I went to have my first barber shave today at Dave's Cutting Edge in West Lafayette, IN. It's just two blocks from the college campus here, and I must have walked past it dozens of times over the years I've been going to school here, but never really considered walking in until I started coming to B&B. Dave is a nice guy who's been a barber for about thirty years and used to give shaves regularly and does them for only $14, so I thought I would give it a shot.
It was a bit under whelming. I certainly give myself more elaborate shaves at home. The prep only consisted of a hot towel put on the face for a minute at most. There were no oils, facial massages, or even checking which way the beard grew.
He used a shavette and a hot lather machine, which I expected and certainly don't mind. The lather wasn't really worked in though, just sort of rubbed on with his thumb. Except for my chin and neck, where the hair is thickest, he only did one pass. He certainly knew how to use the razor though. He was very light, although he didn't seem to try to stretch my skin very much. As a result the shave was not very close, but there were absolutely no cuts or irritation, and I'll take that over a close shave and a lot of cuts and irritation.
Post shave was simple, just a cold towel held to the face for a while and some after shave lotion dabbed on with a paper towel. It seemed like a decent AS and I'll probably pick some up myself when I find out what it was.
So all in all, not close but irritation free. It's certainly not something I would do regularly. It's certainly better than what most non-wet shavers give themselves. Maybe I'll do it again the next time I have a haircut, just because.
It was a bit under whelming. I certainly give myself more elaborate shaves at home. The prep only consisted of a hot towel put on the face for a minute at most. There were no oils, facial massages, or even checking which way the beard grew.
He used a shavette and a hot lather machine, which I expected and certainly don't mind. The lather wasn't really worked in though, just sort of rubbed on with his thumb. Except for my chin and neck, where the hair is thickest, he only did one pass. He certainly knew how to use the razor though. He was very light, although he didn't seem to try to stretch my skin very much. As a result the shave was not very close, but there were absolutely no cuts or irritation, and I'll take that over a close shave and a lot of cuts and irritation.
Post shave was simple, just a cold towel held to the face for a while and some after shave lotion dabbed on with a paper towel. It seemed like a decent AS and I'll probably pick some up myself when I find out what it was.
So all in all, not close but irritation free. It's certainly not something I would do regularly. It's certainly better than what most non-wet shavers give themselves. Maybe I'll do it again the next time I have a haircut, just because.