Report: Covenant Barber Shop, Fresno, CA
First, sorry mods if I should have just kept this in the other thread, but I didn't have ability to edit the title and wanted people to see the review. please delete the other thread if you like.
the other day I was looking for a local spot to get a new haircut, wanted to go retro with a pompadour (turns out it isn't "quite" long enough, almost....) I came across this...
MySpace.com - Covenant Barber Shop - 24 - Male - FRESNO, California - www.myspace.com/covenantbarbershop
and posted here asking about it, after I stopped by to see the location and get the phone number. Cool place, great artwork all over, indie bands, couple of barbers stations, motorcycle parked inside looking like something Brando might have ridden. great ambiance. case with a hone, razor and strop in it, as well as old school pomade, nothing water soluble.
Today I did a walk-in, Lou was outside talking to one of the ink slingers from next door. I walked in and started looking at the hotrod mags, he came in and we got right to business. I told him what I was trying for hair wise, he said he could help with that. I said I'd like a shave too if he had time. this was about 4:10pm.
sat down and right to the cut. I of course talk and talk and talk. feeling him out about his knowledge of straights. he is after all only 24 right?
not only does he do shaves, he hones his own and shaves with one himself. when i said I did he asked if I sharpened it myself, I said no I didn't and that I had them sharpened, i wasn't really setup etc. He hones his at home, because he says it takes a while. he uses a real straight and only uses the disposable blade one for clients at the shop. he has some regulars that bring real ones. said most of his clients getting shaves are older guys that remember getting them when they were younger (there was a guy there as I was leaving that was there to get his head shaved).
feeling good about his knowledge I told him I brought one and he stopped cutting immediately and asked if he could see it. I took the w&b in padauk I have for sale, it is the closest to traditional and non-intimidating of my shave ready blades. he said the edge was pretty good and it looked like I knew what I was doing, I reminded him I had somebody else hone it :) (josh earl in this case).
cutting mostly done he reclines me and starts the shave. hot towel wrapping whole face, some massaging of it, making sure it is tight over the lip. hot shaving cream. he seemed to know what he was doing, went WTG, ATG, and XTG, over some spots more than once, always more hot cream between. no cuts. He definitely knew what he was doing. I never shave ATG and my skin being so sensitive I felt it really, and was a bit worried about the after affects, but wanted the first shave to be conducted without my input, for accurate observation of what goes on.
One more hot towel and some touch ups. then cold towel followed by aftershave (maybe old spice? didn't see as back was to mirror, but smelled good). that was fire baby! The result= not necessarily smoother than I get, some areas yes, some about the same. But he was shaving a strangers face with a strangers razor that he'd never handled before. I had no expectations going in, only a slight worry about something horrible after reading here. I was pleasantly surprised, happy, and my face now? no pain, no burn or rash. He did good. Pronounced my razor good, it shaved well.
Then we went back to hair. the front of my hair isn't quite long enough for a high and out pompadour like I was wanting (I'd been gel and blow drying it up to get it poufed in front, but i wanted it to have that wet, slick look). he broke out some real pommade, this one made by a friend of his in town. I told him about the "designer" pommade I'd tried from supercuts. he said that the water soluble ones really don't work like the real thing. man, it goes in hard, but when he got done combing I liked the result. (wife by the way didn't, she was wanting the up and out and she likes my hair dry and soft).
End result, great blood free shave + haircut = 20 bucks! Old school pomade = 6 bucks! (the other one I had, probably about same amount, 15 dollars from supercuts).
I highly recommend the place if you're coming through this way. Also, he inked, complete sleeve, traditional catholic pieces. into music, he's a rockabilly music promoter here in town. likes hotrods and custom bikes.
Guys name is Lou. Cool cat. :D
Red
