Today I went to see Ray at Star Image (13 43rd Avenue, San Mateo, CA) for a shave and a haircut. Ray had cut my hair once before, but didn't shave me because I hadn't allowed for that extra time when making my appointment. This was the first time I had been shaved by another person.
Summary for the impatient: I am a critical person, and so the review below may sound critical. However, this was a close, comfortable shave. I am still digesting the overall experience. Right now, I would say that was the sort of shave I would give to some stranger who asked me to shave them. I wouldn't want to cut a stranger, and I wouldn't know the stranger's beard grain, so I would shave very cautiously. Shaving my own face, I grant myself license to take greater risks.
Now comes the longer version. The haircut took about 30 minutes, and the shave another 30 minutes. I shall skip most of the haircut, mentioning only that Ray used a white-scaled straight razor on my sideburns and on the back of my neck. Ray comes from Turkey, and trained as a barber there. He has plied his trade for about 36 years.
The shave started with an unknown lotion, massaged into my two-day growth (normally I shave daily). The lady getting a manicure from Ray's colleague saw some humor in this, and was told that Ray only does shaves as a special service.
At this point Ray went to work with an Omega brush, one of those hexagonal or octagonal handles. This one was half purple and half transparent - something like http://www.omegabrush.com/english/dabarba/elenco.php?macro=5&gruppo=53 but I don't see purple as an option there. He told me that the brush was old, and that the knot was horse-hair. I commended his choice of Omega, but asked why horse-hair? He said that it was softest. The brush felt about like my Penworks STR1-22 - perhaps floppier, but it's hard to say since I didn't do that lather myself.
Then came the hot towel, and another round of lather. I almost asked Ray why he didn't seem to be lathering the left side of my face, but right about then he produced a straight razor, with red scales, and began shaving. He didn't go strictly with or across or against my beard's grain: I suspect he was following a more generic map, something like RMWS forms. He went mostly N-S on my right side, without following any particular facets. Sometimes he went over an area twice or three times without relathering, and he used more pressure than I would have done with any of my safety razors.
When he reached the middle of my face, he lathered the left side and began work there. He stayed on my right side, but reached across to shave the left. Again the passes were mostly N-S, with fairly dry cleanup work. The edge of the blade wasn't painful, but was perceptible. It felt somewhat like my own technique with a New Standard - and completely unlike a tech, aristocrat, a merkur 34c, or a merkur slant. I don't know if that comparison makes sense to anyone else, but it's quite meaningful to me. In short, while I could feel a few harsh strokes, it was a comfortable shave.
After this, Ray applied another hot towel and then used a twisted string on my cheeks and my eyebrows. I gather that this is a traditional Turkish technique for catching stray hairs. It smarts, but it's very effective. In case you wondered, he didn't use a lit taper.
Then came an after-shave balm of some kind, and another hot towel, then more massage and a third hot towel. I suspect that there were a few weepers on my face, and this process was intended to close them. Finally Ray spritzed something cologne-like onto my neck, gave my haircut another trim or two, applied an electric massager to my shoulders for a few minutes, and that was that.
I didn't get details for most of the products Ray used, but I did ask about the lather: a William Marvy puck. This is a new product to me, but I see that it's been discussed here. The soap is available on Amazon and via a few sellers on our favorite auction site.
Once outside, I used the visor mirror in my car to evaluate the shave. I have a dark, tough-haired beard, and it's difficult for me to get a smooth neck. This shave felt about like what I would get from WTG, XTG, and ATG passes, but no touch-ups except on the chin. There was a tiny hint of razor burn on my neck, but I have done much worse to myself. My skin felt good, with no tightness. My cheeks and chin felt very smooth, but there was a visible nick under my chin. I could feel stubble under my jawline, and my throat had a shadow. Those are problem areas when I shave myself, too. The razor completely missed a couple of isolated hairs that annoy me on either side of my nose - when shaving myself I have to make an extra effort to catch them. This was a good shave, but not a great one.
