how much blood is too much blood?

Dudes, I am pretty new to the straight razor shaving stuff, been at it about 2 weeks. I kinda suck at it but I get a little better each time. The other day i was in Chicago and decided it would be cool to get a straight razor shave from a pro. I figured it would be a really good reference for how well I should be doing it eventually.

I went to one of the highest rated places in the city. I had really high hopes. It started out nice with the hot towels and stuff, but then he started hackin away at my face. Three passes later his towels were soaked in blood. I guess he had a tough time getting through my stubble. It felt like he was using a lot more pressure than I do. After the shave my face hurt pretty bad. My neck had some major razor burn, and except for my cheeks (the easy part) I wasn't too impressed with the closeness.

When I left I wasn't too happy. I didn't complain though, because I really have nothing to compare this experience to. My facial hair is definitely on the thick side, and apparently my skin is kinda sensitive, but is this a normal experience? Could I expect this from any other professional barber I go to? I hope this isn't as good as it gets.

I'm just 20 years old (most of you've probably been shaving longer than that), so I would like to hear from some of you old guys who have been at it for awhile. Thanks in advance.

Well, it sounds pretty bad to me. Who would want to shave with a straight razor after such experience... It reminds me of the televised shaving of one of the late-night talk shows host, although doing it quickly and on camera is probably not usual way they conduct business.
In any case there are many people here with tough beards and sensitive skins who can get pretty decent shaves, and a trained barber should be able to approach that experience. It's harder to judge pressure on somebody else's skin, but that's why they get trained.

Yeah, that's not right. If you have a pimple starting, you might get a small nick in that spot, but it should not be a bloodbath, and there should not be any irritation (unless you do a 3-pass shave, in which case some irritation is inevitable, but it should still be minimal). Sounds to me like the razor was not sharp & the guy was laying into it to try to get it to shave. Not good.

That sounds terrible! Seems like this same event is replicated every month or so; some poor guy gets butchered by some slob barber who knows nothing at all. My sympathies.

Sorry for your experience. NO WAY should you receive that treatment by an Alleged Pro:nono:

A friend of mine attended barber school in NYC in the 60's. When I asked how they taught Str8 shaving,he told me that they literally invited "street" people (he called them "Bums") in the Bowery in for a free haircut and shave. By the time a barber gets to PAYING customers one would think his skill set is well "honed";)

My beard is literally like wire too,so I can relate to a tough beard but I don't think that its so much that your skin is so "sensitive"-but if the razor is refusing and you keep forcing it to cut,irritation and BLEEDING is going to result. Even with a sharp razor,honemeister tuned,requires ALOT of finish polishing on my end or I'll end up with road rash.

In all fairness to the barber,when you shave yourself you can feel what works and what doesn't.Apparently,you have a HIGH pain threshold.:bow. Believe me-YOU CAN DO BETTER.

That probably happened occasionally in the old days as well :) hehe

I wonder how many victims that barber has attacked and how many more will receive that sort of punishment from him in the future.

jft,

My opinion is that if the shave is done by a professional barber there should be no blood. I'm also of the opinion that once one becomes proficient at shaving oneself, there should no blood, but since this is not a perfect world and it's peopled by the imperfect, when one shaves oneself there will be the occasional lapse-in-concentration oops - a nick and not a gusher. The oops is inexcusable for the professional barber shaving a paying customer.

Good luck with your learning curve.

That is a terrible story. I would have refused to pay and asked to see the manager and complained to him in no uncertain terms!

I would have asked for the razor so I could shave him next

Or I would have kicked him in the nuts and said, "See you again tomorrow then?"

Sounded like a horror story when I read that :eek:

I would think a pro would get you BBS with no nicks, cuts or razor burn, nice warm towels and all. Getting a shave like that from a barber and paying for it is supposed to be enjoyable I would think, not something you leave chopped up with razor burn.

The barbers razor was obviously dull and he compensated for it by peeling the hide from your face! What should have been enjoyable was turned into some kind of torture endurance test. Please do us all a big favor and name the place and the barber so that they may be avoided!:eek:

You absolutely positively need to contact the manager or owner of that place and report what happened. I would let them know that you are not trying to complain (though justified), but to inform, that they have a barber who is unable to provide a proper shave. If you don't report it, other customers will suffer the same fate. If you tell them that you yourself shave with a straight, that might increase your credibility. No professional barber should be doing that kind of damage. If you're lucky, they might also offer you a refund--it sounds like you deserve it.

In my experience with the barber shave.....it was terrible. I'd never do that again.......ever. Nobody can shave you as good as you can shave yourself, especially if your skin is sensitive.

Totally inappropriate that you should have had that kind of experience at the hands of someone that claims to be a professional. I don't care if you had a beard of barb wire, he should have been able to give you a very comfortable shave with no blood, no razor burn, and that gave you that BBS feeling. Sorry to say but you got totally ripped off.
I regret that you had such a poor experience... it should have been... well, let's just say much different. Enough ranting on my part!

"Professional" Barber eh?

