Quote Originally Posted by dM/ View Post
trumpers sell soaps in a wooden bowl (eg. http://www.trumpers.com/product_deta...ctID=111547251) - if i buy the wooden bowl and use my current approach, i.e. create the lather within the bowl, will it deteriorate given that it's made of wood? or is it treated?
I've got a Trumpers soap in a wooden bowl (Violet - lovely) as well as a Crabtree & Evelyn soap (Nomad) in its matching wooden bowl. I've only been using them for about 3 months, but my impression so far is that the Trumpers bowl is of higher quality. I'd be surprised if I don't get years of use out of each.

Quote Originally Posted by dM/ View Post
i am also considering buying the following shave mug (http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acata..._Mug.html#a167) how do you use these? for example, is it just a case of rub the top of the soap a little and then move to the mug where you use big circles to build a lather? or is it the case that you place the soap inside the mug and do all your work within the mug itself?
I've got exatly that mug, and it works really well for me. It's easy to hold on to, even with wet hands. I've got a Rooney medium and a small (travel) brush and both work great. If you've got an even bigger brush, the mug might be a bit small though.

I soak the brush in the mug in hot water. I also put some hot water onto the soap in its wooden bowl (for a minute or two).

When I'm ready, I pour the water off the soap, shake the excess water out of the brush, and start swirling it across the soap until I've picked up enough suds. I'm a bit gready and like to have way more lather than I actually need, so I do this until lather just begins to form.

At this point I move over to the warmed mug. Adding little amounts of water (take a look at mantic's videos - he uses cream but soap works the same way) I now work the brush, swirling and pumping, until I get lots and lots of lovely lather.

I rinse off any soap scum off the soap cake / wooden bowl combo, do my best to shake out any water that seeped under the soap, towel dry the outside of the bowl, and let it air dry for 24 hours before I put the lid back on.