Thread: Professional Barber Shaves-Squawkbox

That's some of the most poppy**** stuff I ever heard. Barbers stopped doing shaves with straights because of health codes and the fact most guys switched to electrics or cartridges and didn't need a barber to shave them anymore and the barbering schools did less and less to train them for shaving.

It's true barbers in the 40s and 50s especially, applied lather with their hands and used a latherking machine to dispense it which gave terrible lather. Barbers were taught when applying lather with their hands they could map out the beard growth. These days they would probably be using rubber gloves.

Keeping customers brush and mug in the shop goes way back to the early 20th century.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

That's some of the most poppy**** stuff I ever heard. Barbers stopped doing shaves with straights because of health codes and the fact most guys switched to electrics or cartridges and didn't need a barber to shave them anymore and the barbering schools did less and less to train them for shaving.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that barber's story.
Consider the following as nothing more than speculation on my part...

Because of the advent of the electrics and cartridges, it's likely that barbers were not able to charge as much as they used to, relative to their other services, because of how easily the customers could shave themselves. Being forced to charge less for shaves, and considering the time it takes to do a shave, it might have been more profitable to focus on haircuts.

Frank's Barber Shop on Northshore in Knoxville, Tn. does straight shaves.

A little expensive for me though. $30 plus tip.

I just yesterday afternoon stopped by our neighborhood Rooster's, where I've been getting haircuts for a while now, and let them give me shave as well. It was educational (and fantastic!)

After my cut and wash was done, Anita put a wet towel over my eyes and another wrapped around my face. This was the first of three or four hot towels my face was treated to. Pre-shave oil, some sort of shaving cream applied by hand and I could tell she was taking a lot of time to map out my beard growth pattern or was just giving me a fantastic facial massage. Probably a bit of both.

She shaved me with a cartridge-type razor and made at least two passes, checking her work with her hands as she went. My neck is especially problematic for me but it was for her as well, and some of the bits that I just absolutely can't get BBS no matter how hard I try were still a bit rough when she was finally done too.

More hot towels followed, as did some aftershave cologne, then a moisturizer of some sort that really hung with me for a long while, and a cold towel in there too near the end. Rooster's calls it a 7-step shave and I honestly wasn't counting. I almost fell asleep several times it was so relaxing & restful. When she sat me up at the end, she commented that I had a really coarse beard, which I had suspected but thought it was unlikely to be true and was probably just something I was doing wrong in my honing technique that kept dulling razors. Maybe not. I'll have to read up more around here on how to deal with coarse, tough beards.

So while I would have preferred a shave with a straight, I thoroughly enjoyed every other aspect of having my face shaved by a trained barber. I'd recommend the experience to anyone who has $30 and a Rooster's nearby, or to anyone who doesn't have access to a good barber who still believes in straight razors.

I am currently in San Francisco following up on my results since my liver transplant on 2/2/2011. Everything is looking amazing and test results could not be better. That said, I found two locations for The Art of Shaving really close by. At two o'clock this afternoon, I finally will be rewarding myself for all the tough times the last six months has put my body through. Booked the works as far as straight razor shaves go and I can't wait. Expecting some overpriced quotes but that is to be expected from them I am sure. Having been a DE Merkur user for about 6 months and a recent convert to str8's, this will be a blast. I have my hopes up, this is true, but am anxious in comparing my basic skills, learning, and asking as much as they'll allow. It's darn near one now and I only have an hour to go and I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. Funny, a year ago shaving was a chore and now not only do I look forward to it each morning, but I'm kinda giddy over going to get a shave. I keep everyone posted when I get back if there is an interest. Thank you to everyone for all the help and support since I joined here and the actions that have lead me to my appointment today.....

Cheers guys n gals!

First I'm glad everything went great on your surgery.

As I recall guys who went to AOS for a shave got a shave with a disposable razor and not a straight either, more like a bic. Either way I hope you have an enjoyable experience and enjoy the pampering.

I have had only 2 barber shaves. The first was by the barber that gave me my first ever haircut, got the shave for high school yearbook photo. The second was years later at the Sapp Brothers truck stop in Salt lake city. Both were with real straights and both were excellent. The barber I grew up getting hair cuts from retired long ago after he developed carpel tunnel, but his daughter is a barber and beautician. The old barber at Sapp Brothers has most likely retired since he was in his late fifties in '95 when I got the shave. I have often wondered if someone took over for him.

Just discovered that there is a barber shop in Dallas Ga that does SR shaves. I havent been yet just got a haircut 2 weeks ago, but I do intend to go and will report back. If interested its Cross Cut barber shop in Dallas Ga.
Cross Cuts BarberShop - Home Page

Enjoyable experience, bad shave.

I have been looking for a place for a straight shave in okc. I heard about a place on north may but have heard it was unfriendly I will check it out myself soon. My son took me to a barber shop in the Asian district called hanks, best haircut I have had in years. The barber touched up my neck with a straight. They also do shaves but I had just shaved.he also trimmed my goatee with the cut. Cut cost $11.00, shave $9.00. $20.00 for a cut and shave is what I'm going to do when my hair gets long again.