Top spots for a hot shave in Toronto
For the average fella, few things remain more fulfilling than a proper barbershop hot shave. Whether priming your mug for a Movember masterpiece or merely taking some manly me-time, Toronto is stacked with steady hands skilled at the old school straight-razor.
Crows Nest Barber Shop
2 Kensington Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2J7When a barbershop’s walk-in wait time is at least two or three hours, they’ve gotta be doing something right – although at $35 for a world-class hot shave, who’s complaining? The lads and ladies slanging the Barbasol certainly meet the minimum tattoo requirements, but they’re also experts in turning first-timers into perpetually baby-faced repeat customers. Come for the jocular repartees, stay for the Dwight Yoakam soundtrack.
Garrison's Barber Shop
254 Niagara St, Toronto, ON M6J 2L8Overlooking Trinity Bellwoods from the second floor above Queen West’s White Squirrel café, this stunning shop looks like it’s straight out of an Instagram filter. But the care and consideration the team takes into their hot shaves make it a prime spot for all facial-hair aficionados in the know.
Uptown Barber Shop
4 Isabella St, Toronto, ON M4Y 1N1Decidedly disparaging from the hipster-revivalist barbershop scene, Uptown’s reputation with its regulars is as squeaky clean as its pristinely swept floors. Perhaps the most barbershop-y shop in the city, Uptown is perfect for those who get the hell in and out with minimal fuss and a marvelously fresh shave.
Terminal Barber Shop 2
150 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5G 1C6Stepping into Terminal is tantamount to time travel and winning the lottery at the same time – gilded to the teeth and sprinkled where it counts with leather and mahogany, it’s the scents, sounds and swift elegance of this steadfast Bay Street shop that will have you feeling like you’re rubbing shoulders with CEOs and the like – that, and the fact that you probably are.
