Betty Tigers (named after the owner's mother and her favourite animal) is a completely, utterly unique place. The polar opposite of high-concept, clinical hair salons, it is so much more than just a hairdresser's: art gallery, community centre, ideas shop words really are inadequate for describing how special this place is.
Proprietor and chief stylist Elton is a one-off. He delights in the unusual, and the photoboard outside shows off some of the whackier hairstyles he's conjured up over the years (and he'll sometimes cut your hair for free if you're willing to let him use your head as his canvas).
While cutting, styling and colouring, he'll often canvas your opinion on some of his other weird and wonderful ideas for art and film projects, community-building, or just generally putting the world to rights.
He's often accompanied by a cast of supporting characters (the place is sometimes like a bit of a drop-in centre), and if you're lucky you'll catch them filming some of the clips which go up on their bettytigers Youtube channel (current favourite: their spoof episodes of University Challenge, featuring sweets, biscuits & other everyday objects as the contestants).
Prices are usually ridiculously cheap (and sometimes Elton seems loathe to accept any money at all for his services). The only possible drawback is that cuts can take a very long time (especially if there's video-making to squeeze in), so make sure you set enough time aside.
Every time I come out of Betty Tigers I have a spring in my step: something about the place's friendliness and Elton's wonderful attitude to life just buoys me up every time I visit. Now I couldn't imagine having my hair cut anywhere else. read more