If you are in the area, you can reach Ray at (650) 341-4647. The haircut was $23, and the shave was $32.
Summary for the impatient: I am a critical person, and so the review below may sound critical. However, this was a close, comfortable shave. I am still digesting the overall experience. Right now, I would say that was the sort of shave I would give to some stranger who asked me to shave them. I wouldn't want to cut a stranger, and I wouldn't know the stranger's beard grain, so I would shave very cautiously. Shaving my own face, I grant myself license to take greater risks.
Now comes the longer version. The haircut took about 30 minutes, and the shave another 30 minutes. I shall skip most of the haircut, mentioning only that Ray used a white-scaled straight razor on my sideburns and on the back of my neck. Ray comes from Turkey, and trained as a barber there. He has plied his trade for about 36 years.
The shave started with an unknown lotion, massaged into my two-day growth (normally I shave daily). The lady getting a manicure from Ray's colleague saw some humor in this, and was told that Ray only does shaves as a special service.
At this point Ray went to work with an Omega brush, one of those hexagonal or octagonal handles. This one was half purple and half transparent - something like http://www.omegabrush.com/english/dabarba/elenco.php?macro=5&gruppo=53 but I don't see purple as an option there. He told me that the brush was old, and that the knot was horse-hair. I commended his choice of Omega, but asked why horse-hair? He said that it was softest. The brush felt about like my Penworks STR1-22 - perhaps floppier, but it's hard to say since I didn't do that lather myself.
Then came the hot towel, and another round of lather. I almost asked Ray why he didn't seem to be lathering the left side of my face, but right about then he produced a straight razor, with red scales, and began shaving. He didn't go strictly with or across or against my beard's grain: I suspect he was following a more generic map, something like RMWS forms. He went mostly N-S on my right side, without following any particular facets. Sometimes he went over an area twice or three times without relathering, and he used more pressure than I would have done with any of my safety razors.
When he reached the middle of my face, he lathered the left side and began work there. He stayed on my right side, but reached across to shave the left. Again the passes were mostly N-S, with fairly dry cleanup work. The edge of the blade wasn't painful, but was perceptible. It felt somewhat like my own technique with a New Standard - and completely unlike a tech, aristocrat, a merkur 34c, or a merkur slant. I don't know if that comparison makes sense to anyone else, but it's quite meaningful to me. In short, while I could feel a few harsh strokes, it was a comfortable shave.
After this, Ray applied another hot towel and then used a twisted string on my cheeks and my eyebrows. I gather that this is a traditional Turkish technique for catching stray hairs. It smarts, but it's very effective. In case you wondered, he didn't use a lit taper.
Then came an after-shave balm of some kind, and another hot towel, then more massage and a third hot towel. I suspect that there were a few weepers on my face, and this process was intended to close them. Finally Ray spritzed something cologne-like onto my neck, gave my haircut another trim or two, applied an electric massager to my shoulders for a few minutes, and that was that.
I didn't get details for most of the products Ray used, but I did ask about the lather: a William Marvy puck. This is a new product to me, but I see that it's been discussed here. The soap is available on Amazon and via a few sellers on our favorite auction site.
Once outside, I used the visor mirror in my car to evaluate the shave. I have a dark, tough-haired beard, and it's difficult for me to get a smooth neck. This shave felt about like what I would get from WTG, XTG, and ATG passes, but no touch-ups except on the chin. There was a tiny hint of razor burn on my neck, but I have done much worse to myself. My skin felt good, with no tightness. My cheeks and chin felt very smooth, but there was a visible nick under my chin. I could feel stubble under my jawline, and my throat had a shadow. Those are problem areas when I shave myself, too. The razor completely missed a couple of isolated hairs that annoy me on either side of my nose - when shaving myself I have to make an extra effort to catch them. This was a good shave, but not a great one.
If you are in the area, you can reach Ray at (650) 341-4647. The haircut was $23, and the shave was $32.
