Wherever your venue, a new breed of mobile barber will primp and prime your man – and his men – on the day itself
Words: Tobias Gourlay Photos: Jenna Foxton
It’s a Tuesday morning in the lobby of
Sofitel London St James. We’ve mustered what office talent we can find, and ended up with a mixed bunch. Dan’s shaven headed and (designer?) stubbly; Duncan’s brought a full beard with him; and Damien’s gone samurai man-bun for the day. In anticipation of something a bit sharper than the usual Mr Topper’s, I’ve been cancelling haircuts for months.
Ben Goakes, usually found behind one of the chairs at Soho House’s Barber & Parlour, is unfazed. As we ride the lift to the Prestige Suite where we will test-run his Well Groomed service, he assures us he’s seen much worse than us lot – and that the bottle of Knob Creek bourbon in his hand really is just for his clients.
Jackets off and tumblers loaded, we relax into the plush, gentlemanly surrounds as Ben sets up his chair. First up is our mock groom, Duncan. Ben carefully sculpts Duncan’s fuzz with a straight razor, taking it to a level of refinement we wouldn’t normally attribute to our account director.
For Dan, it’s steaming towels, a hot shave and another quick win. Alas, we’d need a much longer article to run through everything he did for the long hairs in editorial. All we’ll say here is that our Micky Flanagan impressions just got a little less convincing.
More important for you, valued reader, is that Ben’s service is not just a cool alternative to packing your groom and his men off to a local pub for the morning. It’s one that will actually see them come back in better shape than they left in.
Further informationWe met Ben at
Sofitel London St James but he’s happy to travel. Chat to him about prices and availability on 07951696125.
Next up, the bride’s locks. See what we made of Nicky Clarke Hair Salon in Mayfair