Othman's Waterloo

Walk in any day of the week — walk-ins are always accepted. Booked appointments are given priority and are seen first, so a walk-in is seated as soon as a chair comes free; usually that is one cut. During the first weeks of each term, and on Friday and Saturday evenings, the shop fills up — booking online takes under a minute, lets you pick your barber by name, and is the safer bet if you are on a schedule.

We are open seven days a week. The live status next to our hours shows whether we are open right now and when we close today. Holiday hours are posted in advance on our Instagram and updated here.

Yes, and it is worth saying plainly because people ask. Our barbers cut every hair type and texture — straight, wavy, curly, coily, Afro-textured, fine and coarse. Curls get shaped to their pattern rather than cut flat and left to spring back into a shape nobody asked for, and the consultation covers how your hair actually grows before anything is cut. If your hair has been cut badly before, tell your barber what went wrong — that is more useful to us than a reference photo.

Search the shop on Google Maps — the reviews there are from real customers and are the fairest read you will get. The review link is also in the Follow section further down this page.

Othman's Waterloo is at 288 Albert St, Unit 108, Waterloo, ON N2L 0G9 — in the University District, a short walk from both the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier campuses, and minutes from Uptown Waterloo. It is one of the closest barbershops to student housing along Albert, Hazel and Lester.

Yes. The Waterloo shop is built around the student schedule and the styles students actually ask for: mid and low taper fades, textured crops, burst fades, curly-hair shaping, line-ups and beard work. Our barbers cut every hair type and texture, and we are used to working around class blocks, midterms and late-night study sessions.

Later than anywhere else we run. 11:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9:00 PM Monday to Thursday — our other three shops close at 7:30 PM on weekdays. Handy if you need a fresh cut after work, before a night out, or ahead of a morning interview. Sunday is 11 AM to 5 PM.

The most requested are the mid taper fade, low taper fade, textured fringe or crop, burst fade, and an edge-up with a beard trim. Scissor cuts and mod cuts are a close second here — more of them are booked at Waterloo than anywhere else in the group. If you are not sure what suits you, bring a photo or ask your barber for a recommendation based on your hair texture and face shape. Consultations are free and part of every appointment.

Both, and Waterloo is one of the two shops to ask at — Guelph is the other. Our barbers are trained on shears as well as clippers, so scissor cuts, mod cuts, proper side parts, French crops and longer textured styles are all standard work here. A scissor cut takes weight out without losing length, so the hair falls naturally instead of sitting in a block, and it grows out far more gracefully than a clipper cut. Mention it when you book so the right amount of time is set aside.

Yes. When you book online you can select your preferred barber by name, so you get the same hands and the same result every visit.

Yes. We run a full student menu with a valid student ID, including University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier and Conestoga students. Bring your card or have it on your phone.

Debit, all major credit cards, and cash. There is an on-site Othman's-managed ATM with no withdrawal fees, so you can grab cash for your cut or your barber's tip without paying a service charge.

A haircut at 288 Albert St is $35 and takes about 30 minutes, consultation included. A zero fade is $38, a skin fade $40, a haircut and beard trim $53, a haircut with hot towel shave from $58, and a line-up between cuts $12. The Full Package Men's Grooming is $110 at Waterloo and $120 at the other three shops, for an hour and a half. Students with a valid UW, Laurier or Conestoga ID start at $30 across the student menu — see student pricing below, or all services and prices.

Usually, yes. Walk in any day and you will be seated when a chair frees up, or check live openings and book a time on our booking page. Weekday afternoons are typically the easiest to get.