The room.

The shophouse went up in 1931 and has been a goldsmith, a printers and a mahjong room. We took the upstairs floor in 2021, sanded it back to the boards, and put in three chairs, two sinks and a strop bench under the front windows.

Downstairs is a kopitiam that has poured the same white coffee for forty years. Order one before your appointment and bring it up; the cups find their way home.

We never put up a signboard. Regulars bring friends, and that has been enough to keep three chairs busy.

The walkway at street level, the kopitiam lit up and the timber door to the staircase beside it — Street level, and the door to the stairs.

House rules.

Appointments only

The room runs on a book rather than a queue, so every chair is spoken for before you arrive.

Ring once

There is a bell at the bottom of the stairs. Press it once and someone comes down to let you in.

Fifteen minutes

Run later than fifteen minutes and the slot is released. The deposit carries over the first time it happens.

Come alone

The room seats the people being cut, so there is nowhere for a friend to wait. Downstairs there is good coffee.

Quiet room

Phones on silent. Conversation is welcome; speakerphone is not.

The deposit

RM 20 by transfer holds the chair and comes off the bill.

A strop, an open straight razor, clippers and a shaving brush on the counter under the mirror bulbs

The counter at the end of a shift. Blades come back to the stone every Monday, while the door stays shut.