The Butcher of Jermyn Street (London, GB.)

[slickster514]

A few weeks ago, (Aug. 6th to be exact) I was on vacation in London. It was a rather warm Thursday afternoon for London standards, I was browsing the St-James area for a few last minute barber shop articles to take back with me. I wondered in the Taylor's shop and opted for a 'proper' wet shave for lack of a better word.

I can't begin to describe the experience, but by gauging from the title of the posting, by now, you can guess nothing good came out of it.

The hot towel was nice, but that's where the good stuff ends. The barber goes on to whip up a small batch of lather, TOBS Shave Shop I believe. The lather was rather wet by anyone's standards, but who am I to judge?!

After lathering me up, the barber prepares his 'cut-throat' shavette when I notice he slides in a Merkur DE blade that he snapped in half. Merkur?! This can't be good.

Fast fwd to the 1st stroke....ouch...it wasn't cutting but rather scrapping. He the informs me that he won't be able to give me a 'close' shave because my skin would probably not tolerate it too well.

Fast fwd to the end of the shave....5-6 nicks, bleeders, and definite razor burn; and no it wasn't a close shave, it was a simple one pass.

I cannot believe I had to go back to where I was staying on the Piccadilly tube line looking like that! I also can't believe I didn't speak up and say anything.

This was my first wet shave administered by a butcher...I mean barber. I'm sure it isn't supposed to be like that, especially for 30GBP. T&H was fully booked that day (they charge 35GBP), and I probably paid the painful price for it.

 

[Mr Peat]

I love the St James area in London. Especially the Davidoff Cigar shop there. WOW!!! Thats pretty steep in price but anything in the UK isn't really priced what I would call reasonable. Next time I am there, I will have to take a peek at the shop as I didn't even know they had a Barber shop in the area.

Look at the bright side...you escaped alive.

 

[Eman]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have never heard a positive story from anyone getting a "professional" shave. After so many horror stories I am afraid to set foot in any place that does shaves.

 

[GoldenMonkey]

Stick to doing it yourself, lol...especially at those extortionary rates. As soon as I saw it was a Merkur blade, I would have been out of that chair, lol...

 

[mantic]

I feel your pain. Literally. I had a similar experience at Truefitt & Hill in Chicago a few years back. Ghastly shave. The barber's shaving experience is critical: turns out the T&H barber that shaved me only had six years of experience. If I had known to ask for the Master Barber I would've gotten someone with 30+ years of experience for the same price.

Don't let the DE blade snapped in half put you off too much. I've had two exceptional shaves at Art of Shaving in Las Vegas where the barber (20+ years experience) used disposable blades.

--Mark

 

[SavantStrike]

I feel your pain. Literally. I had a similar experience at Truefitt & Hill in Chicago a few years back. Ghastly shave. The barber's shaving experience is critical: turns out the T&H barber that shaved me only had six years of experience. If I had known to ask for the Master Barber I would've gotten someone with 30+ years of experience for the same price.

Don't let the DE blade snapped in half put you off too much. I've had two exceptional shaves at Art of Shaving in Las Vegas where the barber (20+ years experience) used disposable blades.

--Mark

Does it really take two decades until a barber knows how to give a proper shave?

My bet is the barber that has been shaving customers for 6 years isn't going to get that much better in another 14 years.

Unless the problem stems from the fact that barbers just don't give that many shaves any more, I say the problem is education, or lack thereof. Barber schools must be slacking off on the shaving lessons!

 

[DSB]

It might be awkward to ask, but I would want to know how the barber shaves himself. If he starts his morning with a multi blade cartridge and canned goo, I don't think I want him coming near me with a shavette or straight.

Sorry to hear about your negative experience. I would never have expected what you received from a barber in TOBS. Good to know for the future.

 

[slickster514]

It might be awkward to ask, but I would want to know how the barber shaves himself. If he starts his morning with a multi blade cartridge and canned goo, I don't think I want him coming near me with a shavette or straight.

Sorry to hear about your negative experience. I would never have expected what you received from a barber in TOBS. Good to know for the future.

To clarify, TOBS is the boutique, Jermyn Street Barbers is a seperate entity that operates within the TOBS establishment. They probably pay a concession fee to TOBS. This is different in T&H and other shops where the barbers are actually employed by the establishment. I'm not sure that this would make any difference in the service that I recieved, but it's an interesting fact to know.

 

[aquilla]

Don't let the DE blade snapped in half put you off too much. I've had two exceptional shaves at Art of Shaving in Las Vegas where the barber (20+ years experience) used disposable blades.

--Mark

i think it was the specifically the use of merkur DE blades that put him off not DE blades in general. could be wrong though.

 

[slickster514]

i think it was the specifically the use of merkur DE blades that put him off not DE blades in general. could be wrong though.

Yes the blade, not the razor

 

[rsvossen]

Perhaps it would be an idea for barbers to start educating themselves by using a straight at least twice a week on their own skin! The will have to learn it the hard way and perhaps understand that the shave their customers are receiving isn't very comfortable. Anyway, I think it would definitely improve their technique!
Sorry to hear about your experience.

 

[slickster514]

T&H London will be my next experience. It will either make it or break it as far as professional cut throat barber shaves go............see ya soon with a review......(in about 7-10 days)