Barbershop in Baltimore, MD

[Gitpicker]

Just throwing it out there to anyone who travels in or near Baltimore, MD. I happened to find this Barber shop by accident called Quintessential Gentleman and I had a great traditional strait razor shave for $25! Got a haircut as well and some supplies from the shop downstairs. I was a walk-in and they took me in right away and the service and quality of the shave was excellent. I'll go back again next time I'm in town.

Here's their link: http://www.baltimorebarbershop.com/

BTW, I have no affiliation with this place, I just wanted to share that I had a great experience there. Maybe you guys know about it already though. I'm new to the forum.

Thanks!

Doug

 

[big1096]

Very nice! I live in Baltimore and had no idea! Thanks for the heads up. I believe I'll give it a look.

 

[VT_Hokie]

This place sounds amazing. I felt relaxed just reading the description of all the services when you click more info. Im outside of DC but this might be worth the drive!

 

[maxroach]

I had a shave there not so long ago...here's a copy of the review I wrote for Yelp:
------
Better in concept than in execution. I might go back, probably not for another shave, and definitely not with Ken. For starters, I'm an experienced wet shaver, so I may be more aware of their inadequacies than other guys. But here's how the Quintessential Shave ($40) went for me:

I arrived on time, to find three employees talking at the front desk. After I stood there for a few seconds (too many, but within reason), I was greeted casually by Ken, who performed my shave. He escorted me to his chair. There was no one else in the room, but there were two TV's blaring, which was not relaxing. For safety, barbers can't use real straight razors anymore. Instead, they use a straight razor handle that accepts disposable blades (in this case, Ken had a Dovo Shavette loaded with a Shark blade). I brought my own straight razor with me, which had an excellent edge. For whatever reason, Ken still opted to use his Shavette. Which is fine -- I want him using what he's comfortable with.

He started with some hot lather (from a Lather King), and a hot towel. After a few minutes, he wiped the lather off with the towel, applied some Truefitt & Hill pre-shave oil, and some more hot lather. He then did the first pass with the razor, with the grain. Frankly, his technique was a little spotty. The razor dragged, and there was a reasonable amount if irritation. I considered just skipping the second pass, but let him continue. He re-lathered me (another hot towel would have been nice), then started his second pass (across the grain). This was very uncomfortable. He finished up, applied another hot towel, then a cold towel (with about ten seconds of uninspired facial massage through the towel). He then applied some aftershave balm (I can't remember the brand, but it wasn't T&H). The appointment was schedule for 45 minutes, but he finished in 30. Hey buddy, next time how about some extra towels or massage to fill that time? Or maybe take your time on the shave so I'm not so irritated? Or just don't charge me for 45 minutes of your time if you're not going to use it. The end result was me with a red, irritated face with at least five nicks.

My daily shaves are closer, and with less irritation.
My usual routine:

Shower
Hot water
Trumper's almond shaving soap
Three passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) with my Merkur 38C (Red Israeli Personna blade)
Cold water
Aqua Velva after shave

Without question, my shaves take less time, get closer, have much less irritation, and generally no cuts.

**An experienced barber would never leave your face this irritated, and there should very rarely be a nick, let alone this many.**

Ken's shave was indicative of someone who just doesn't do a lot of shaves. A nice guy, but not good with a straight.

After the shave, I retreated upstairs to have a nice beer and shoot some pool with my girlfriend. These are really nice perks, so kudos for that. I'll give credit where credit is due. But I wasn't there for a beer, I was there for a shave.

The overall experience was OK, but the shave was sub-par. If you shave daily with canned goo and a cartridge razor, this isn't too bad. If you know what you're doing, though, just shave yourself.

They do have a nice selection of T&H products, as well as Merkur and Parker razors available for purchase at mostly reasonable prices.

So, in summary:

Atmosphere: B+
Personal Services: A-
Shave: C
Store: A-

Overall, I'll give it a B. But I was there for a shave, so the grade of "C" for the shave is not cool. I haven't had a shave there, but the Grooming Lounge in DC has a much better atmosphere, and better customer service. I haven't had a shave there, but their haircuts are excellent. But they're more expensive than Quintessential Gentleman, so that's worth noting.

In the end, I might be back for a haircut at some point. Not a shave. And I don't see myself choosing Ken again. A nice guy, but not so smooth with the sharp objects.

 

[SafetyManiac]

maxroach, thanks for your review. I visit Baltimore on occasions and found this shop on-line and was looking forward to stopping by one day and get a shave. However, maybe not so much now.

I guess I'll start searching the Philly area.

 

[maxroach]

Well, I can't speak for the other barbers in there -- it could be a completely different deal. This place definitely has the right idea, it just fell pretty short on my visit. I'll probably give them a second chance (of some sort, anyway) on a future visit.

 

[Gitpicker]

Max thanks for your review, I'll take that into consideration. I didn't have Ken when I went. I think I had Frank actually. My experience was much better than yours apparently as I had not a single cut, knick or any irritation whatsoever and I hadn't shaved for a couple days at the time I went in.

At any rate I appreciate your feedback and if I get back there again (not sure when as I live in CA) I'll try to get the same guy I had before and not the guy who performed your shave.

 

[canoesota]

Interesting collection of bow and neck ties in their online store!

 

[Monkeydad]

Wow, I was within walking distance of it this weekend (took family to Aquarium).

A hot towel head shave sounds nice, the wife would have a fit too.


This is an amazing value...I should try this out to get a new style:

Executive Haircut

$25.00

After consultation and learning more about you and your hair, our men’s hair experts will provide the proper cut and style for you. For a precision line, hot lather is applied temple to temple along the neckline and cleaned up with the straight razor. We end with a hot towel on the head and a neck massage.

They have a BILLIARDS ROOM!

 

[Monkeydad]

I'm eying this up...maybe an eventual replacement for the VDH bowl.

http://www.baltimorebarbershop.com/products/dark-wood-shaving-bowl-and-shave-soap-assorted-scents

 

[HokieGeek]

Hmm, one bad review, one glowing review. I think that's worth at least a try for me. I don't find myself in Baltimore all that often as it's an hour away, but maybe the next time I go...

I went to a local barber yesterday (in Germantown, MD) and it was really disappointing . I was considering a shave until I saw the can of barbasol and the rotary shaver, so I stuck to just a hair cut. The cut was horrible! My neck is still sore from how often she ran the razor on it, something that never happens, and my wife and I had to recut my hair later as she left a lot of hairs that were the same length as when I walked in!

I would really love to go to a local place where the service is good and I don't feel like they're trying to get it over with and move on to the next customer.