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.