A breath of fresh air from the desert

How does a passionate barber actually go on holiday? As well as relaxing, a visit to a men’s salon is always on the agenda – so during his most recent break in July, he visited a barber in Dubai. Anthony brought back not only souvenirs from the desert nation, but also a new look.

This summer, the Hamburg native visited Dubai with his family for the fourth time; twelve years ago, the boss of Eric:Barbier found himself in the United Arab Emirates’ largest city for the first time. A lot has changed in the Persian Gulf since then: skyscrapers have sprung up like mushrooms, and a small city centre has developed into a multitude of hotspots. He is particularly impressed by the technological progress: “Dubai feels like a city of the future. Many IT specialists now work there; there’s a special vibe in the air.”

Friendly, stylish – but unfinished

Alongside the tech experts, a host of barbers have also set up shop in the metropolis. A great opportunity for Anthony to gain fresh inspiration for his work in northern Germany. “It’s important for me to get to know other perspectives in this profession. Besides, I’m only an hour or two away, which is fine for the family.” Even before the trip, he therefore researched what was on offer locally and spontaneously decided to visit Chaps & Co.

What immediately stood out: service is a top priority at the barber’s in Dubai: “Three staff members greeted me warmly at reception – that was a step up compared to my experiences in the US,” he reports. The stylish décor and the professional demeanour of barber Archi reinforced the positive impression. The Filipino barber demonstrated a professional approach to the discerning customer – even if Anthony wasn’t entirely satisfied with the result.

A new look for Eric:Barber

Although Archi scored points with a warm compress before the shave and the skilful use of scissors when shaping the beard, some fundamentally important elements of the stylish procedure were missing: for instance, the skin was not prepared for the treatment with a high-quality oil, and the barber did not use freshly whipped shaving foam or nourishing beard wax. Furthermore, there was no rear-facing washbasin to clean the customer’s head.

“That shows me once again that we work to a very high standard in Hamburg,” says Anthony. Nevertheless, he spotted room for improvement for his own salons in Dubai: the timelessly chic appearance of the staff at Chaps & Co, in white shirts and braces, captivated him straight away. He immediately sent a photo of the outfit to the team in Germany; now the staff at Eric:Barbier also sport the classic look as a uniform – and have received nothing but praise for it so far.

The desert is colourful

But life isn’t all about work, so alongside the “mandatory programme” there were plenty of activities on the agenda. The master barber was particularly thrilled by the hot-air balloon ride at sunrise: “It’s unbelievably beautiful. The desert suddenly glows in a thousand different colours. You see the beauty of this world; it grounds you.”

Even after returning to his daily work routine, Anthony keeps in touch with his colleague Archi. The two write to each other almost every day, swapping stories about business and life. “He has four children, just like me. However, he only sees them once a year, which is naturally hard.” Archi’s family lives in the Philippines, where he would earn around 300 dollars a month – in Dubai, it’s more than four times that. “I’ve also offered him the chance to come and work with us in Germany; the door is open to him.”