Bowlers of Camden Street is an upmarket barber shop offering quality
haircuts and male grooming services. The interior of the shop is designed
as if set in the 'Bowler hat & Brolly era'. It is very spacious
with an abundance of natural light and boasts superb views of Camden
Street and Harcourt Place. This is the perfect place for guys to start
their wedding day, or even on the way into town for their stag do.
The Bleeding Horse: This place has allegedly been open since 1649.
It's easy to remember the name but there are all kinds of theories on
where it came from. During the battle of Rathmines (no, not the Thursday
night wade through students on their way home) a bleeding horse apparently
wandered in and the owner was so affected by the sight that he renamed
the tavern the Bleeding Horse. Whatever, this handsome old pub still
specialises in medicinal compounds; today they come in the form of Guinness
for the auld lads at the bar, and shots of Jagermeister for the clubbers
en route to Tripod. There is, by the way, a super barbers above the
pub.
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Drinking pints through shaving foam and towels is a tricky business.
Still, I was never one to let personal hygiene get in the way of a good
session. This barber shop is raising the bar for punters in need of
a haircut and maybe a little extra. Bowlers of Camden Street in Dublin
offers a unique new service to its customers – a full bar service. Nestling
above the Bleeding Horse pub, it is the only gentleman's barbers in
the city centre that is fully licensed. Owner Sean McHale is confident
that with this extra service he can attract everyone – from the metro-sexual
to the once-a-year haircut.
Another unique service being offered at Bowlers are ‘friction treatments’
- a complete head massage. The salon itself is a throwback to the Sweeney
Todd days of Fleet Street barbering, black and white strips set against
fine chestnut-brown fixtures. But what really separates Bowler’s from
every other parlours in Ireland is the availability of your favourite
tipple.
Sean said: “It is a licensed premises because of the pub downstairs
and we are in the business of providing a service. And that is to make
customers as relaxed as possible. If having a drink with a shave or
cut helps them do that, then we can do that. It is perfect for when
we are busy, our customers can have a pint and a chat or read the paper,
rather than just looking at old pictures on the walls. If you want 15-20
minutes of pure relaxation and a break from the rat race, that is where
we come in.”
Purely in the interests of research, I hauled my unkempt, unshorn muzzle
to Bowlers for some pints and a bit of a pampering. The hot towel shave
is incredible, but instead of trying to slurp a pint, I made sure my
next drink came in bottle form. While the haircut was comprehensive
and styled exactly to order there was one clear winner – the hair friction
treatments.
Your hair is washed, conditioned and then dried. Then a selection of
oils and lotions are vigorously massaged on your noggin, leaving you
with a clear head and feeling groovy. Finally the attending masseur
rakes your scalp with some device that you probably never want to see
but feels better than sex (not that I would really know).
Already the word has started to spread about Bowler, which has been
packed to the gills with thirsty Welsh, Scottish and Italian fans during
the Six Nations competition. Sean said: “We were packed with away fans
during the rugby weekends. They were going in downstairs for pints and
then coming up here knowing they could have a cut or a shave and keep
on drinking, it was great. And that is exactly what we do. We are catering
for an eclectic mix of people – everything from financial clients, local
residents and students."