Berlin Barbers: Barbershop in Charlottenburg

The barbershop on Zillestrasse opened in 2013, when the classic barbershop had all but vanished in Germany, and works in the Turkish tradition with the straight razor. Four barbers advise in German, English, Turkish and Spanish. As a gift for men there are combined appointments for father and son, cut side by side.

Berlin Barbers on Zillestrasse: classic barbering in Charlottenburg

Zillestrasse lies quietly behind Wilmersdorfer Strasse, among residential buildings and small shops. Two underground stations, Bismarckstrasse and Sophie-Charlotte-Platz, are within walking distance, which keeps the journey short even from other districts. Berlin Barbers opened here in 2013, at a time when the classic barbershop had all but disappeared in Germany behind the unisex salons of the nineties. The team wanted to bring back the place where men are among men, and works in the Turkish barbering tradition, with modern technique and products that are worth using.

Inside, four barbers stand behind the chairs. Furkan helped build the shop and still works at the chair himself, Ömer cuts to the shape of the head rather than to a catalogue, Ahmet is the house specialist for fades and beards, and Braian also advises in Spanish and English. Between them the team covers four languages, German, English, Turkish and Spanish. By its own count the shop has carried out more than a hundred thousand haircuts since opening.

Haircuts, beard care and father and son appointments as a gift for men

A haircut takes thirty to forty minutes, includes washing, blow drying and styling and costs 40 euros. Anyone having hair and beard done together books the most popular package at 75 euros and sits for a good hour. Beard care comes with the hot towel, plus either a buzzcut with the clipper or a clean-up of the lines at the ears and neck. At Berlin Barbers the straight razor does not hang on the wall as decoration, it gets used.

As a present, the father and son combinations work best. Both sit side by side and get their cut in the same appointment, with beard care added for the father on request. The team describes this as an experience in its own right, because a child remembers a first visit to a barbershop. Appointments can be booked around the clock through the booking system, and anyone dropping in spontaneously gets a place as long as a chair is free.