Barbers shop shave giving it a go.

Big.Dave

Big.Dave

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Right I mentioned in another thread about there being 2 Turkish run barbers shops in Swindon that I know of, So today I gave one a try here's how it went.

Ok the shop is called the lewis shave centre in Manchester road, Swindon.

Products:
They use Arko soap, Boar hair brushes, Derby shavette razor blades not a DE snapped in 2, Styptic matches no alum block and Arko cool for men sort of aftershave gel product.

So for £5 you get a basic 2 pass shave if you want the head massage after thats an extra £3 I did not choose this option.
Was it any good well yes and no. I got a very close shave very smooth cheeks but at a cost to my neck it's a bit sore and there were more nicks on my neck then I have ever had from a barbers shop shave I can live with that but in my experance a good Turkish barber will not cut you 99% of the time if they do because we are all human it will be only once. The other problem is the barber did not prep my face before applying the lather all of the shaves I have had in Turkey they will massage in some preshave product and at the same time get a feel for beard growth direction, This was not done in the case and finally he did not rinse off after the shave so not good there.

over all I will rate this barber 5/10 if it was based on skill it would have been 1/10 he had a working knowledge but no skill and the other points given were for using good shave products and blades.

That was my first review the next will be for the other shop called the Golden Scissors also in Manchester road. Swindon, This place is a bit bigger and has more options.

This is my first review of a shave in a barbers shop in the UK my experance was not so good but I will keep on looking. I recommend a barbers shop shave because you don't know untill you try and you never know you might get lucky.
 
Swivel said:
Intertesting experience.... I have always wanted to try a Barbers shop shave but i think you may have put me off :)
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This was my first one in the I have had here in the UK and I always expected it to be hit and miss but the next place I'm going to should be different but you do not know until you try. I had the shave yeasterday and my face is still good no five oclock shadow and there is no soreness around my neck to be honest I was only sore for a couple of hours and then I was fine.
I think when finding one you need to think of it like chip shops if it's busy that's the place to eat because good food sells. If the barber has alot of people in then he's getting lots of practice and devloping his skill. In the Uk how many men go out for a shave these days? That is why I look at the ethnic areas because that is whats normal for them to do in there home country to go out for a shave so the barber should get more practice.
 
I had a traditional barbershop shave a few months back at V's barbershop in Phoenix when I was on honeymoon. The experience itself was great and I ended up with probably the closest shave I've ever had, but I also ended up with a pretty bad case of barbers itch that took about 4-5 days to go away. I think my face really didn't agree with the ATG pass that the barber used, I can't go against the ATG myself as I know it irritates me too much.

We moved onto Vegas after Phoenix so on all the photos we've got from there I'm sporting about 4 days worth of growth. It looks like I was hitting Vegas so hard I didn't have time to shave. :cool:
 
Swivel said:
Intertesting experience.... I have always wanted to try a Barbers shop shave but i think you may have put me off :)
Click to expand...

I have read quite a few Barabershop Experience reports over the last couple of years. At best it seems to be a case of "the experience was nice, but I can shave better at home".

Ian
 
Ian sums it up. It really doesn't take long after joining forums like this to find your own best way of having a great shave. So perhaps it's not surprising that the barber shop shave doesn't come quite up to what we have learned to do ourselves. It's still fun though, and you always learn something. Even if it's only how good you have become!
 
Hi

You need to try a different Barbers.

It's about the quality of the training and the products. A lot of places have jumped on the band wagon and just added it as an extra to get a little more money, but a true old fashioned barber does as many shaves as haircuts.

At Harrington's we prepair the skin using Mignon products and hot towels, before we apply the shaving oil and soap. The cut throat razor blade is replaced each shave to make sure that it is sharp and provides the closest shave. You leave looking great, no reddness, done correctly a cut throat shave doesn't hurt and many people fall asleep during it.

Our shaves take between 3/4 hour and 1 hour so we make sure that the client has an experience, enjoy a glass of whisky afterwards or a selection of havanna cigars.

Look at our site for a little more information and to see some great photo's of shaving <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk</a><!-- w -->
 
Harringtons said:
Hi

You need to try a different Barbers.

It's about the quality of the training and the products. A lot of places have jumped on the band wagon and just added it as an extra to get a little more money, but a true old fashioned barber does as many shaves as haircuts.

At Harrington's we prepair the skin using Mignon products and hot towels, before we apply the shaving oil and soap. The cut throat razor blade is replaced each shave to make sure that it is sharp and provides the closest shave. You leave looking great, no reddness, done correctly a cut throat shave doesn't hurt and many people fall asleep during it.

Our shaves take between 3/4 hour and 1 hour so we make sure that the client has an experience, enjoy a glass of whisky afterwards or a selection of havanna cigars.

Look at our site for a little more information and to see some great photo's of shaving <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk</a><!-- m -->
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What a fantastic looking place you have the services you offer look great.
 
Harringtons said:
Hi

You need to try a different Barbers.

It's about the quality of the training and the products. A lot of places have jumped on the band wagon and just added it as an extra to get a little more money, but a true old fashioned barber does as many shaves as haircuts.

