Okay, first off, it just feels great. Because really, how often do you get something nice and warm smeared on the back of your neck? Speak up if you’re getting this action somewhere else, because we’re all ears. For me, it’s only when I go to that old-school barber shop — one with the red and white striped pole out in front, the old dog-eared Sports Illustrateds from the 1980s sitting on the table, and no formal system at all for figuring out who’s next in line.
Secondly, how cool is that straight razor blade? Maybe it’s a bit dangerous. Maybe it’s unhygienic. But it sure is a giant blade, is what I’m saying. You have to respect a man who can wield such a mighty and powerful weapon. I mean, scissors I could handle. Sure, if you let me cut your daughter’s hair I’d probably give her a messy faux-hawk by accident, but the point is that scissors don’t scare me. Now, that giant blade is another story. It would take a lot to convince me to slice that thing across a man’s neck for the first time.
Finally, how close is that shave? Dude, it’s like you’ve never had hair on your neck before. Suddenly you’re transformed into a ten-year old boy. And you know, you sort of felt like one anyway, because the barber is generally older than your father and dispenses life advice pretty liberally. Either that or he talks about boxing like in the movies.
The only real problem with the hot shaving cream and a straight razor on your neck is that it’s pretty tough to find these days. Which is sad, since according to the eggheads at Wikipedia, straight razor shaving has been around approximately six thousand more years than any of us. So I say let’s bring it back, folks. Let’s keep demanding that our neck-beards be trimmed with the slice of a nice blade. And then maybe people at barbershop school will line up to learn The Art of the Knife.
AWESOME!
Hmm… I never have and never will experience this. But I like this post because it has a moving picture, which fascinates me.
But my inner grammar whore must point out that you’ve misspelt “straight”. ;)
That’s better…
Aye, I’ve never had this done to me. I will make it my quest to find a barber shop that will have someone with mastery of the Art of the Knife.
Let us know how it goes, Max! I’m a little bit jealous of you men. Neil makes it sound like heaven.
I visited the old fashioned barber shop with my grandpa, when I was just a little girl, and to this very day remember everything you mention! In addition, I was wowed at the barber’s fluffy-horse-hair-brush-in-soap-dish- lathering-sudsy trick! Grandpa’s face smeared all over with the sudsy until narrowly his eyes would appear…POP! Funny everytime! And I LOVED the sound of the blade gliding across the whiskers…truly awesome!
Thanks for the memory!
*The moving striped pole once represented a peppermint twist candy stick~
Yep, you could get a cut and the child a candy to occupy:
“Hippity hop to the barber shop to get a stick of candy, one for you and one for me and one for Grandpa Johnny!”
Know what it represented in centuries of yore? At one time, barbers & doctors were one and the same (because weilding that blade is a lot like surgery, I suspect, at least during the 1400s…LOL). When the use of blood-letting was popular, the red represented the blood and the white represented the white enamel bowl into which blood was drained. It was basically an advertisement for bloodletting. Ewwww!
Do people still do this? Of course, being a lady, I’ve never done this and never will… but if I was a guy, I’d be a little nervous to have someone come at me with a razor. But they are professionals, right? Just don’t make him mad while he’s shaving ya!
I can’t read any of this without thinking of Sweeney Todd…. >:)
Oh, yes, creepy!