I had a breakfast appointment nearby here and as is was 30 minutes early (I'm after all German), I decided to get a shave beforehand. There's surely no shortage of barbers anywhere in Istanbul, but I'm quite choosy and so I walked a while up and downy he streets until I saw this old gentleman setting up his shop...he looked just like the barber I would want to entrust my throat... I popped my head inside and I communicated with my hands that I needed a shave and he communicated with his that he would need another 5 minutes to set up everything but that I should take a seat on the chair outside. Soon he gestured me to come inside and take a seat in the barber chair. He filled up the mug with some hot water from the iron kettle and then started to laver map my face with nicely-scented foam. While he was doing that, I was wondering how many times he had done this already in his lifetime...it certainly felt like he had perfected this skill. Once the shave was done he wetted my hair and put it into shape...I have to say he made me look quite dashing. He also got out his scissors and trimmed my nose hair - a service that I greatly appreciated as I have always such a hard time doing that myself. Later I saw his business partner setting up his equipment on the second chair inside this tiny barber shop. They've probably been working alongside from each other for a long time - in a way it all felt so old world and I was really happy to have been part of this... read more

Güngör Berber - Shop front - Barbers Near Me - Istanbul, 34