Unfortunately, I didn't perform the shave. I ended up going to the barber shop where I used to get my hair cut while a kid. I remember seeing Jack shaving customers with his straight and recently had a craving to experience it. Not to mention, I have been needing to reward myself for working 80 hours a week at the hospital. The following is a step-by-step recount of my experience:
1. Looked up the store hours in the local phone book. For you Oklahoma guys it is Jack's Barber Shop on the SW corner of SW 74th and Penn...not directly on the corner but on the far west side of the shopping center there. He is open Mon-Friday 9-6 and even earlier on Saturdays. He is closed all day on Wed and Sun.
2. Drove on over after spending the afternoon wake-skating at the lake. Upon entering, it seems as if nothing has changed even though I have not been in the shop for at least 8 years. The same old tv, magazine rack, chairs, Dr. Pepper clock, hat/coat rack, register, and barber chairs. Nothing fancy here, no beers as you wait or anything...just the same old stuff that has been there as long as I can remember.
3. I asked Jack if he still gave shaves and he chuckled something about how he thinks he remembers how to weild a straight.
4. I sit down in the barber chair and he puts on the head rest and lays me back. After leaning the chair back, he draped a few towels across my chest/neck to keep my shirt clean.
5. Next, he lathered lathered the 'ol visage up with his brush. He has a "lather machine" (kind of a small box that squirts out the lather) with which he fills an old shaving mug and then lathers you up.
6. He scrubbed my lather covered face, working it down into the skin and then applied a hot towel for a few minutes.
7. Repeat the hot towel.
8. Re-lather
9. Shaving commences. Unfortunately, he didn't use the standard straight razor but a razor with a disposable blade....?shavette?? No big deal, but I was hoping for the real deal along with getting to watch someone strop a razor in person. The shave was MUCH quicker than expected. He first attacked the right side of my face, and before I finished my first breath he had shaved from the sideburn all the way down and across to the angle of the mouth. He next de-bearded the right neck in a similar fashion. He then proceeded to shave the left face, neck and then my upper lip, chin, and lastly, the neck midline. Of note, he didn't shave me as I would have...with and then across the grain. Instead, he shaved in different directions including against the grain on a first pass. I was worried that I was sprouting weepers like Old Faithful and was going to need a transfusion. Needless to say there was minimal nickage: one on the left neck where there was some pre-existing irritation from a day too old feather and then a couple along the underside of my left jaw line. This was the area that was nearly 100% against the grain.
10. After the shave he reapplied a hot towel to the face for a few minutes and then came back with the razor for touch-ups. He used hot water on the face a did exactly I said...touched up the missed spots and even added a little blade buffing to smooth me out.
11. Last was the aftershave. Bay Rum was the scent and the brand was either Pinaud or Master's (which can be found locally here in OKC). I am not sure as to the exact brand as the bottle was different than mine (Master's) but the scent was the same...at least as much as I could tell.
12. The aftershave burned a bit going on, but he massaged it into the face such that the burning sensation was overcome by massaging sensation. He then used his barber towel as a fan (twirling above my face) to give a cooling sensation as the aftershave dried.
13. After that, all was done. His asking price...seven bucks! I gave him ten which I think is a great deal compared to what some of the guys pay when going to Vegas and other places.
Results: Cheeks are near BBS to BBS and the neck is near BBS. From reading other posts where members visited T&H in Vegas, for example, they all seem to complain of getting a mediocre shave. Personally, this shave was the same or better than my daily shave. Great price, great shave. I'll be going back as soon as I can.
1. Looked up the store hours in the local phone book. For you Oklahoma guys it is Jack's Barber Shop on the SW corner of SW 74th and Penn...not directly on the corner but on the far west side of the shopping center there. He is open Mon-Friday 9-6 and even earlier on Saturdays. He is closed all day on Wed and Sun.
2. Drove on over after spending the afternoon wake-skating at the lake. Upon entering, it seems as if nothing has changed even though I have not been in the shop for at least 8 years. The same old tv, magazine rack, chairs, Dr. Pepper clock, hat/coat rack, register, and barber chairs. Nothing fancy here, no beers as you wait or anything...just the same old stuff that has been there as long as I can remember.
3. I asked Jack if he still gave shaves and he chuckled something about how he thinks he remembers how to weild a straight.
4. I sit down in the barber chair and he puts on the head rest and lays me back. After leaning the chair back, he draped a few towels across my chest/neck to keep my shirt clean.
5. Next, he lathered lathered the 'ol visage up with his brush. He has a "lather machine" (kind of a small box that squirts out the lather) with which he fills an old shaving mug and then lathers you up.
6. He scrubbed my lather covered face, working it down into the skin and then applied a hot towel for a few minutes.
7. Repeat the hot towel.
8. Re-lather
9. Shaving commences. Unfortunately, he didn't use the standard straight razor but a razor with a disposable blade....?shavette?? No big deal, but I was hoping for the real deal along with getting to watch someone strop a razor in person. The shave was MUCH quicker than expected. He first attacked the right side of my face, and before I finished my first breath he had shaved from the sideburn all the way down and across to the angle of the mouth. He next de-bearded the right neck in a similar fashion. He then proceeded to shave the left face, neck and then my upper lip, chin, and lastly, the neck midline. Of note, he didn't shave me as I would have...with and then across the grain. Instead, he shaved in different directions including against the grain on a first pass. I was worried that I was sprouting weepers like Old Faithful and was going to need a transfusion. Needless to say there was minimal nickage: one on the left neck where there was some pre-existing irritation from a day too old feather and then a couple along the underside of my left jaw line. This was the area that was nearly 100% against the grain.
10. After the shave he reapplied a hot towel to the face for a few minutes and then came back with the razor for touch-ups. He used hot water on the face a did exactly I said...touched up the missed spots and even added a little blade buffing to smooth me out.
11. Last was the aftershave. Bay Rum was the scent and the brand was either Pinaud or Master's (which can be found locally here in OKC). I am not sure as to the exact brand as the bottle was different than mine (Master's) but the scent was the same...at least as much as I could tell.
12. The aftershave burned a bit going on, but he massaged it into the face such that the burning sensation was overcome by massaging sensation. He then used his barber towel as a fan (twirling above my face) to give a cooling sensation as the aftershave dried.
13. After that, all was done. His asking price...seven bucks! I gave him ten which I think is a great deal compared to what some of the guys pay when going to Vegas and other places.
Results: Cheeks are near BBS to BBS and the neck is near BBS. From reading other posts where members visited T&H in Vegas, for example, they all seem to complain of getting a mediocre shave. Personally, this shave was the same or better than my daily shave. Great price, great shave. I'll be going back as soon as I can.
