Serving Gordon Head from Broadmead.
Gordon Head favourites.
The services Gordon Head clients ask for most, priced straight — no surprises at the chair.
Your barber for Gordon Head.
Thursday and Friday are the Gordon Head days at Royal Look. That is when the students come in — hair sorted before the weekend starts rather than after it, which is the sensible order and not the one most people manage. It is the most consistent pattern we see from any neighbourhood we serve, and it means the back half of the week is the busier one for anyone coming from the university side of Saanich. The shop is not in Gordon Head itself: we are over at Royal Oak, inside Broadmead Village Shopping Centre, so the trip is part of the plan.
Two things get asked for above everything else: the regular men's cut and the skin fade. The fade is the one that decides your week. It is sharpest in the first two weeks and softens as the skin section grows back in, so if you want it crisp for a Friday, come in on the Thursday rather than the week before. The regular cut holds its shape longer and asks less of you. A buzz cut, if that is genuinely all you need, is quicker than either.
Getting here without a car is straightforward from Gordon Head: the 39 runs across and stops near Broadmead Village. Be clear on the last stretch though, because the stop is not at our door — it is a couple of minutes on foot from the edge of the plaza, and about four from the shop itself. Budget that on top of the ride and you will not be caught out.
By car it is a straight run down McKenzie Avenue to Quadra, then Chatterton Way into the plaza — about fifteen minutes. We are open every day of the week, nine to seven Monday through Friday and nine to five on weekends, which leaves room around lectures, a shift, or the gap between the two. Walk in when it suits you, or call ahead and we will tell you what the wait looks like.
Good to know.
Seven stop near Broadmead Village: 6A, 6B, 32, 39, 70, 72 and 75. From Cordova Bay the 32 takes about 11 minutes and stops right in front of the Village. From Gordon Head take the 39. From Oak Bay it is two legs — the 14, then a transfer to the 70, since the 14 on its own does not come this far. Check BC Transit for times at your end.
Weekday mornings. We open at nine, and the early part of the day is mostly our senior and retired clients — there's usually a chair free and nothing feels rushed. Afternoons are the busy stretch, on the roads around here as much as in the shop. Evenings fill up with families and people coming off work, Thursday and Friday get busy with students tidying up before the weekend, and weekends are steady all day, with a five o'clock close instead of seven. If you want the shortest wait, come early on a weekday.
A skin fade holds its shape for roughly two to three weeks — the tighter the blend, the sooner it grows out of it. A longer scissor cut will sit well for four to six weeks. If you want it kept crisp, come in on a rhythm; if you're happy letting it soften, come in when it starts to bother you.
A buzz cut is one length all over, straight off the clipper, with no blending. The guard number sets that length — a one is very short, a four leaves noticeably more on top. If you're unsure, start longer; we can always take more off. It takes 15–20 min and is $20.
Find the shop.
Royal Look Barber Shop
Inside Broadmead Village Shopping Centre, just to the left of Starbucks — with free parking in the lot right out front.
Getting here
- From
- UVic
- Route
- McKenzie Ave→Quadra St→Chatterton Way
- Drive
- about 15 minutes
- Transit
- The 39 runs from Gordon Head and stops near Broadmead Village — a short walk from the plaza. Check BC Transit for times at your end.