Curfew Grooming, a Brixton-based barbers, have taken their focus on customer experience one step further by becoming one of the 12th Man barber shops.
The Outsiders, who run the 12th Man campaign, partner with a range of companies from taxi services to pubs: citing them as places where staff could encounter men’s problems and provide helpful support and information.
The Outsiders offer mental health first aid training to staff, so that they have the skills and confidence to support anyone who could be experiencing mental health issues in the work environment or elsewhere.
The 12th Man Barbershop campaign began in 2017, aiming to change the culture around male mental health. The idea being that the barbershop is somewhere men regularly go to take care of themselves and develop a friendship with their barber.
Overhearing a cry for help could be even more poignant post-Covid, and so the day first aid training, conducted by the MHFA, has come at a vital time.
Curfew Grooming were previously based at Pop Brixton and have a second site in Hackney.
They are ready to open their new renovated unit at 53 Brixton Station Road when restrictions ease on 12 April.
I spoke to co-founder Ben, who’s raring to go after the shop was only open for a day before being made to shut in December.
“We’ve recently had all of our staff trained in mental health first aid,” he said. The idea being … our shop is a certified place where people can come to chat about their mental health, knowing staff have been trained to listen and react in a professional and qualified manner.”
Find out more about the Outsiders and 12th Man
Visit the Curfew website and social media to book
