Disney Cruise shave

[BigHairyGuy]

So a couple of weeks ago I went on a Disney Cruise. As most cruise ships do, they had a spa aboard. When we first boarded the ship, there were signs in every elevator offering men's barbering services. These had not been listed on the pre-boarding sign-up; they had not secured a barber until the very last minute. I've been looking to get a straight shave for a little while, so I figured I'd go and see what was being offered. I talked with the barber, a nice enough lady, although not a native English speaker. I asked what kind of razor she used, and she told me a Mach 3. I thanked her for her time and told her I needed to check my schedule before signing up. She pitched all of the creams she would use to prevent in-grown hairs and the like, and told me to hurry back because she was the only certified barber aboard and her slots were filling up quickly. (Incidentally, I'm not sure why you need a certified barber in international waters on a ship flying a foreign flag, but whatever)

I don't see why you need a certified barber to use a Mach 3. I tend libertarian, and I can give strong arguments why there shouldn't be certifications for any profession, including doctors and lawyers. That said, I understand why we started requiring certifications of barbers. A straight razor is a dangerous thing, and people are nervous letting any stranger put one to their neck. But in this day and age, when most haircuts are with clippers and most shaves are with cartridges, what are barbers really doing?

I'm sure barbers will keep their monopoly for awhile longer. They are far from the worst in putting up barriers to entry. Michigan, for instance, has gone off of the deep end. If anyone is interested, the Institute for Justice (IJ) has started targeting these laws. They have interesting cases in Louisiana right now, one for a florist and one for some monks who make coffins. The ones for the monks was in the WSJ yesterday. It would be nice if the current barber regime was changed. Maybe you only need to be certified if you use a straight or shavette, and you can only call yourself a barber if you use a straight or shavette.

Thoughts?

 

[justinp]

I don't think I'm allowed to post links to blogs (?) but Matt Yglesias, a blogger/pundit who tends pretty liberal, started a kerfuffle over this sometime last week. He posted a piece about how stupid the DC barber licensing regulation scheme is-- standards are set by industry insiders, which means regulatory capture out the wazoo-- and the portion of the blogosphere that interacts with him kinda caught on to the meme.

The comments section on Yglesias's post is hilariously filled with betrayed-feeling leftists, who are all pretty much defending the licensing scheme out of reflex. I guess once you start getting rid of barbering licenses, next thing you know you'll wake up and have gotten rid of e.g. the minimum wage and rules against child labor?

Also, gotta love the IJ. Thinking about a law career, and I'd definitely try to do work on the side for them.

 

[furious1]

The three main professions of law, medicine, and education began certifications and licenses to gain monopoly power, and prevent extra-practitioners from being able to judge quality or qualifications. The rise of professions went hand in hand with the rise of big corporations.

The AMA is a great example, in the nineteenth century what we call "regular" medicine was simply one of a few different methods of treating people, all with their own benefits/detriments, including osteopathy and chiropractics. The AMA worked to discredit all other forms, and although we might get an adjustment from a chiropractor we would no longer ask them to treat cancer, nor could they. Osteopaths hold on by a thread.

By the early 20th century you saw this mania for making lots of occupations into "professions", so that the word lost much of its original meaning of being an occupation requiring a certain level of specialized education and that is altruistic. It came with a certain cultural capital, if not economic, that the middle class sought. Now it just means anyone who is paid to do something as in "professional athlete." Barbering is interesting in this regard as it was more of a "medical" job in earlier times.

The internet age, government intervention, and corporations are ending the age of autonomy in the three strongest remaining professions. Insurance companies are eroding the professional authority of doctors, for example.

 

[RF1963]

Maybe you only need to be certified if you use a straight or shavette, and you can only call yourself a barber if you use a straight or shavette.

Thoughts?

I don't know what regulations prevail in New Zealand but my first thought is that this suggestion would go a long way to clarifying the situation. So many posts here describe going to a barbers for a shave only to be disappointed when the practitioner produces a cartridge razor or DE.

