Bowlers Barbers – 7 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2
Sean, you worked for years in London. Are Dubliners as keen when it comes to the grooming department?
Certainly about ten years ago, maybe not as keen. But in the last decade fortunately Dublin has come way up and it isn’t embarrassing now to ask for exactly what you want, when you want it. Dublin is exactly the same as London now, really really good now.
Have you noticed any trends that have crept in from across the water?
Telling the truth, no. Trends are developed from The George, or standing outside The George. If you look at the guy’s hairstyles coming out of there… [or] a footballer like David Beckham, they will pick that up, and then it will go mainstream in six months’ time. Then every fella will be wearing more or less the same. That’s really where the trends come from. The guys [from The George] are far more adaptable with their hair. That’s where the trends do come from.
What differentiates this shop and the service provided in it from the myriad of barbers in the city?
Well what we are looking for here is all time classic barbering at affordable prices. Fortunately the fashion has come full circle now where lining out, blending all the way down to the nape of the neck, and people are looking for a classic and classy finish which is what we have always done. So fortunately for us fashion is coming to our table again.
Are wet shaves only for men of a certain vintage?
No, not at all. Wet shaves are for any vintage. We are more susceptible to wet shaves due to our overseas friends coming to the country and wanting that service – be them African, Polish or Indian. So not of a certain vintage at all, but it helps if you have a bit of hair on your face!
The resurgence of the traditional barbershop, is it simply a yearning for nostalgia like the olde time sweet shops we see around the city?
It’s a strange one really because nostalgia is good, and if it’s not broken don’t fix it. Again we don’t really follow trends and fashion, fortunately people like quality and they like class. And if we can give a haircut and a finish that is that quality or class then that is great for us. We are not in the gimmicky way of making any form of show, it is just honest, clean-cut, decent barbering at its best.
Any advice for domestic shavers?
Yeah. Basically the best bet is to get a half decent razor, not a blunt razor. If you have time put a towel into a microwave that’s wet, that will soften your face. Good foam and away you go. The most important thing is time and care which a lot of us don’t really have.
–> Lucky’s Hair Design
