Shop: Bayer & Bayer

It will soon be time to pamper all fathers again. And why not give them the royal treatment at a real barbershop. At Bayer & Bayer, you can enjoy a shave while you sip a gin and tonic. Does that not sound like music to your ears, chaps?

There have always been barbers. But in the 1980s and 1990s, with the rise of the metrosexual man, things changed. The tradition of barbershops was only retained in the English-speaking and Mediterranean world. Throughout the years, the market for the male population has evolved dramatically, ranging from clothes to cosmetics. They now have an impressive selection to compete with the contents of a lady's bathroom cabinet.

Bayer & Bayer is a veritable candy store for bearded men. Try out the beard kit (€75), which will leave you gleaming with its shampoo, lotion, and beard balm. Keep every whisker in place with a beard brush. Then complete with a dash of citrus or a manly wood scent. And if your beard needs trimming, you can shave the old school way with a razor and brush made of real badger hair. Throwaway razors will easily costs you 30 euro a month, while a decent straight razor (€100) will last a lifetime. Sustainable is the new tough. Don't forget to end with an exclusive eau de cologne by Aqua di Parma.

A real man doesn't want to sit in a beauty salon next to a woman complaining about her feminine troubles. So what do men talk about amongst themselves? Well, that's a secret. The classic barber chairs with requisite ashtrays are occupied by a suited lawyer sitting beside a photography student. The upper crust and lower class sit literally side by side here. With old furniture, found in antique shops in the Marollen/Marolles, combined with a collection of razors on display and dark brown bottles of scent, you'll think you've been transported to a barbershop of old. On the other hand, the jazzy electro beat in the background gives the place a fresh, contemporary, and hip touch.

The barbers at Bayer & Bayer know what you and your beard need, and offer personal advice to each customer. A treatment to style both your hair and beard (€59) lasts at least half an hour. For some men, this overindulgence has become a regular ritual, a moment to themselves. "Don't worry, this bastion of men has no healthy juices or quinoa, but alcohol and crisps," owner Nicolas Bayer laughs. So men's manes will never quite be tamed.

Bayer & Bayer, rue Joseph Stevensstraat 35, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-502.04.99, Mo > Sa 10 > 19.00