter’s view: ‘A commendable experience’

The booking took no more than one minute to be completed and right after an incoming message confirmed that it had been successfully made.

The shop location is easily accessible, a few steps away from Saint Lazarus neighborhood’s Main Street and a stroll from Rua do Campo.

As for the service, it is a truly great experience as it combines the techniques and skills from the “old days” with new technologies, using the most updated tools in order to keep all the work clean, tidy and safe.

The hair was trimmed and styled to detail and it had a very well done “fading”. Fading is a series of well marked lines that allow the hair style to last longer by keeping its styled shape well past the first hour or so.

Special attention was also given to the beard, not an easy task. All done as smoothly as possible, including a relaxing preparatory face massage with shaving oil and the application of the hot towel, gave a sense of pure pampering.

And as for surprises, they do not end here. After the haircut and a clean straight razor shaving, a very special aftershave was applied; it is an all-natural ingredients essence made by another young local, and is aromatic and surprisingly fresh, without the alcohol-burning sensation.

All in all, “The Macau Barbershop” was definitely a very commendable experience.