Take a Gentlemen’s Tonic in Mayfair

Apart from Campino-striped blazers and quartet harmonies, you might wonder what there is to miss about the barbershops of old. As with most male-only establishments, they embody a slightly homoerotic fraternity.

And barbers are still recovering from an image problem, being, stereotypically, either psychotic or nudge-nudge seedy (the legacy of Sweeney Todd and condom sales, no doubt). However, with so many awful salons around, perhaps men do need to get back to basics.

When I say back to basics, I’m not talking about real basics – Imperial Leather and Brylcreem (or flour, as my dad used to use). Gentlemen’s Tonic, in their revival of the barbershop, is embracing the more feminine aspects of making men less hairy, now accepted under the banner of ‘grooming’ (just as soothing to the ear as ‘pampering’ but suitably anthropoid; masculine enough to save men’s faces in a lad’s culture).

Indeed, much of what’s on offer at GT would have had a traditional barber pulling his hair out no so long ago: it’s all own-brand products, nicely scented, with massage, aromatherapy, electrolysis and candles thrown in.

Heading for a massage at their new spa in Selfridges I could see why the location might work, giving stressed men a chance to forget what’s happening to their credit cards outside, but emerging after a pleasantly painful half hour of knot-crunching at the hands of my masseuse Sam I realised the flaw: spewing someone out into one of the most hectic retail environments, then one of the most hectic roads in London, negates almost all the benefits of the treatment.

The Mayfair spa was more spacious and relaxing, all dark wood and firm leather. I thought it strange that they had Bloody Mary and vodka and Coke on offer but no G&T, especially given the name of the place – who chooses vodka Coke at a barber’s, anyway? But I had a good haircut with Mark, who was neither psychotic nor seedy, and went out onto Berkely Square on a sunny Friday evening feeling, if not unduly masculine, then at least ready for the weekend, thankful it had nothing to do with any traditional barbershop ‘extras’.

A haircut and a half-hour massage is £82.

Gentlemen’s Tonic
31a Bruton Place
Mayfair
W1J 6NN

Tel: 020 7297 4343