How do you towel?

[mbrossar]

For those who follow Kyle's advice or have some other realted pre-shave routine involving hot towels, I'm curious, what's your routine? I don't imagine the vast majority of us have installed a barber chair in our bathrooms allowing us to sit back, look up and apply the towel. I figure we already spent the barber chair money on razors, soaps, creams, oils, aftershaves, etc.

But seriously, I enjoy lathering up and applying a hot towel for 1-3 minutes. I think it does even improve my shave, but I'm not conviced I've got the best method for doing so. Okay, I'll get the thread started, but I'm curious to hear what you're doing.

1. Before my shower, I fill the sink with the hottest water I can get out of the tap. I also fill my lather bowl, soak my brush and put several drops of water on my soap.
2. After my shower, I drain the water, wring the towel and refill the sink with the hottest water I can get from the tap, again. Why do it the first time if I just do it again? Well, I figure the first time heats up the sink and the towel a bit. Kind of gives things a head start. Maybe I'm crazy.
3. After creating a nice creamy lather, I wet my face, lather my face, wring the towel so it's not dripping but is still wet. I hold the towel in both hands, wrists almost together and fingers pointing outward and spread. I apply the towel to my face much like I was sitting with my head in my hands, but trying to get as broad and even preasure on my face with the towel. This is all over the sink to try to contain the water dripping from the towel.

The method works okay, but because I'm trying to apply towel preasure to my upper lip as well, it tends to close of the old nostrils, and my mouth is already covered, so continuing to breath over the next few minutes is interesting. The towel is pretty much flat in my hands. I don't do any kind of fancy swirling of the towel to leave an opening to breath through and perhaps I would improve my experience by doing so, but man, how much time and effort do I have for a morning shave.

So, what do you do?

 

[PhoR]

If you have a tub/shower combo, then you can just use the tub to lounge in so you don't have to hold the towel on your face.

 

[Luc]

I have to sit on the toilet and relax for 2 minutes post shower with the hot towel. I would love to have a bench or seat in the shower to do that but that's all I can do in my flat at the moment. Shaving goes like there down here:

1-Selection of the cream/soap I will use
2-Selection of the AS I will use
Note: Yes I have to do that before I fill the sink otherwise it can overflow...
3-Filling the sink, dropping the bowl, brush, towel, razor in warm water.
4-Shower and I give my beard a good clean with soap. I apply the soap at the beginning but rinse and scrub at the end of the shower
5-Warm towel on the toilet for 1-2 minutes
6-Build lather
7-3 pass shave WTG, XTG, ATG (I am thinking of changing this to achieve a BBS as sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. New routine would be XTG, XTG, ATG)
8-Rince/Apply A/S - Cologne
9-Done

Detailled but here we go, total time, around 25 minutes from 1 to 9!