Vacation Shaving

I'm off to a hundred-and-one-year-old Bed-and-Breakfast for the next few days, and I'm taking my straight razor shaving stuff with me. The room we're staying in actually has the original sink in it, so I'm going to be using a vintage razor in a vintage locale.

With me goes my usual kit: The no-name strop that works well enough (yes, I know, I should get a Tony Miller, but I haven't gotten around to it yet), the Tweezerman brush (again, yes, I know, but I like it, and it's miles above my old Burt's Bees brush that loses 10 or so bristles every shave), Tom's of Maine Peppermint shave cream, Rosemary aftershave, and my Rather nice straight razor shall go with me for a shave in a 101-year-old sink.

I'm quite excited, because I, like many of you here, am a fan of historical experiences. They only get better the more aspects you add—the straight razor is fun, and in the old locale it gets better.

Why defend yourself on your strop/brush? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Enjoy your olde-worlde experience.

battlemonk said:

I'm off to a hundred-and-one-year-old Bed-and-Breakfast for the next few days, and I'm taking my straight razor shaving stuff with me.

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If you have a TIPTLE, you could tell your host (in the midst of his 'look how old this place is' speech ... 'heck I gotta razor that's older than this place!'

Sonds like a great trip ... enjoy!

doctorsimon said:

Why defend yourself on your strop/brush? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Enjoy your olde-worlde experience.

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+1 I never replaced the strop I made for myself when I started; it works too well to get rid of. I never worried too much about high end brushes either. I always liked boar better than badger anyway.

Enjoy your holiday and post some pictures when you get back.

Bst Regards

Graham

kestrel said:

Enjoy your holiday and post some pictures when you get back.

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Exactly! It sounds like a SOTD on steroids.

Mike

At last, I have returned from the great beyond (actually, I got back last Thursday night, but I'm not one to quibble) and I have my report on shaving in an old sink, in an old place.

My first comment is one that is more general. Where there are short innkeepers, there are low mirrors. I am a tall guy, about 6'2", so I'm no stranger to low-mounted things. But, the mirrors in my house, which were put in in the 50s, are mounted high enough that I can see my whole face in them. Not so at the Neahtawanta Inn's Suite 678 (so named because it was made by joining rooms 6, 7, and 8), where the mirror allows me to see most of my face, but nothing above the eyes. But, it's good enough to shave by, and I can lean forward a bit (it helps stretch the skin!) while shaving without wreaking too much havoc.

But, on to the experience. I realized when I was unpacking that I'd forgotten my Thayer's Medicated Super Hazel, and in lieu of heading down to the only store in Traverse City that would carry it (a food co-op), I decided to make do without it, instead opting for a couple cold-water splashes (which are easy to come by on Neahtawanta Point, where the water is cold and clear when it comes out of the tap), and my Oshadi Rosemary Aftershave, which is based on grape alcohol.

My shave kit was otherwise identical to what I use at home. I believe in finding a good product and sticking to it, or at least, I do at the moment, since I haven't been able to get my hands on a wide variety of creams and soaps and aftershaves.

There was sunlight working its way down from the skylight over the sink, and I arrayed my shaving kit in preparation for the day's shave.



I hooked my strop to the towel bar after a nice, warm shower in the hundred-year-old tub, using peppermint-scented soap, shampoo, and conditioner. I had decided to make the day a peppermint experience from start to finish, since I have peppermint shave cream by Tom's of Maine. (I'd contemplated using the Dr. Bronner's Miracle Soap, which claims it can be used for shaving, but decided against it since I was unfamiliar with it and didn't really want to mess with lathering it), and ran my razor over it as I have always done.



I soaked my brush while I took care of the stropping, and whipped up my lather as I have always done. As I looked in the mirror to identify any trouble spots (breakouts, ingrown hairs, cuts from swordfighting and traipsing through the brambles of Northern Michigan), I read the note posted on the wall by the toothbrush holder:



I thought about the people who had done this very ritual in that very bathroom a hundred years before, whipping up tons of creamy, comforting lather in preparation for their morning shave, thinking about the day ahead. Would they go boating on Grand Traverse Bay? Would they explore the cherry orchards on the Old Mission Peninsula? Would they sit around the inn, reading, or drawing, or painting, or writing?

And for that matter, what would I do that day, I wondered, making my lather. A little dry, I thought, and dropped some more water in, then returned to pondering. My mother had lunch planned with one of her friends in the area, and so that meant that my father would be gone for several hours too, since he was her ride into town. I would have the inn to myself, more or less, for some time, so I settled on the idea of sitting down on the porch, which overlooks Bower's Harbor, and reading.


(Father in foreground, Porch in background.)

My lather prepared, I applied it to my face, and—as I have mentioned before—leaning down a bit to get a better view in the mirror, I began my shave. Two passes, one North-to-South, which is with the grain on my face to my jawline, and then across the grain on my neck, and the other from my nose towards my ears on my cheeks, across my chin, and South-to-North on my neck. It's not the smoothest shave I could get, but it works and it results in almost no irritation when I pull it off right. I'm even getting to the point where the perennially-irritated spot on my neck (on my right side, in the soft spot between my trachea and my neck muscles) is calming down a lot, and getting much fewer ingrown hairs, much fewer bumps, and almost no weepers.

I finish the shave and rinse off my razor. Twenty minutes of meditation have passed me by, and I feel ready for the day. As water washes the last few whiskers down the drain of the sink, a feeling of satisfaction washes over me. I have just connected myself with the past, the present, and the future, all at one moment. I am shaving myself now with something that, at one time, someone else used, and when I have a son, I will pass this tradition on to him. Hopefully, my razor will go to him too, and see its third (or perhaps fourth, or fifth) generation of use.

The aftershave brings me back to the world at hand. The sting and the unusual scent of Rosemary—especially when contrasted with the soothing, cooling peppermint that has wafted around me for the entire morning—finally end the trance-like state I've been in, and I pack my things up, put them on the shelf to dry, and get dressed and ready for a relaxing day on the porch.



Hope you all have enjoyed this little meditation on my Vacation. More pictures are at my flickr account, in the set called "Traverse City." You can see more by navigating back to the main photostream page.

Thanks to you all for helping me get to this point in my shaving life. I think I might need a new razor and some more gadgetry, though, as for the next month I'll be maintaining two residences, more or less.

battlemonk said:

My first comment is one that is more general. Where there are short innkeepers, there are low mirrors. I am a tall guy, about 6'2", so I'm no stranger to low-mounted things. But, the mirrors in my house, which were put in in the 50s, are mounted high enough that I can see my whole face in them. Not so at the Neahtawanta Inn's Suite 678 (so named because it was made by joining rooms 6, 7, and 8), where the mirror allows me to see most of my face, but nothing above the eyes. But, it's good enough to shave by, and I can lean forward a bit (it helps stretch the skin!) while shaving without wreaking too much havoc.

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One of my pet peeves, too.

Thanks for the report ... sounds like you had a fantastic time!!

Amazing. I read the intitial part a while ago, and you even followed up with the report! I think the largest aspect of shaving to all of us is:

1) Taking the time out to enjoy and have a good shave.
2) Using the different products and products which were developed from a bygone age.

You have encapsulated these brilliantly!

Glad you enjoyed the break. All that time and you didnt convert your father into a shaver... Oh well, next time.

Carl

Thanks for sharing. Glad to know you enjoyed yourself. I'll be going to Colorado Springs in a few months and staying at a B&B. I'll enjoy my shaves there as well.

Now that is a shaving story.. thanks for the reading...

Fuzzy

Looks like your dad is playing pétanque!

Have great time..Wonderful shave....