What should I get in Switzerland?

[Snargle]

Hi guys and gals,

Switched over (actually returned) to wet-shaving with a DE a few weeks ago and I'm loving it. I'll be travelling to Switzerland for a couple of weeks in October and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for shaving-related items I should hunt down while I'm over there... preferably things that I can't readily get here in the States.

(I've already got Swiss Pitralon AS on my list!)

Thanks!

[falkor27]

Monsavon soap and Palmolive creams. I used to buy the Palmolive at Coop. I don't know how easy it is to find Monsavon the further you get from France (I lived in Geneva).

[DE Shaver]

See if you can pick up Irisch Moos AS and shaving soap.

[wimbouman]

ahh.. good one!
I'll be there on Friday and Saturday - any tips appreciated!

[Luc]

That would be good to know what you can get off the shelves of the local pharmacy/supermarket!

Please report back!

[mskembo]

Hate to say it, but if you have a woman in your life... CHOCOLATE!
Swiss chocolate is amazing, it's almost a sexual experience.

Mike

[Ru4scuba?]

Swiss Pitralon...no question.

See it here (https://www.superlather.com/AltInns.htm#Pitra)

I've always wanted to try this stuff because everyone says its magical for the face...but not all like the scent.

[Snargle]

Hate to say it, but if you have a woman in your life... CHOCOLATE!
Swiss chocolate is amazing, it's almost a sexual experience.
Mike
Mike, why do you think I married a Swiss woman? :001_rolle

I've been back there several times for visits to my inlaws and her relatives, so I'm extremely familiar with the joys of Swiss chocolates. We always take a large, mostly empty, suitcase with us just so we can haul back 10 or 15 kilos of "brown gold"!

[Snargle]

Monsavon soap and Palmolive creams. I used to buy the Palmolive at Coop. I don't know how easy it is to find Monsavon the further you get from France (I lived in Geneva).
I'll be based in the north-central part of the country (German speaking), but it's an easy train ride to the western, French part of Switzerland. (Chocolate and wristwatches aren't the only thing the Swiss do well...the railroad and public transit system is amazingly efficient and a pleasure to travel.)

Thanks for the suggestions...I'm sure I'll be able to find the Palmolive at the Coop. Those stores are everywhere. I'll keep my eyes open for the Monsavon.

[Snargle]

See if you can pick up Irisch Moos AS and shaving soap.
I've read some great reviews of that and will definitely try to score some. Thanks!

[dpm802]

Open a Swiss bank account while you're there ... even if you only keep $20 in there, it will be a great conversation piece.

[Snargle]

Open a Swiss bank account while you're there ... even if you only keep $20 in there, it will be a great conversation piece.
Looks like that's not going to happen. A little research gave me this:

"Most banks require at least $1,000 for the initial deposit plus start-up and maintenance fees."
After paying for the plane tickets (ouch!), I'll be lucky to have enough cash to pick up a pack of razor blades! :scared:

[Eclectic]

You will find all the Italian stuff, all the French stuff and all the German stuff. But not all in the same place.
As you move around what is most easily available will depend on what is the nearest border and what the local population want.

[mskembo]

Mike, why do you think I married a Swiss woman? :001_rolle

I've been back there several times for visits to my inlaws and her relatives, so I'm extremely familiar with the joys of Swiss chocolates. We always take a large, mostly empty, suitcase with us just so we can haul back 10 or 15 kilos of "brown gold"!

That reminds me of a story that I must share. My Mother is a chocoholic, and for Thanksgiving one year her and my Dad went to Belgium. I picked them up at the airport when they got back, and nearly blew out my back lifting one of the suitcases!

Turns out she had FILLED a suitcase with chocolate, and had to ship her clothes home FedEx! LOL! That was the Christmas that my Dad bought her TWO high end chocolate fountains.

Mike

[Snargle]

Just wanted to update you all on what I've put on my wish list for my upcoming visit to Switzerland. It's not all-encompassing, and I probably won't spend a lot of time hunting them down, but I'm going to keep my eyes open for the following reasonably-priced, shave-related items:

Pitralon Aftershave (Swiss)
Monsavon Soap (French)
Palmolive Cream (European)
Irisch Moos Aftershave & Soap (Germany)
Speick Cream, Soap Stick, Aftershave (Germany)
Cella Cream (Italy)


Any suggestions or additions to this list are welcomed! :001_cool:

[BCatl]

I can think of one more thing, but it's not shave related. Knorr All Purpose Aromat Seasoning. This stuff can make a boiled shoe taste delicious.

[Snargle]

I can think of one more thing, but it's not shave related. Knorr All Purpose Aromat Seasoning. This stuff can make a boiled shoe taste delicious.

My Swiss mother-in-law uses that quite liberally on everything...to the point where everything seems to taste the same. I can't say I care for it very much, but maybe using it with a lighter touch would be worth trying.

