Thread: Barber Shave Breakin' The Law

I've thought about how this could be done. Basically, the barbershop would be a "men's club", maybe with cigars too!

Each member would have his own locker and shave kit. Maybe Dovo Tortoise and Tony Miller strop for all, so the barber would be using consistent equipment. No risk of contamination because you are ther only one using your razor and strop.

This would only work in a fairly major metropolitan area with enough clients, but I think there is growing interest.

There ARE barbers around with the skills. My barber at the local mall is a 60 year old Italian-trained barber who used to shave 25 men every Saturday in his town back in Italy.

Sure would love to get a shave from him, but alas no shaves at the mall!

I just checked law in Louisiana, and straight razor shaves are allowed. They only requirement is that any instrudment which touches skin must be disinfected with the reqiured chemicals. On that note, the barber in my hometown (operating out of a late 1800's barber shop) still does straight razor shaves. However, he has recently switched to the str8 with the disposable blades because he said he was getting so old that it was too hard to keep his real str8's sharp. I have very vivid memories of going in for a haircut as a child and having him shave my neck and around my ears with his str8. I actually spoke with him the other day and he said he would still to real str8 shaves for people who specifically ask.

Dave, I like this! As you said, it would have to be in a well-populated area to work, but I think it would be a blast. And whoever ran the shop could, in theory, make a killing. Especially if they offered honing services and classes...

~Chris

Originally Posted by fatherof4

I just checked law in Louisiana, and straight razor shaves are allowed. They only requirement is that any instrudment which touches skin must be disinfected with the reqiured chemicals. On that note, the barber in my hometown (operating out of a late 1800's barber shop) still does straight razor shaves. However, he has recently switched to the str8 with the disposable blades because he said he was getting so old that it was too hard to keep his real str8's sharp. I have very vivid memories of going in for a haircut as a child and having him shave my neck and around my ears with his str8. I actually spoke with him the other day and he said he would still to real str8 shaves for people who specifically ask.

Hey father (LOL, that sounded funny),

Where are you located? Just wondering if I could make a trek your way to get a shave sometime?

~Chris

I was at the barber shop yesterday and got a haircut. I asked to get a goatee trim and a shave. He used a shavette and put in a new blade at my request. The shavette don't shave as close as my straight but he did put a nice shape on my goatee.

I offered to give a friend of mine a straight razor shave (he didn't know I had converted to real shaving) he didn't turn me down, strictly speaking. I was joking really,but, he mentioned that a friend of his had asked recently, if there was a Turkish barber in our city, where he could get a straight razor shave!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said his mate had got one on holiday and loved it! I thought - "Just call me Ibrahim"
Maybe, once I can hone a blade, I should buy him a dirt cheap razor of Evil bay and put an edge on it, and present it to him?

Originally Posted by cwrighta70

Hey father (LOL, that sounded funny),

Where are you located? Just wondering if I could make a trek your way to get a shave sometime?

~Chris

I am actually in Baton Rouge. However the Barber I was refering to is located in a little town called Homer (my hometown). It is about 50 miles east of shreveport.

Originally Posted by captnc12unch

Has anyone heard of Hawleywoods? Its an old school barber shop in California that specializes in the pomps and straight shaves with real straights. They have a website just google it. I think the owner is the one who showed Johnny Depp the basics for Sweeny Todd.

Then the owner still has a LOT to learn about the basics himself. Some of the stropping, honing, and shaving scenes were just terrible. For some reason I thought that this was TI's claim to fame.

Originally Posted by captnc12unch

Has anyone heard of Hawleywoods? Its an old school barber shop in California that specializes in the pomps and straight shaves with real straights.

I've never been there, but I know exactly where it is. Right in my home town - Costa Mesa, CA. Just another trendy place with people that are WAY cooler than you. Probably crappy work. Maybe next time I'm home I'll swing by and check it out. I could be totally wrong about the place.


That sign makes me think I'm probably not, though.

Odd all this talk of HIV stopping straight shaving in barber shops. Hepatitis is MUCH more virulent than HIV. But I suppose scares like this are rarely based on reality.