At New CBD Barber Tate & Lyle Get a Beard Trim and Haircut With a Side of Whisky (and a Bit of Cockney Slang)

We might have half our faces covered by masks right now, but despite that, our beards and hair still need attending to every now and then. Tate & Lyle is a new London-style barber shop just off Martin Place in the heart of the CBD that’s styling, trimming and washing the beards and hair of Sydney’s gents.

Offering barbering services along with nips of top-shelf spirits, the shop – which gets it name from the cockney rhyming slang term for “style” – is the creation of UK-born Jacob Martin (The Barber Shop) who, prior to moving to Sydney, cut his teeth (and hair) at some of London’s most esteemed barbering institutions.

And while having a global pandemic shut Sydney down only two weeks after opening wasn’t part of Martin’s plan, every other aspect of the shop’s design is the result of the barber’s lifelong vision and meticulous attention to detail.

“This shop is everything I want a barber shop to be,” Martin – who came to Australia for a holiday six years ago and never left – tells Broadsheet. “Some of these features, like the green subway tiles and Chesterfields, I’ve been thinking about since I started cutting hair.”

The standouts among the fastidiously chosen fixtures are the shop’s brown leather barber’s chairs, custom-made in Japan by legendary manufacturer Belmont.

“They’re the Rolls-Royce of barber’s chairs,” Martin says, as a carefully curated, crowd-pleasing soundtrack of Madness and other classic London bands plays in the background. “They’re comfortable, reliable and the best craftsmanship. Everything in the shop, we’ve gone with the best.”

This focus on quality extends from the choice of scissors to the complimentary libations offered to customers after midday, including Aberfeldy 12-year Scotch, Woodford Reserve bourbon and, another Japanese classic, Nikka Whisky.

As for beer, Martin’s choice has been guided by nostalgia for his home country.

“People see we’re serving Jamaican Red Stripe beers, which they say they haven’t had since they were in London in summer, drinking them in a park,” he says. “A lot of Aussies have lived and worked in London, and I like that that’s a bit nostalgic for them, too.”

Of course, customers don’t just visit Tate & Lyle for its free booze. It offers a range of services including washes, cuts and styling, buzz cuts, beard trims, express shaves and facials.

But Martin also believes that quality haircuts and beard trims are only part of what a modern barber shop offers.

“We’re not just barbers,” he says. “People talk to us about their stresses and their relationships, they ask us for job advice … We’re like counsellors. The best piece of advice I ever got about being a barber was that you’ve got two ears and one mouth, so sometimes you just have to shut up and listen. This is a safe, inclusive environment. Whether you’re a CEO or a tradie, as soon as you come in here and put the gown on, you’re on the same level as everyone else.”

Tate & Lyle
Macquarie House, Shop 1/167 Macquarie Street, Sydney
(02) 8054 2635

Hours:
Tue & Wed 10am–6pm
Thu 10am–7pm
Fri 8am–4pm
Sat 9am–2pm

tateandlylesyd.com