 

[BladeRunner001]

So a couple of weeks ago I went on a Disney Cruise. As most cruise ships do, they had a spa aboard. When we first boarded the ship, there were signs in every elevator offering men's barbering services. These had not been listed on the pre-boarding sign-up; they had not secured a barber until the very last minute. I've been looking to get a straight shave for a little while, so I figured I'd go and see what was being offered. I talked with the barber, a nice enough lady, although not a native English speaker. I asked what kind of razor she used, and she told me a Mach 3. I thanked her for her time and told her I needed to check my schedule before signing up. She pitched all of the creams she would use to prevent in-grown hairs and the like, and told me to hurry back because she was the only certified barber aboard and her slots were filling up quickly. (Incidentally, I'm not sure why you need a certified barber in international waters on a ship flying a foreign flag, but whatever)

I don't see why you need a certified barber to use a Mach 3. I tend libertarian, and I can give strong arguments why there shouldn't be certifications for any profession, including doctors and lawyers. That said, I understand why we started requiring certifications of barbers. A straight razor is a dangerous thing, and people are nervous letting any stranger put one to their neck. But in this day and age, when most haircuts are with clippers and most shaves are with cartridges, what are barbers really doing?

I'm sure barbers will keep their monopoly for awhile longer. They are far from the worst in putting up barriers to entry. Michigan, for instance, has gone off of the deep end. If anyone is interested, the Institute for Justice (IJ) has started targeting these laws. They have interesting cases in Louisiana right now, one for a florist and one for some monks who make coffins. The ones for the monks was in the WSJ yesterday. It would be nice if the current barber regime was changed. Maybe you only need to be certified if you use a straight or shavette, and you can only call yourself a barber if you use a straight or shavette.

Thoughts?

Why are you agonizing over this? Take your str8 on your trips and shave yourself. Advantages:

1. Cheaper...take the $ you save and get yourself and SWMBO a nice bottle of Merlot wine
2. Better quality shaves
3. More satisfaction

I also looked into getting a str8 shave by a barber (I visited the AOS shop near me) and as soon as I found out that they use Shavettes and charge you $35 (basic shave) or $55 (Royal shave), I ran out the door. I have yet to hear of someone having a great experience with new barbers. Old time barbers (if you can find them) would probably be a nice experience. But "modern" living seems to have weened this out of most of the metropolitan cities.

just my 2 cents.

 

[AlanL]

I think you'll find that licensing goes back a lot further than the rise of corporations and professions in the 20th century. The root of modern licensing can be found in the trade guilds of medieval Europe. You might call that scheme a combination of unions and local cronyism, but so be it. In those days, if you wanted to practice a trade, from cobbling shoes to making gold jewelry, you had to be in the appropriate guild. You'd spend years as apprentice and then journeyman. Eventually, you'd produce a piece of work to be judged by the guild to see if you were worthy to become a master (our word masterpiece comes from this). The guild served a couple purposes. Yes, it protected the jobs of those in the profession, but it also protected the consumer by assuring a certain level of quality. (Plumbing and electricians are probably the closest we have to this today.)

The purpose of certifying a barber is to assure the customer of at least some level of competence though not a steadfast guaranty of a great job. Should this be necessary? If a barber does a bad job, he'll go out of business. True, but in the meantime, the person who's visiting from out of town (or on a cruise) doesn't have access to the local judgment on the barber's work. The certification indicates you might reasonably expect at least some minimum level of trade knowledge.

 

[csmorris]

I think this thread has gone a little off track but...

I think I will stick with a licenced Dr. for the forseeable future.

How was the cruise otherwise?

 

[BigHairyGuy]

The cruise was great- we have a young one, so it wasn't quite a relaxing vacation. Still fun.

As far as doctors go, you should look at Rand Paul's certification. He's a Senate candidate in Kentucky. The story is interesting. If I can find a link, I'll post it later.

As far as barbers go, I've gotten enough bad haircuts from barbers to doubt what the certification does for haircuts.

 

[ducatisteve]

I was excited that there is a local barber shop here in Orlando that does "straight shaves". What I found out after plopping down $25 is that the cheeks are done with a shavette while everything else is buffed raw with a Mach 3. Oh well, at least they give great haircuts and free beer.

 

[AlanL]

As far as barbers go, I've gotten enough bad haircuts from barbers to doubt what the certification does for haircuts.

Touché.

 

[csmorris]

I was excited that there is a local barber shop here in Orlando that does "straight shaves". What I found out after plopping down $25 is that the cheeks are done with a shavette while everything else is buffed raw with a Mach 3. Oh well, at least they give great haircuts and free beer.

Free beer at the barber



I'm in!

 

[Masterblaster]

Not only do you want a barber that is straight razor certified...

You want a barber that is sea-state 7 (hurricane force) certified.

Anyone can shave when it's calm. It takes a true master to shave you when the floor is heaving. You don't want that juggler sliced by someone who can't handle a little water over the bow.

