Telok Ayer Barber Shop With a Free Drink: Jermyn Street

Jermyn Street, at 43 Amoy Street in the heritage Telok Ayer district, has run a gentlemen's club barbershop in Singapore since 2014, with a complimentary drink poured on every visit. A Signature Haircut starts at S$75 and the Luxury Shave at S$80. It opens at 8.30am on weekdays, early enough for a cut before the office, which makes it a practical barber shop near me choice for the CBD.

The name comes from Jermyn Street in St James's, London, the street of shirtmakers, perfumers and barbers. The Singapore shop goes further than borrowing it: it says it is the only recognised overseas member of The Jermyn Street Association in London. That link is the backbone of the brand, from the English shaving products on the shelves to the club-style lounge.

The company was founded by Keith Power, its CEO, and opened in 2014. In June 2024 it celebrated ten years of operation in Singapore. The flagship is led by General Manager and Head Barber Dienes Gunathan, the name to ask for if you want the most experienced hands in the shop.

The address has changed over the years. Older guides still give a different number on Amoy Street, but the shop's own contact page and its booking listing both place it at 43 Amoy Street, and that is the door to look for. Check the number before walking up, because the street is lined with similar shophouse fronts.

The Signature Haircut takes 45 minutes from S$75 and is the standard order. A Re-style, for a properly new shape, runs an hour from S$85. Prices are listed as starting points on the booking page, so the barber you choose can affect the final figure.

The Luxury Shave takes 45 minutes from S$80 and is the reason to come if you have never had a straight razor shave. For beards, the Beard Trim with Razor Finish takes 40 minutes from S$70, while a plain Beard Trim is S$45. The Signature Haircut combined with the razor-finished beard trim takes one hour twenty minutes from S$145. A Head Shave costs S$70.

Two shorter services are useful to know. Sharp in 20 is a 20-minute tidy-up from S$35, which suits a lunch break, and a Buzz Cut costs S$35. Children are welcome too, with a Kids Cut at S$50, and the booking listing marks the shop as kid-friendly.

One tip on the combination: the Signature Haircut with the razor-finished beard trim starts at S$145, which is the same as booking the two separately at their starting prices. The combination does not save money, but it reserves one continuous slot with one barber, which is the real advantage on a busy weekday.

Every visit comes with a drink on the house. The shop's own line is a fine cut and a finer drink, and the lounge and counter are set up so you can sit with it before or after the chair. Treat it as part of the appointment rather than an extra, and arrive a few minutes early to enjoy it.

Bookings go through Fresha from the Book Now button on the official site, with instant confirmation and payment in the app. The shop's booking listing accepts cash, credit and debit cards. More than seven hundred reviews sit on that listing, and recent ones are from this month.

The shop also runs The Gentlemen Project, which films complimentary haircut sessions. Participation is by selection only, so it is not something you can book through the normal menu.

The interior is laid out in zones that the shop's own gallery names: a store display, a lounge, the counter, a product display and a coffee corner. The shop describes the style as timeless elegance with contemporary flair, and the counter is where the complimentary drink is poured. Phones are best left in a pocket while the razor is out.

The retail shelves lean toward old English houses. D.R. Harris, the St James's chemist, supplies the Arlington range, with Arlington Cologne at S$75 for 50ml and Arlington Shaving Cream in a 75g bowl at S$30. For styling and beards there are Layrite, MUK and Uppercut Deluxe, whose beard balm costs S$35 for 100ml.

If the Luxury Shave converts you, the Arlington shaving cream bowl is the simplest way to recreate it at home, and it pairs with any brush. Ask the barber which products went into your service before you pay.

Thian Hock Keng Temple on Telok Ayer Street is the neighbourhood's landmark, a Hokkien temple built in the nineteenth century when this street still ran along the shoreline. Its courtyard is open to visitors and makes a calm ten-minute stop after a morning cut.

Lau Pa Sat on Raffles Quay is the classic lunch plan. The Victorian cast-iron market hall houses a hawker centre, and in the evening the adjoining Boon Tat Street fills with satay stalls. It is a short walk north-east through the office blocks.

Closer still, Amoy Street Food Centre sits at the southern end of the street, a two-storey hawker centre built around the office lunch crowd. It is the quickest lunch within a few minutes of the shop and a practical option before a Saturday cut.

Address: 43 Amoy Street, Singapore 069869. Hours: Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 7.30pm, Friday 8.30am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday closed. Signature Haircut from S$75, Luxury Shave from S$80, Sharp in 20 from S$35. Book on Fresha.

Telok Ayer and Maxwell MRT stations are both within walking distance. Because the shop is closed on Sundays and Friday ends earlier, the weekday morning slots from 8.30am are the easiest to secure at short notice.