I do like a lot of the Knorr products and have had pretty good luck finding them here in the States...usually in delis and specialty food shops that handle European imports. Also, they're surprisingly common in oriental food stores.

[BCatl]

My Swiss mother-in-law uses that quite liberally on everything...to the point where everything seems to taste the same. I can't say I care for it very much, but maybe using it with a lighter touch would be worth trying.

I do like a lot of the Knorr products and have had pretty good luck finding them here in the States...usually in delis and specialty food shops that handle European imports. Also, they're surprisingly common in oriental food stores.

Yes, you can find it on Amazon now. I think people start using it, they get used to it, and they have to have more and more. What kind of stuff IS this? :lol:

Have a safe and enjoyable trip!

[Ignatius]

If shaving gear is like everything else, prices in Switzerland will probably be exorbitant.

[Juraj]

If shaving gear is like everything else, prices in Switzerland will probably be exorbitant.
Actually, some stuff in Switzerland comes off really cheap (VAT 7.6% anyone?). I was recently gearing up a little, and pretty much split the shopping basket in between gentleman's shop and local Swiss shaving store (www.nassrasieren.ch if anyone's interested).
One thing that you can get in Switzerland that is really difficult to get abroad is Swiss wine (of extraordinary quality and really affordable, I may add!). Less than 1% of the production goes for exporting. There's Swiss whisky, but that's fairly ordinary, and some beers of varied quality.

[Snargle]

+1 on the Swiss wine. Great values, excellent quality, but extremely difficult to find (and very expensive) here in the U.S.

Swiss beers are a mixed lot...some are rather pedestrian, but the higher-end products are quite good.

[Snargle]

Leaving for Switzerland next week so thought I'd bump this and see if anyone has additional suggestions? :001_smile

BTW, will probably be spending some time in Zurich, Bern, and Basel, so if there any recommended shopping destinations, please let me know!


Just wanted to update you all on what I've put on my wish list for my upcoming visit to Switzerland. It's not all-encompassing, and I probably won't spend a lot of time hunting them down, but I'm going to keep my eyes open for the following reasonably-priced, shave-related items:

Pitralon Aftershave (Swiss)
Monsavon Soap (French)
Palmolive Cream (European)
Irisch Moos Aftershave & Soap (Germany)
Speick Cream, Soap Stick, Aftershave (Germany)
Cella Cream (Italy)


Any suggestions or additions to this list are welcomed! :001_cool:

[GaryM]

Go to Begnins, VD. and get a tattoo. Great shop located on Rue l'ancien Tram. But seriously, my wife is also Swiss but a French speaking person. Have fun, I know you will...:001_smile

[$HAVY]

I think I'm too late but if you visite Bern you have to go to the
nassrasieren.ch shop:
Büchi Optik AG
Andreas Elmer
Kramgasse 25
CH-3011 Bern
Telefon 031 311 21 81

They have nice shaving products including iColonial & Tabula Rasa
stuff (which my be difficult to get in the USA)

And you can loock for the Weldea Shaving cream I think it's a Swiss product.

[Greglam]

Load up on chocolate!! :w00t::w00t::w00t:

[Snargle]

Just got back from Switzerland last night with a bagful of shaving booty! Didn't find everything I wanted but managed to get a good representation of European shaving products.

Tabac (from Germany) was easily found almost everywhere (Coop and Migros dept. stores, many drug stores, etc.) This was my first exposure to Tabac and I loved it! I loaded up on shaving soaps, aftershave, and cologne.

Swiss Pitralon aftershave was also readily available and inexpensive (10 Swiss Francs for a big bottle). I brought back a couple of bottles. I only tried it once and I haven't made up my mind on this one yet. It feels good on the face, but the scent might take some getting used to. It almost reminds me of the Poire Williams pear brandy! It's not long lasting so it probably won't clash with a cologne/EDT.

Speick (Germany) was fairly easy to find so I grabbed some aftershave and shaving creams. Again, I might need some time to get used to the scent and see if it's a keeper.

Palmolive shaving soaps and creams were inexpensive, so I brought back several of each, but haven't had the chance to try them yet.

Despite being literally next door to Austria, it was impossible to find Alt Innsbruck aftershave. I tried just about every conceivable merchant and was unable to even find anyone who heard of it. I guess I'm going to have to break down and order some over the Internet.

I was surprised to not find Irisch Moos (Germany) products. I assumed they would be as common as Tabac, but apparently it's not popular in Switzerland.

I made a day trip to Lausanne in the French region of Switzerland and looked for Monsavon (France) shaving soap but also struck out.

Overall, it was a good haul and I'll be busy for a while trying everything. Prices were not terrific, except for Pitralon, and the US dollar -> Swiss Franc exchange rate was not favorable.

Thanks to everyone that offered suggestions. It was a fun expedition with several worthy trophies!

P.S. All remaining space in my suitcase was filled with Swiss chocolates!