Close Shave

Back in mid December I stopped shaving. I'd never grown a beard and I thought it was about time to give it a shot. It looked pretty scraggly for over a month before it started to fill out a little. It ended up reasonably thick in the 'goatee' area but thin on the sides. Various people said they like it and about the same amount said they didn't.

Eventually it had filled out all it was going to and I had a pretty good idea of what I looked like with a beard. It was OK but the main attraction had been the lack of shaving. While I was definitely spending less time shaving, I still had to shave below the beard line a few times a week and should have been getting it trimmed more than I did.

For the last week or so I have thought it has been time it went. I found the time today to walk down to the barber today and opted for the 'hot towel shave'. It was quite an experience. First he removed most of the beard with electric clippers. Then I got some sort of eucalyptus 'pre shave' rubbed on. Next a very comprehensive lather with shaving soap. Then the shave. He was very careful (thankfully!) and very thorough and he took about 15 minutes to shave. Next came the hot towel. It was whacked on my chin and he gave my face a disconcerting vigorous rub. The towel had some scent (bay rum?) on it and I had it shoved into my pores with some force. Then was some more eucalyptus (post shave I assume) and a spray of after shave accompanied by a few slaps on the cheek.

The whole thing had taken about 40 minutes (about 30 minutes longer than a normal haircut) and was such a singular experience I almost want to grow another beard to experience it again!