When approaching West Coast Barbers on the street, the façade is dominated by the classic red-white-and-blue colors, while the inside features wooden floors, hues of black and red, and a casual atmosphere. The walls are decorated with objects of macho culture, and a huge sofa spreads across the room. The cuts are professional and precise, and even though California hip-hop plays in the background, the place was simply named after its location, being west of the Danube.

It all began with a long-lost friend returning from London for a few days with a gorgeous beard, sparking the inspiration to open a new hairstyling place in Budapest that pays special attention to facial hair, said Máté, one of the shop’s founders. He started looking around on the web, and the whole barbershop milieu carried him away, although the ideas felt more “on the same wavelength” with casual Californian style than with the classic vintage ambience. With Bianka, the other founder, they decided to open a new-wave barbershop – but unlike most such Budapest establishments, they looked for a location in Újbuda.

They found a suitable location a short distance away from Móricz Zsigmond Square, on Bartók Béla Avenue, which they created almost completely on their own or with the help of friends. The power of friendship is not only reflected in the final result, but also in the fact that these friends only asked for some beer and a free haircut in exchange for their contributions.

The whole shop was inspired by a British and an Australian barbershop, and they also mentioned a film, appropriately also named Barbershop, as one of the influencing factors. They wanted to furnish the shop in a manly way, which explains the hardwood tables, the large sofa, the wood paneling, black paint, the warm lighting, and the red tool case brought from an auto-repair shop.

By the way, they plan to offer other services in the shop in addition to the classic barber experience, including cuts, shaves, grey blends, and beard dyes, and we can soon get tattoos and our shoes shined at West Coast Barbers as well. We can also run into the barbers at some summer festivals, and they plan on organizing live music events too, which further strengthens the club-like feeling of this place.

The shop is now open for almost two months, and its stuff currently includes three people: Bianka, Máté, and Gergő. One of the most sympathetic characteristics of the team is that they are not afraid to ask each other for help, and they also attend training courses: each of them is good at different things, and barbers use special techniques that must be learned properly, so it seems that they succeeded in this with a team spirit.

Still, in addition to the atmosphere and the great haircuts, we must highlight their thoughtfulness: the staff really does its best for their customers to have fun and leave with a stylish hairstyle and/or beard.