Fat Cats Barbershop is a locally owned barbershop in Queenstown Central, run by barber Matt from a characterful shopfront at 3/12 Hylton Place. The goal is simple: give every client an incredible barbershop experience and have them walk out the door feeling like a million bucks. From the moment you step in, the emphasis is on making you feel at home rather than processed through a chair.
The team focus on bringing traditional barbering back. That means haircuts delivered by friendly, highly skilled barbers who listen, advise and work with you to create a look that suits perfectly — not a rushed clipper run. It also means proper old-school rituals: the face shave is done with hot towels and a cut throat razor, the ultimate barbershop experience for those who want it.
The space is part of the appeal. A green wall dressed with framed artwork and records, barbershop photography, Fat Cats merch and skateboards give the shop its art-filled, laid-back character. Shelves carry a tight range of Uppercut Deluxe styling products — clay, texture powder, sea salt spray and texture cream — so you can keep your cut looking sharp between visits.
No fuss, just great hair and a cold beer in hand, as the shop puts it. Bookings can be made online, and the team can be reached on 027 547 1160 or at fatcatsbarbershop@outlook.com.
There is nothing complicated about Fat Cats Barbershop, and that is precisely the point. Tucked into 3/12 Hylton Place in Queenstown Central, this locally owned shop is run by barber Matt, whose goal is simple: to give every client an incredible barbershop experience and send them out the door feeling like a million bucks. The metal-clad shopfront, with its windows and open door, sets the tone before you even step inside — this is a proper neighbourhood barbershop, not a slick salon.
Fat Cats is about bringing traditional barbering back. That starts with the fundamentals: barbers who listen, advise and work with you to create a look that suits perfectly, rather than rushing you in and out of the chair. It continues with the atmosphere — a laid back, art-filled space where the haircut is only half of what makes the visit. As the shop itself puts it: no fuss, just great hair and a cold beer in hand. It is as simple as that.
The core of the offering is the classic haircut. Matt and the team take the time to understand what you actually want, offer honest advice on what will work with your hair and lifestyle, then deliver the cut with the care of a proper barber. Whether you are after a quick freshen-up or a full restyle, the emphasis stays on a result that suits you — and on you feeling at home from the moment you walk in.
For many clients, the signature indulgence is the face shave. Done the traditional way with hot towels and a cut throat razor, it is the kind of ritual modern barbering was built on and that few places still do properly. Warm towels soften the skin and beard, the razor works with old-school precision, and you leave with the closest shave going — the ultimate barbershop experience, as Matt describes it.
Combining the two — a haircut followed by a hot towel face shave — is the full Fat Cats treatment, and arguably the best way to understand why traditional barbering is worth bringing back.
The shop itself is part of the appeal. The interior is a deliberately art-filled space: a green wall dressed with framed artwork and records, barbershop art and photography, Fat Cats merch and skateboards propped along the wall. It feels more like a well-loved hangout than a hairdressing studio, which is exactly the at-home vibe the shop is after.
The shelves carry a tight, barber-grade range of styling products from Uppercut Deluxe — multiple tins of clay alongside texture powder, sea salt spray and texture cream. If you have just had a cut and want to keep it sharp between visits, the barbers can talk you through what suits your hair type and the style you are going for.
You will find the shop at 3/12 Hylton Place, Queenstown 9300, in Queenstown Central — an easy stop whether you live in town or you are visiting and need a tidy-up mid-trip. Bookings can be made online through the shop's booking page, which is the safest way to secure a chair, and the team can be reached on 027 547 1160 or by email at fatcatsbarbershop@outlook.com. The shop keeps an active Instagram at @fatcatsbarbershop if you want a look at the space, the work and the merch before you book.
Whether you are a Queenstown local after a regular barber or a traveller who wants a proper cut throat shave rather than another generic salon appointment, Fat Cats delivers the traditional barbershop experience with none of the pretence. Sit down, settle in, and walk out feeling like a million bucks — with a cold beer to keep you company along the way.