At Harrington's we prepair the skin using Mignon products and hot towels, before we apply the shaving oil and soap. The cut throat razor blade is replaced each shave to make sure that it is sharp and provides the closest shave. You leave looking great, no reddness, done correctly a cut throat shave doesn't hurt and many people fall asleep during it.

Our shaves take between 3/4 hour and 1 hour so we make sure that the client has an experience, enjoy a glass of whisky afterwards or a selection of havanna cigars.

Look at our site for a little more information and to see some great photo's of shaving <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk</a><!-- m -->
Click to expand...

I'm within driving distance! (I live in York) so may have to pesuade the Missus to take a little trip out your way!

Possble a his 'n' hers Xmas pressie!
 
Harringtons said:
Hi

You need to try a different Barbers.

It's about the quality of the training and the products. A lot of places have jumped on the band wagon and just added it as an extra to get a little more money, but a true old fashioned barber does as many shaves as haircuts.

At Harrington's we prepair the skin using Mignon products and hot towels, before we apply the shaving oil and soap. The cut throat razor blade is replaced each shave to make sure that it is sharp and provides the closest shave. You leave looking great, no reddness, done correctly a cut throat shave doesn't hurt and many people fall asleep during it.

Our shaves take between 3/4 hour and 1 hour so we make sure that the client has an experience, enjoy a glass of whisky afterwards or a selection of havanna cigars.

Look at our site for a little more information and to see some great photo's of shaving <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk</a><!-- m -->
Click to expand...

True, to a point, I guess. When you shave someone (or yourself) for the first time (or second or third) you still are learning how the stubble and skin works, yes!? With that said, I would love to use your service! Cigar and shave sounds like a wonderful idea to me!
 
Harringtons said:
Hi

You need to try a different Barbers.

It's about the quality of the training and the products. A lot of places have jumped on the band wagon and just added it as an extra to get a little more money, but a true old fashioned barber does as many shaves as haircuts.

At Harrington's we prepair the skin using Mignon products and hot towels, before we apply the shaving oil and soap. The cut throat razor blade is replaced each shave to make sure that it is sharp and provides the closest shave. You leave looking great, no reddness, done correctly a cut throat shave doesn't hurt and many people fall asleep during it.

Our shaves take between 3/4 hour and 1 hour so we make sure that the client has an experience, enjoy a glass of whisky afterwards or a selection of havanna cigars.

Look at our site for a little more information and to see some great photo's of shaving <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.harringtonsofbawtry.co.uk</a><!-- m -->
Click to expand...

That looks totally excellent, and I'll be certainly booking next time I'm in the area!! I particularly like the 'Morning After' package, and could use that any morning, hung over or not!
 
Today I tried the other Barbers shop Called the golden scissors and this place is a diffent kettle of fish.

The shop is again on Manchester road in Swindon it is a bigger shop and more effort has been put into the decor with leather soafas while you wait and a big screen in the the corner with the Turkish sports channel on.

Here's how it went TAKE TWO!!!!
This shop has more customers so I had to wait for a barber to become free 1pm on a Thursday and people are waiting for a cut thats a good sign.
So seeing as there was a few people waiting I just opted for the hot towel shave for £7 and gave the head massage a miss.
products they were using Boar hair brushes, Arko Shaving sticks, unkown make of shavette blade, turkish high alcohol citrus cologne and anti irritation cream, cotton wool dipped in methylated sprit and olbas oil

First up the and this was the bit that stumped me the barber went straight into making and putting on a lather and spent time working it into my face giving the tuffer beard area around my chin more attention.

From the moment the blade was brushed against my face this guy knew what he was doing he had very light and effort less use of the blade. So the first pass was with the grain and some touch up.
(This is when I learnt something I have always used the blade to remove every bit of foam from my face even areas that do not really need shaveing. What the barber did in these areas was to use the spine of the blade to remove the excess lather by dragging it down on to the shaved area thus help keep everything moisturised).

The second pass was across the grain again with touch up. He also trimmed my sideburns and all around the back of my neck ect.
After that The barber got a stick out with a small Y shaped fork on the end put some cotton wool on the end dipped in the meth's and light it then proceeded to set fire to the hairs in my ears it did not hurt but I could hear and smell the hairs burning a very effective way of clearing them.
Next up the barber massaged in a good splash of high alcohol cologne and then massage in a good few dabbs of anti irritation cream.
After that came the hot towel which had been scented with olbas oil and was gradually applied to my whole face and held for a short while this was repeated a couple of times, once removed a quick splash of cologne was quickly applied and away I went with a comfortable DFS to BBS in places shave.

For me this was a good experance and I will be happy to go back there again maybe when its a bit quieter and get a head massage as well.
 
Sounds like a good Turkish barber. I almost wet myself the first time I had a shave in Turkey, I thought they where going to put my brain on fire through my ears :lol:
 
Bugger, i lived in Shrivenham and then Swindon for a while! If i was into this back then i would have popped down there! All Manchester Road was known for when i was around was for being an area where ladies would ply for trade of an evening.

Nice find for £7
 
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