This is going to be a bit long, so bear with me.
Firstly, the barbers at Brothers are all undeniably masters of their craft. This review is not about the barbers or their work, which is of the highest calibre.
This review is of the nature of the shop itself and the nature of its owner.
Brothers barbershop is not a true barbershop. And despite its name, there is no brotherhood within. It's a toxic place in which employees are kept on near slave wages and forced to beg for tips in order to make a halfway normal living. Which is quite curious when you're paying 40 euro for a haircut (and 65 with abeard trim).
The owner, Ivan (who is not a barber and has no experience in the industry whatsoever), designed it this way, in order to maximize his own profits while those who actually provide the services -- the barbers, his "brothers" -- be damned. For him, they're not people, humans with their owns hopes, dreams and problems. No, they're mere gears in this soulless, grinding haircutting machine he's devised. And he continues to refine the schematics of this machine, perpetually finding new ways to extract more and more money from the clients and more and more labor from his barbers while keeping their wages rock bottom.
In short, Brothers Barbershop is the McDonald's of the barbering world (but at least McDonald's won't rip you off).
And to give you some insight into what kind of person Ivan is: Not only does he buy followers and likes for the shop's Instagram page (don't be deceived by the 16k "followers"; the vast majority of them are fake), he also pays for followers and likes on his own personal Instagram page. And over and beyond that, he's the type of employer that will attempt to fire his barbers should they suddenly fall ill with a major medical problem.
In other words, he's an inhuman narcissist hellbent on creating a digital fiction devoid of all humanity.
Which is all Brothers Barbershop is. A carefully calculated fiction. An illusion in which humanity is choreographed and photographed, but ultimately fake. It's one, big stage managed fantasy. And the last thing you'll find inside is any of notion of what is means to be a "brother".
Be warned, and don't buy into it. Social media has an insidious way of warping our perspectives of reality.
If you want a good haircut, and don't mind handing over a hefty sum of cash to an ever-greedy, heartless tyrant, sure, give them a visit. But keep this in mind: by doing so you're only supporting the cruel machine of a self-obsessed narcissist, doing further injury to the field of barbering, a field which once was rich in tradition and full of dignity.
There are other shops that can provide you with an equally as good (and sometimes even better) trim, but where the barbers are treated with dignity and respect, where their humanity is acknowledged.
I encourage you to seek them out instead.
And when your personal barber from Brothers moves to one of these shops (as is expected to happen), stay loyal and follow them.
P.S.
For those curious about purchasing one of his franchises, save your money. His "secret business formula" is quite simple: Charge as much as possible, pay as little as possible, squeeze as many clients as possible into the working hours and put some hipster dressings on the machine.
Voila: You've got your own "Brothers' Barbershop".
P.P.S.
If you still insist on patronizing this hair factory, TIP YOUR BARBERS. It's the only way they can survive.
P.P.P.S.
If you're a barber considering working at Brothers, think long and hard about it. Every other shop in the city, including the cheap shops, offer better payment and conditions. Also, keep in mind the owner will try to convince you to work without a contract. Do not fall for it. If you absolutely must work at Brothers, then demand a written contract. (And the "dienstzettel" he'll try to give you is NOT a contract.) read more
