Barbers with benefits

SANDRINGHAM

Cut & Style, 533 Sandringham Rd

The interior is swimming-pool blue and the service is no frills. But it’s fast and friendly and for less than $30 you can get a number one all over, a cut throat shave and an ear-nose-eyebrow trim. Take your change and follow your freshly groomed nose. The samosas from Shubh are addictive, but don’t stop there. Spice stores, halal butchers and mangoes by the box make this less of a trip to the barbers and more a conundrum: Bhuna or balti, kadai or korma?

PONSONBY

Barkers Groom Room, 159 Ponsonby Rd

If you need to look good quickly, Ponsonby’s Groom Room is a one-stop shop. Inside, you’ll find a cafe offering coffee and treats, a mini Barkers store full of suits and shirts, and a full grooming operation. Services range from a Martini (haircut, $30) to the Whisky Sour (hot towel, facial steam, cutthroat shave, facial massage and a drink, $75). There’s also a father-and-son offering, haircuts for two ($60). He may not be able to grow one just yet, but it’s best to introduce them early: beard culture is here to stay.

CENTRAL

Room 104, Achilles House,

8 Commerce St

There’s a motorbike on the shop floor, cold beers in the fridge, and antlers on the wall. “Welcome to Room 104, your first step in the right direction as a man,” says the website. A haircut, trim or shave at Room

104 are at the pricier end of the scale, but by all accounts it’s worth it. “These guys are the real deal,” says a customer on Google reviews. “Fresh cuts, leather seats, wood panelling, epic coffee. Just needs a single malt!”