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Ambassador Barber in Causeway Bay

No one is talking. There is no music. The only sounds are the clipping of hair with scissors and clippers. The men are in blue coats, and they are men. The average age is 60 or more based on the look and the feeling inside.

The Ambassador Barber (上海國賓理髮公司) is a step back to old style shops where it’s all about proper grooming and perfection. The interior looks barely changed since it opened almost 50 years ago.

The style is “Shanghai style” after many left the city to open up shops in Hong Kong.  At one time, there were hundreds of these types of barbers, but the numbers are dwindling mostly because of age. The focus was mostly on more upper-class people who could afford the precision cuts and shaves. As more and more people move to more comfortable barbers with air conditioning and more modern styles, these places have become fewer and fewer in the city.

The costs are good at $70 HKD for a cut and the same for a shave using a straight edge blade. It is soothing and comfortable.

 

 

Published in Sights and Travels