City Barbers - The Straight Razor

Knowing only that I was hosting a party and wanted to look my best, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I entered the City Barbers barbershop for the first time. I knew I wanted a straight razor shave, even though thoughts of Sweeney Todd weren’t far behind me. The establishment seemed well lit and public enough, so I figured I’d live to see another day. But my journey didn’t originally start with City Barbers. At first, I went to another shop, but their schedule was full for the day, and that’s when I was thankfully recommended here. Upon my arrival, they too were full but requested I come back in a couple of hours, which wasn’t a big deal since I had errands to run for the party anyway. It’s not that I thought barbershops weren’t popular, but it was gratifying to know so many in the city fueled this profession.

So fast forward a few hours to my appointment and there I was, waiting my turn when I was offered a water or coffee. This was a nice surprise, so I opted for the coffee. To add compliment to courtesy, they gave me a card indicating they’d comp my drink from The People’s Coffee. So I’m feeling pretty special by now and I sipped my coffee and waited for the seat to open. As this is a full service barbershop, the gentleman before me was getting a haircut and I would be after him.

I hadn’t done any research or prepared myself in any way before going here. I was actually looking at myself in the mirror that late morning, cheeks covered in shaving cream, when I thought, “What the hell?” A friend told me that a nice barbershop shave was wonderful and a must-try. And they were spot on. I met the man who’d be my barber, we shook hands with some light conversation and I told him I wanted a straight razor shave.

I had no idea it would be so intimate and soothing. The whole process would take 40 or 45 minutes and would involve various creams, soaps, hot and cold towels, the shave itself and the after shave. It started with a face rub from this near-complete stranger. It’s like there’s an immediate, deep level of trust established when having this sort of shave. I was leaned all the way back in a chair with a drape over me and had to close my photo sensitive eyes because, as you’d imagine, I was staring at the ceiling. City Barbers definitely nailed the ambiance; the professional aura and clean, deliberate set up delivers a wholesome, brick and mortar atmosphere. I was able to easily slip into a comfortable vulnerability that just feels necessary to undergo the experience. After the initial rub, I had my first hot towel. My barber held it just above my face and slowly placed it down, checking the heat level with me first. He had a folding technique that would engulf my face one half at a time without covering my nose. This is when I really sunk in. I had no worries and no concept of time. I heard the chatter of the shop, a passersby would speak to the owner; someone would schedule an appointment…

And, as if to wake from this, I felt a light touch on my shoulders. I would come to view this as my barber’s signature. A courteous indication that the towel was about to be removed. I would repeat this twice more prior to the actual shave, unless I’m lost in the order. I only know there were three trance-inducing hot towels in total, each with their own distinct purpose. As an aside, I finally got to know what it’s like to have shaving cream applied via a shaving brush, having constantly seen it in shows and movies.

Then came the blade. I’ve thought hard about what to compare the sensation to, and the closest I come to is scraping food off a dish. I thought there would be these long, dramatic passes over my skin with the blade, but they were very short indeed. It turns out my face can be divided into four sections and my head was guided from side to side before he would shave each. There were a few, short distance grazes before he’d clean the blade and in his close proximity, he emanated a palpable concentration stemming from his knowledge and training. He would ask if there was any irritation and even offered a quick trim to my eyebrows - a definite first that I gladly accepted.

The cold towel and aftershave would be the final steps and I soaked it in as much as possible as I knew my time would soon come to an end. Once seated back in an upward position, I was handed a mirror and couldn’t have been more pleased. I stood up, reacquainted myself with the real world, shook hands with my barber and paid the owner before tipping and saying my goodbyes.

I felt a visceral dissatisfaction when I left; almost having been in a dreamstate for the last hour. Walking home was a struggle, but I doubt it’ll be long before I return. Through this experience, I’ve really grown respect for the barber’s pole. So few other establishments have such an iconic, widespread symbol and I feel like I was able to be a part of that. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone.