Unique of its kind in Reunion, the Saint-Pierre barber shop will soon open a “gentlemen’s club”, men's care area, near the State Garden.
True professionals specialized exclusively in beard work, mustaches and hairstyles for men are rare in Reunion. In truth, only one has a storefront : it is Yann Damour who, with three collaborators, has been operating for a year and a half in Saint-Pierre under the brand “Les Maitres Barbiers”.
“A lot of talent, but little training » : thus Yann Damour paints the picture of the situation of the offer for men. On the other hand, he has 15 years of experience in mixed hairdressing, then as a studio hairdresser in Paris, followed by a year in New York. A career on track to which, at one point, He felt the need to give another direction. “It came to me in New York. I was 30 years old and I was questioning myself. I wanted to do something else. It was while talking with my barber in Brooklyn that I thought about specializing in men.. There is a market in Reunion, an expectation of quality and a high-end service for men. »
Old-fashioned barber
Yann Damour defines himself as a traditional, old-fashioned barber. Car, if hipsters have brought the art of the beard up to date, this one had never disappeared. " In France, the profession fell into disuse at the same time as men's hairdressing, with the development of mixed hairstyle. But the traditional technique has always remained alive, especially around the Mediterranean. The profession is now benefiting from renewed interest in care spaces for men. »
“Being a barber, it’s mastering a particular know-how and ritual,” explains Yann Damour, listing the different stages of a service., from shaving preparation to final facial massage. If the technique is traditional, today it integrates contemporary demands. “I have two clients, summarizes the founder of the Master Barbers : a young hip hop audience and an audience of executives and hipsters. » Without forgetting a Muslim clientele.
English club atmosphere
Yann Damour opened his Saint-Pierrois salon in August 2019. It was when he noticed that half of his clientele came from the North and East that he decided to open a second establishment in Saint-Denis.. Taking the customer experience further, he invests, rue du Général-de Gaulle, not far from the State Garden, an entire house which will become the first care space reserved exclusively for men in Reunion Island. Un « Gentleman club », he said, with an English smoking atmosphere, with club chairs, on the ground floor and workstations upstairs. The core business, hairstyle and beard, will be supplemented by additional massage services, facial care, hands and feet. A space dedicated to men. Opening planned for April or May.
File produced by Carole Manote
