AK Grooming Room on Above Bar Street won the region’s Best Barbers award and will now go on to compete in the category nationally.
Owner AK Serdar, 36, has 23 years of experience as a barber, starting out as a tea boy when he was 13 and learning from his father, brother and cousin in his teenage years.
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His family taught him that the true experience comes from attention to detail, which is what AK Grooming Room believe they do better than anyone else.
“We use the flame to the ear, each haircut comes with a wash, little touches to the eyebrows, the hot towel wash.”
While there is no shortage of barbers across Southampton, AK believes that there are only two authentic Turkish establishments in the city and that some venues use the Turkish name while coming from other origins.
“The problem is with Turkish barbering, we get a really bad name, this that and the other, but we’ve been here since 2017 and we’re here to change that.”
The barber shop were nominated for the award last year but did not proceed any further due to staff holidays.
With each cut, AK Grooming Room provide a hair rinse and a hot towel face wash – little details not seen at most barbers.
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After a cut-throat razor touch up, the famous ear flaming comes next, which sees the barber use a flame stick to singe the long hairs around the ear.
“People get surprised when they come into the shop and we offer them a drink,” said Courtney Moody, who runs AK Grooming Room’s social media.
“It’s harder now to keep the art of Turkish barbering alive. Turkish barbers do get slandered a lot but we’ll never change our service and it’s nice to be recognised with this award.”
AK Grooming Room are also famous for their cat Wiggle, the “doorman” who has been roaming Above Bar Street since 2018.
