By June Ramli
Kuala Lumpur, July 15: A Kuala Lumpur barbershop that began as a social club combining haircuts, tattoos and drinks has evolved into a full-service men’s grooming destination, offering everything from traditional hot towel shaves to head spa and facial treatments.
Speaking to dailystraits.com on the sidelines of the Leading Voices: Own Your Frequency event at W Kuala Lumpur on July 11, Christina Pui, who co-founded Jelly Roll Social Club with her brother Jack Pui, said the business has grown from a niche barbershop concept into a full men’s grooming destination.
The Solaris Mont Kiara-based business has been operating for seven years and is believed to be among the first barbershops in Malaysia to introduce dedicated head spa services alongside traditional barbering.
The brand launched just three months before the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing the team to temporarily pause operations before returning with a pop-up concept focused primarily on haircuts and shaving services.
“Our original idea was to create a social club where customers could get a haircut, have a drink, get a tattoo and simply enjoy the atmosphere,” Pui said.
The business has since expanded into a larger premises, adding facial spa and men’s wellness services while retaining its emphasis on classic barbering traditions.
Its clientele spans multiple generations, from younger customers seeking colouring, perms, highlights and hair treatments to older patrons.
One regular customer is in his 80s and continues to visit for grey hair touch-ups, shaves and facial treatments.
Drawing on more than 14 years of experience in the hair industry, including time spent working in luxury salons after training at Miko Galere, Pui said the shop combines modern hairstyling techniques with traditional barbering methods.
“We wanted to bring back classic barbering while blending it with modern techniques,” she said.
The shop continues to offer traditional hot towel shaves using heritage grooming products, some of which have been on the market for more than 200 years.
The business quickly gained industry recognition, being named among Malaysia’s Top 10 barbershops in its second year of operation.
It also collaborated twice with Chanel to promote the luxury brand’s men’s shaving range, first through public grooming events before later providing services inside Chanel boutiques in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
More recently, Pui represented the business at a barbering expo in Bali as a guest artist, sharing the stage with veteran figures in the industry.
She said the barbering industry has undergone significant growth in recent years.
“When we started seven years ago, barbering was still finding its place. We spent a lot of time researching the history of barbering because we wanted to revive the classic experience while making it relevant for today’s customers,” she said.
Pui believes the business stands out through its identity rather than competing solely on price.
“Our aesthetic, our personality and our story are what set us apart,” she said.
While expansion remains part of the long-term vision, she said she has no immediate plans to franchise the business.
“It would be a dream to open more outlets with different concepts, but I don’t want to franchise because quality control is very important, especially when we offer so many specialised services,” she said.
The business is preparing to launch its own line of haircare products later this year while continuing collaborations with established grooming brands.
In addition to individual grooming services, Jelly Roll Social Club offers family-focused packages, including a father-and-son grooming experience.
The business takes its name from the iconic 1950s Elvis Presley-inspired “jelly roll” hairstyle, reflecting its appreciation for vintage barber culture while embracing contemporary men’s grooming.
Although primarily catering to men, the shop also welcomes women seeking pixie cuts, short hairstyles and hair tattoo designs, as well as girlfriends of existing customers who book head spa treatments.
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