Meet the Southampton barber offering free therapy to clients

Josiah Beeley – known as Cutthroat Whitworth in the barbering industry – has opened the ‘House of Whitworth’ on East Street.

The 27-year-old has been cutting hair for four and a half years after starting at The Dojo Barbershop just before the coronavirus lockdown.

But now Josiah wants to use his new barbershop as a safe space for his clientele, offering free slots with local therapists, personal trainers and nutritionists.

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“Customers come in and ask for a ‘house special’ and get given a receipt paper with names and phone numbers on,” Josiah said.

“I don’t ask any more questions and nobody else in the shop knows, it’s very discreet.

“You then contact them saying you’ve come from the House of Whitworth, give your name and that’s all you have to do to get instant help.”

Inside the House of Whitworth, the barber shop opening today on East Street. (Image: Newsquest) The receipt shows numbers for a therapist, and by saying that you were referred from his barber shop, customers can get an hour session free with their new hair cut.

“The nice thing is that even if you’ve got a stigma around it, you don’t have to tell your partner or your Mrs that you’re going to the GP to see a mental health specialist,” Josiah said.

“You just say I’m going to go get a haircut, I’m just going down to see the boys at the barbershop and play FIFA.

“You’ve got so many options that remove that stigma for you to come into a comfortable, safe space and seek the help that you need.”

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Josiah says that he wants to work towards offering more physical health check-ups in the barber shop, such as blood pressure and heart checks, which can help his clientele before they go to their GP.

Josiah standing outside of the House of Whitworth on East Street. (Image: Newsquest) “That’s the ethos of the shop, changing men’s mental and physical health and in this industry, there’s no barber shop you can go to to receive these things,” he said.

Before becoming a barber, Josiah completed a photography degree in Southampton and built experience styling hair during photoshoots.

But even if he did not start cutting hair, it was always his plan to work for himself.

“It’s always been the end goal to work for myself, own my business, hopefully multiple businesses or multiple shops all with the same ethos,” he told the Echo.