Review: Ruffians, Marylebone

On Tuesday, I was invited to Ruffian’s new Marylebone barber shop & store for a restyle.

I’ve always been aware of Ruffians as one of London’s top barber shops and hotspots for the modern man and reputation for producing quality haircuts but had never experienced it for myself, so was excited to take them up on the offer.

The Marylebone branches ground floor exhibits a minimal design aesthetic, with authentic ceramic tiles adorning the back wall. A gunmetal gray and the industrial wood waiting room is filled by a long oak table with integrated plug sockets acting as a perfect communal spot to work on a laptop before or after the haircut.

The lower ground floor is decked out with an all timber wall façade, and has two spacious cutting desks, with a variety of industrial style lighting and Scandinavian design armchairs which create a secondary waiting area.

On arrival, I was greeted by Manager Matthew, who was looking after me for the evening. After taking my coat and bag, Matt offered me a beverage from Ruffians varied menu of beverages including; artisan Union coffee, classic glass bottle Coca-Cola served with striped red and white straws, guest whiskies and Ruffian’s very own pale ale of course, I couldn’t resist trying a home-brew, so I opted for the pale ale.

Matthew sat me down and gave me a full consultation on what I was looking to achieve hairstyle wise. I’ve gone through a few different styles over the years, mainly slicked back or quiffed and feeling like I was in good hands, I opted for a blunt crop, with a mid to high fade. It’s a look I’ve seen around a lot recently, so thought I’d give it a try and shared a picture I’d found of the desired style on Pinterest with Matthew.

What really impressed me, was how Matthew was realistic about how we could transfer the image I shared of the hair cut into a style to suit me, taking my hair into consideration (including a double crown!). The cut took around 45 minutes and included a scalp massage as well as a steamed flannel to wipe down the stray hairs after. Unlike a lot of barbers I’ve previously visited, Matthew wasn’t scared to go near my beard and blend this into the fade.

Matthew finished off creating my new look, by using sea salt spray (known for texturing and thickening hair) and Ruffian’s own matt clay containing natural beeswax & kaolin clay (£14.99) to define and strengthen the style – not forgetting a spritz of Ruffian’s own brand fragrance infused with vetiver, citrus and bourbon whisky (paying homage to its Scottish roots).

I was extremely happy with the results and felt the Ruffian’s experience from start to finish was well worth the £50 price tag.

The Marylebone barber shop & store is situated at 63 Wigmore Street, W1U 1PX, behind Selfridges and at the end of the charming Marylebone Lane. It’s the third barber shop & store opening for Ruffian’s who have other branches in Covent Garden and Edinburgh (where it all began).

A full Service costs £50 and includes; a full consultation, shampoo and condition with a scalp massage. Cut, finish and style (45 mins). Ruffian’s also offers cut-throat razor shaves (£50), beard tidy & razor work (£30) and a quick beard tidy (£15.00) – For more info visit http://ruffians.co.uk/

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