The Best Shave

This morning, Jeff and I went to Imperial Barber Shop on Slater Street to get straight shaves. Our appointment was at 9:30am, I got there right on time, and Jeff showed up a few minutes later, having had some difficulty finding a parking spot.

They sat us down in old style barber chairs, you know the ones that look like barca loungers, across from one another, so we could see in the mirrors what was happening. They started us off by shaving off all the excess facial hair with some electric clippers. There wasn't much work to be done on me, because honestly, I don't grow that much facial hair.

So, I was ahead of the game as the barber continued to prep me for the shave, while Jeff's barber was still struggling. The next step in the process was the application of the shaving cream, but not just any shaving cream. They had a little machine on a table nearby that produced a warm, silky, smooth lather. The barber applied the shaving cream to my face using the tips of her fingers. Once that was done, she wrapped my face in warm towels, and let them sit for a couple of minutes. Then, she wiped off all the shaving cream, and reapplied some more.

Then, the barber brought out the straight razor and began, little by little, methodically, precisely, erradicating each and every hair on my face. I got a little nervous as the blade swept across my throat, remembering certain scenes from the movie Sweeney Todd, but in the end, I escaped unscathed with no cuts or bruises, and my face was as smooth as a baby's bottom.