Keeping it Handsome at Chaps & Co.

A good barber is hard to find. If you're like me, then you know not every stylist with a pair of scissors and razor-blade knows what he or she is doing. 

It took me a few months (yes months) to figure out who my next Barber would be. My last stylist moved back to his home turf in Syria after 10 years in Dubai (seems to be the number of choice for most expats in Dubai I've met lately). 

So here I was, a man without a barber. Now, its not that I'm picky on price, credentials or even if its a female or male stylist upon whom I bestow my hairdo, I've had long hair ever since I can remember and I've not seen many males around town boasting how awesome their stylist is. But my search wasn't just for a hair stylist, it was for a barber who can help me maintain my beard. Over the years my beard has seen various lengths which I've always managed to trim on my own using a handy electronic trimmer and a razor. You can see the change in length between these two photographs.  

But I wanted to try something different, an expert who can look up close and sculpt a mane so bad-ass that it would speak volumes. Someone who can inspect my beard and make it look neat and tidy without having to trim most of it off. This search led me to the dark & vintage-esque barbershop called Chaps & Co. Of course, I had heard of them but usually from crew-cut, clean-shaven guys so I didn't really have 'the right recommendation'. Nevertheless, I booked an appointment with Ahmad via their website and showed up on time to be greeted by the man himself. He was adding his final touches to the previous customer so I chilled out in the waiting area, being offered a soft drink and water, nice touch Chaps. About 10 minutes later, I had a short style discussion and Ahmad seemed eager to get started with his instruments assuring me he knew what was to be done. 

During the beard cut, we discussed how he used to run his own small barbershop back in Syria, before the war, this revelation made me feel both, sad and happy (something rare on my part), Sad because it was a discussion of war, Happy because Ahmad had been in the hair cutting business for several years. He sort of reminded me of a more down-to-earth Zohan (without the death defying army skills and more focus on men's grooming). 

You don't mess with the Zohan Ahmad!

After 30 mins, our session was complete. Ahmad's small talk along with the comfortable dark ambiance, vintage feel and retro tunes, time flew and my new barber kept his re-assuring promise. I was quite content with the way my beard was handled at Chaps & Co. We ended the session with a few style tips, a rub of Black Raven beard oil & an impromptu insta-shoot for Ahmad's Instagram, which I was happy to allow, since he asked like a gentleman. 

Surely I will return to Chaps & Co. Hopefully try one of the other barbers, maybe Jay. 

Till next time, If you have any questions or feedback, leave a comment and don't forget to follow Apes and Men on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!