I had my first at my local barber yesterday. When I made the arrangments I asked the owner if I could bring in my own straight rather than using one of he disposables. He was amenable to that. So, in addition to the razor, I brought all my own things in yesterday including strop, shave soap, brush and aftershave. I didn't look forward to the cream that came out of the dispenser, which was the reason I bought my own soap.

The shave was very good, but it was abundantly clear the shop was not equipped or set up to do these shaves. My barber is an old barber who used to do these. He was a bit out of practice, but did fine. The sink for hot water was all the way across the shop so the towels weren't all that hot. The chairs were not really meant to be used for shaving either. There wasn't any place to hang my strop.

Was it fun, yes. Would I go back for another at this barber shop, no. They give me great haircuts, but the shaves leave a lot to be desired.