 

[buyandhold2018]

I'm with you on the no-certification idea. Chances are... no barber that shaves you with a cartridge is going to be in business for very long (unless it's a monopoly like a on a cruise ship in the middle of nowhere). In my area, the busiest barbers are also the best barbers. Although, a DE might be a good idea for a cruise ship, like masterblaster stated, a straight could be a little dangerous.

 

[Carlo A]

Why are you agonizing over this? Take your str8 on your trips and shave yourself. Advantages:

1. Cheaper...take the $ you save and get yourself and SWMBO a nice bottle of Merlot wine
2. Better quality shaves
3. More satisfaction

I also looked into getting a str8 shave by a barber (I visited the AOS shop near me) and as soon as I found out that they use Shavettes and charge you $35 (basic shave) or $55 (Royal shave), I ran out the door. I have yet to hear of someone having a great experience with new barbers. Old time barbers (if you can find them) would probably be a nice experience. But "modern" living seems to have weened this out of most of the metropolitan cities.

just my 2 cents.

+1 on that!
It is definitely a scam for me to go to a barber for a str8 shave!
I do it myself and I love it!

 

[Go West Young Man]

This thread is going in 2 directions, so I think I'll split my responses up.

First off, I too like the "live and let live" philosophy and I'm suspicious whenever a group gets to control who gets access to the customer's dollar.

That said, there's a lot to be said for mandating certain minimum skills be acquired and demonstrated before letting someone go out and sell himself as an expert. I wouldn't want just anyone to advertise their doctoring skills, and I wouldn't want any idjit on the street to be able to offer financial planning services. The alternative is crowdsourcing, which, as Yelp shows, is very susceptible to spamming and false data being injected into the system.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Second issue - spa/barber shaves.

Other than a few shave fetishists who hang out on weird internet boards, no-one cares what tool the barber uses to shave them. Going for a spa/barber shop shave is about the experience - hot towels, fancy creams, facial rubs, good company, maybe a beer at the end. You can't assume that our particular hobby has any resonance or importance to people outside this niche.

 

[Carlo A]

Second issue - spa/barber shaves.

Other than a few shave fetishists who hang out on weird internet boards, no-one cares what tool the barber uses to shave them. Going for a spa/barber shop shave is about the experience - hot towels, fancy creams, facial rubs, good company, maybe a beer at the end. You can't assume that our particular hobby has any resonance or importance to people outside this niche.

You actually are correct, Chris. Hmmm....I'm somehow contradicting my previous post. Well, I guess you enlightened me!

cheers

 

[AACJ]

For what it's worth, on our fifth cruise, I went to the men's shave symposium. Well, frankly, I was the only guy there, besides, the "barber" but I seriously would not have considered him one of the guys. So anyway, he is talking to me, and me only about these shaving creams I have never heard of and telling me that a Mach 3 is the best razor I could give myself. I mentioned the three T's and he says to me that he has never heard of them. I also pulled out my Feather Artist Club RG and asked if he could give me a shave with that. He chickened out....I left.

End of story.

Moral of the story, bring your own razor and give your self the best shave you will ever have. Only YOU know your face better than anyone else.

 

[Carlo A]

For what it's worth, on our fifth cruise, I went to the men's shave symposium. Well, frankly, I was the only guy there, besides, the "barber" but I seriously would not have considered him one of the guys. So anyway, he is talking to me, and me only about these shaving creams I have never heard of and telling me that a Mach 3 is the best razor I could give myself. I mentioned the three T's and he says to me that he has never heard of them. I also pulled out my Feather Artist Club RG and asked if he could give me a shave with that. He chickened out....I left.

End of story.

Moral of the story, bring your own razor and give your self the best shave you will ever have. Only YOU know your face better than anyone else.

, amazing!!! I love your story, seriously.
I must agree that for us, connoisseurs, we don't appreciate wimps that are considered professionals who don't know much about wet shaving - but then again you, out of all people should know that only YOU will achieve a perfect and safe shave!

Cheers mate

 

[AACJ]

, amazing!!! I love your story, seriously.
I must agree that for us, connoisseurs, we don't appreciate wimps that are considered professionals who don't know much about wet shaving - but then again you, out of all people should know that only YOU will achieve a perfect and safe shave!

Cheers mate

Oh, he didn't even know the term "wet shaving." I could have gone on and on about it but it came down to this......the cruise line (and "barber") were trying to sell me their way overpriced stuff. Period.

Now, if anyone can tell me where there are decent shaving supplies in Virginia Beach while I am on vacation, I would appreciate that!!