Bladez Barbers is a barbershop at 6A/34 Gravatt Road in Papamoa, Tauranga, holding a 4.5 rating from 122 Google reviews. Barbers work a different craft to hairdressers: clipper cuts, fades, scissor work and beard shaping, with much of the finish decided at the neckline. A good one asks how long you leave it between cuts, since a tight fade meant for a fortnight is cut differently from a style that has to last six weeks. Regulars know the deeper trick is seeing the same barber each visit, because someone who knows how your hair grows can keep it looking right as it grows out. In a seaside suburb like Papamoa, sun and salt water are hard on hair, so shorter cuts tend to wear better than length left to the elements. A well-reviewed barber on Gravatt Road means Papamoa locals can keep up a regular cut without the trip into central Tauranga.