Unfortunately if you find a barber who has any clue how to do any kind of shave you should run out and buy a lottery ticket. Guys keep going to these butchers and we see the stories all the time. Sorry about your experience. I hope you complained and didn't pay.

Ok so is it customary to not be expected to pay if they cut you?

Apparently,you have a HIGH pain threshold.:bow.

YA bro the discomfort was similar to getting a tattoo. I wouldn't know how much pressure to use if I was shaving somebody, but I'm not workin at a barber shop, ya know?

I went to Sal's barber shop in the Roscoe Village area of Chicago. They advertise "hot lather shaves" in their window, and they charge 25 bucks, so you would think they would be sweet at it.

:eek: Eeek! That is terrible! I have had barber shaves in Asia and in various locations around the US and never had anything close to that. In fact, other than slicing myself becasue I wasn't paying attention, I have never done any serious bleeding as a result of a straight. At most, I get some pinpoint blood marks on the towel form where I may have pressed too hard, but nothing to be alarmed at. Here in the Denver area, I go to Floyd's Barber shop - a rock-n-roll theme and they have professional barbers - not just "hair stylists". They will even shave me with my own razor if I call in ahead of time. One of the barber's I use most is a young guy from Baltimore...he has it down to an art: lather, massage the face, hot towel, more lather, hot towel, more lather, inital passes, more lather, then a hot towel to wipe clean, then some face balm...super smoth, precise. I don't know where your home is, but look them up online - they have locations in several states. I'm not plugging them for business purposes, but in case anyone is thinking of following your lead, they may avoid the painful experience you had.

As for the shop you went to...I would contact the State of Illinois Licensing agency for Barbershops and file a complaint...a shave like that is like a haircut where you are half bald! I have very wirey whiskers around my chin and jaw (thus the handle here) and I have never had a barber hae so much trouble that there was blood - not even with a shavette.

Going to the barber should be a relaxing, stress-free experience. Find another one and see if you can get local references.

Don't let it deter you from using straights!
:tu

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jfthrash

Ok so is it customary to not be expected to pay if they cut you?

---

I would say, if they cut (nicked actually) just once, no big deal. Twice, maybe. Maybe not.

If they are soaking towels with your blood, did you get the experience you were after? George Washington died because his physicians overdid his bloodletting. You did not go to that barbershop for 18th century medical care. You also did not go to that barbershop just to remove some whiskers. The fact is that you went there basically for a (pardon this) man-spa type of experience. It was supposed to be a brief period of luxury treatment. Did you get that? Hell no. For most people, a straight shave is a novel experience, not just a routine whisker removal procedure. Aside from your whiskers being a little shorter, your face was WORSE off for the experience. THAT is why you should not have paid for what you got, or rather, didn't get.

Along a similar line. The last time I paid someone to cut my hair was in 1984. The "stylist" cut my ear so badly that the blood soaked my shirt all the way down from my shoulder to my waist yet she was actually mad at me when I did not tip her. For the next few years, my hair was in an easy to cut ponytail. Gradually I got better at cutting it myself. Someday I'll get it right.

I agree with those who have said they would refuse to pay. If they gave me a hard time, I'd threaten to go to the licensing board -- which I just might have done anyway.

man-spa :roflmao

Let's face it - you shave (or get shaved) with a straight razor enough, you're going to eventually get cut. A nick? A surprisingly painless welter of blood when you suddenly twitch under the razor? Sure. It's like riding a motorcycle. You will, eventually, put one down.

Now, getting a belt sander taken to your face, that's something else entirely. I've had those kind of shaves, too - it takes all of two minutes, the hot towels are lukewarm, and after they splash some alcohol on your face, you feel about ready to call the fire department. You should never go back to a place like that again! I got monster razor burn at a place where, having asked the barber whether she could use a straight razor, she showed me her straight razor tattoo and said, "Of course!" It's not a common skill among modern barbers - sure, they learn how in barber school, but very few people really come in looking for a shave like in the "old days".

So, no, that is absolutely not the sort of shaving experience you should expect from your barber. The kind of experience you should expect is the kind where they have to shake you awake at the end because you dozed off. You shouldn't even feel the razor. Your thick beard is no excuse (they lathered you up before putting on a hot towel, right? If not, they probably should have. And maybe even more than once!).

I think you should have complained. But hopefully its a not-too-expensive lesson in how /not/ to shave with a straight razor. Maybe you should write them a nastygram about your experience and ask for your money back.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I would have asked for the razor so I could shave him next

Or I would have kicked him in the nuts and said, "See you again tomorrow then?"

---

Now I like that!!

As everyone else has said that was bulls&*t. A real barber can shave you with none of that crap.:nono:

I pay $8 for a shave, when I break down and spend the money.. and he has never nicked me or left me with razor burn in four years. My barber is a professional and has probably been doing this for 40+ years, your guy sounds like a hack who doesn't have a clue to what he is doing. I would definetly call the manager on this either that or offer to shave the barber for free..revenge can also be refreshing.

8 bucks for a shave, man you are robbing that guy! If I was anywhere near him I'd rob him too!:D