Lads Barber Shop has been looking after the heads of the Manawatū for more than 10 years from its spot on Cuba Street in the Palmerston North CBD. The team bills itself as the region's number one barbershop — 'the kings of culture and style' — with a reputation built on skilled barbering, a relaxed atmosphere and friendly banter. The promise is simple: every client leaves looking sharp and feeling great.
The service menu is broad and welcoming. Zero fades and standard cuts are on offer for men, women, kids under 12, high school and tertiary students and senior citizens, while the beard menu runs from a trim on its own to cut-and-beard combinations and a traditional wet clean shave. Small, medium and large hair designs can be added to any cut for something extra.
The chairs are manned by senior barbers Samson and Jamie alongside Chris and C Blendz, and the online booking system lets you choose your service, your barber and your time in three easy steps — with loyalty points earned along the way. Closed Sundays.
On Cuba Street, in the middle of the Palmerston North CBD, Lads Barber Shop has been looking after the heads of the Manawatū for more than a decade. The shop bills itself as the region's number one barbershop — 'the kings of culture and style' — and after ten-plus years of fresh fades, crisp beard trims and a loyal run of regulars, the confidence is well earned.
More than 10 years servicing the local Manawatū community is no small feat in the barbering game, and Lads has earned it the traditional way: skilled work in the chair, a relaxed atmosphere and friendly banter from the moment you sit down to the final mirror moment. The promise is simple — you leave looking sharp and feeling great. Clients agree: reviews praise the attention to detail, an atmosphere described as 'second to none', and barbers who listen first and cut second.
The service menu is one of the fuller line-ups in Palmerston North, organised into four families: fade services, standard services, beard services and design services. The zero fade is the house headliner — a cut that blends the hair right down to the skin at its shortest point, fading into the longer length above — offered across mens cuts, womens clipper cuts, kids cuts, and high school, tertiary and senior citizen cuts. Prefer to skip the fade? The standard range covers the same spread of cuts, right down to a straightforward all-over.
Beard services run deep too: a beard trim on its own for a quick tidy, cut-and-beard pairings that match either a zero fade or a standard cut with a trim or a line-up, and a wet clean shave for anyone after the full traditional treatment. Feeling creative? Small, medium or large hair designs can be added to any cut.
Unusually for a classic barbershop, the chairs here are for everyone. Alongside the mens cuts sit womens clipper cuts, kids cuts for under-12s, high school and tertiary student cuts, and senior citizen cuts — a genuinely whole-of-family menu.
The team is led by senior barbers Samson and Jamie, alongside barbers Chris and C Blendz — and picking your barber is a formal step in the booking process, so regulars can lock in their favourite every single time. That personal fit matters here. One female client with short hair wrote about walking in 'panicking' and leaving delighted after her barber listened, reassured her and nailed the cut.
Other regulars are just as emphatic. Dave Drollet came in for a zero fade and declared Lads had scored themselves another regular; Tim Doidge praises the booking system and the overall quality; Taylor Fewtrell highlights the attention to detail. That's the kind of word-of-mouth a barbershop can't buy.
Lads has put real thought into the admin side of looking good. Booking happens online in three steps — select your service, choose your barber, confirm your date and time — and the same system lets you manage appointments and earn loyalty points as you go. No phone tag, no awkward waiting-room limbo. Trade runs Monday to Friday from 9:30am, with Saturday hours in the morning and early afternoon and Sundays closed; it pays to check the booking page for the latest times before you head in.
Whether it's a weekend-fresh zero fade, a sharp beard line-up before a big occasion, or a no-fuss kids cut, Lads Barber Shop does the essentials with skill and good humour. As their own tagline puts it — it's not just cuts, it's a vibe.