Original Cantonese barber revived in a heritage building
- G/F, 11 Mallory Street, Wan Chai
- Monday to Tuesday, Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm Wednesday Closed Friday to Sunday: 11 am – 8 pm
- +852 2303 1733
- Website
Traditional barber
Oi Kwan barbershop used to be hidden in a small alley behind a flower stall in Spring Garden Lane. Operated by the Lau family at this exact spot for over 50 years. It is now moved to 11 Mallory Street. Oi Kwan is a typical old fashioned Cantonese street barber shop with original chairs, mirrors and scissors.
Cantonese style
2nd generation owner Mark Lau explains: Cantonese barbershops are different from their Shanghainese counterparts, here barbers are trained to offer a full-service package, unlike the Shanghainese barbers that specialise in shave or cut only. Mark has a sense of nostalgia, but not afraid to embrace change: the salon uses hair products imported from the US and has the metal doors sprayed with street graffiti: old meets new.
When I was a kid, the alley was really busy. There’d be easily a dozen people queuing for a haircut, sometimes they’d even end up in fights!