ABU DHABI // The UAE is widely known for its outlandish luxury and an exclusive barber shop costing members Dh25,000 per year to join is the latest extravagance.
Gentlemen’s Tonic Exclusive Club at Emirates Palace’s spa has taken the gentlemen’s club concept to another level.
The British-styled barber shop, which first opened in London’s exclusive Mayfair district about 2004, is about to launch its membership next month with 20 lockers at the two-seats-only private establishment.
Luxury is key at the intimate space, which boasts marble counters, televisions in the mirrors and personalised engraved plates on the lockers for its members.
Those frequenting the barber shop include the likes of high-profile chief executives, businessmen and royalty. This is likely to be the kind of clientele signing up for membership, according to Hannah Dowd, the spa manager.
“The privacy factor is what people like,” she said. “Usually with a barber shop people can see in from the street, they can see when you’ve got cotton buds up your nose. This is very private for them.”
With a membership of Dh15,000 for six months or Dh25,000 for a year, she admits that it is a concept for the older, high-earning client.
“This isn’t for the younger clientele,” she said.
“It’s for more of a sophisticated gentleman and offers a very different experience to the typical barber shop. This isn’t just a hair cut; it’s a massage and a whole grooming experience with more of a spa element to it, so they can relax and wind down.”
At this club, a shave is not just a shave; it involves four shaves, two up and two down, in a bid to get the closest possible shave.
For a walk-in shave, the barber shop charges Dh175 plus 16 per cent tax, about four times the price of the average barber.
A haircut will set a man back Dh205 plus 16 per cent tax, also about three or four times the cost of a regular street salon.
Even at the high-end 1847 salon, which brands itself as “executive grooming for men”, a shave is still less at Dh55 to Dh125.
Another high-street barber is Urban Male Lounge, where there the most expensive shave is Dh120 and a hair cut Dh95.
For the exclusive few who become members of Gentlemen’s Tonic, they receive perks including treatments, a personalised shaving kit and a smoke at the hotel’s cigar bar.
Tony Habib is the man with responsibility for the VIPs’ hair. He said: “Just like custom tailored suits, bespoke shoes, customised sports cars and other aspects within our life, we all look for something different and unique.
“The locker concept is very unique in the barbershop world and we may even be the first to provide such services to guests.
“Given that we only have 20 lockers available, this also makes it a very exclusive club for our members to be a part of.
“Almost every guest who visits asks about the lockers when they enter, so I am sure they will be very excited once they officially launch.”
mswan@thenational.ae
