First Barbershop razor Headshave

[chgobuzzbald]

For the first time went to a Barbershop in Chicago that does straight razor headshaves, Belmont Barbershop on Friday.

I had been letting my hair grow for about 3 or 4 weeks so it was almost half an inch all over, somewhat thinner on the top.
First he used an Oster clipper to run all over and remove most of it. Then a layer of shaving mug foam he made up, a hot towel for a few minutes on that. Then a new layer of shaving foam just on one side, he used a smaller straight, not sure what it was and carefully shaved the one half. Then applied a hot towel before more foam on the other half. He said they do quite  a few razor headshaves as most Barbers wont do them anymore. This is a really cool men only barber shop as you will see on their website so it was very traditional. Then he repeated the entire process and shaved me a second time. Last was a cold water soaked towel for a few minutes and some aloe gel. It was very cool  to see some of the other customers watching me get foamed and headshaved. Some were quite surprised. Now did he get it as smooth as I can at home ? No he didnt but it was still very smooth and he was being quite careful. Next time I will ask him to be more thorough. The back was where it was left like sandpaper. He did say he used to shave his own head of thick hair but got tired of doing it.
I did it basically for the experience of someone else shaving my head and I really enjoyed it since it was my first straight razor shave which I would not do at home. If anyone is in Chicago I recommend this place highly for the barber headshave experience. There seem to be only a couple I could find in Chicago that do them.   

[slybeard]

Went to my local "The Art of Shaving" for my first barber shop head shave today.  The experience was great, with the hot towel and the products the barber used.  Not as close as what I can do at home, but a nice experience.  It was a Father's Day gift from my kids, and they all came along to watch. A little pricey to do on a regular frequency.

[Sir Harry]

Slybeard, from what I see, he did a pretty good job....Nice gift from the kids! Out of curiosity, did he do anything to the beard, or did you just leave it alone?

[bud]

A head shave with all the before and after of a good barber is absolutely relaxing. 

[slybeard]

Bayou, he did not touch the beard, and I did not want it touched.

What's with the new name?

[Daven]

Mind if I ask how much$$ that kind of shave costs?

[Cave Dweller]

My wife and kids were away last Saturday, so I treated myself to a shave of both my face and head.

The production was as chgobuzzbald described and feels incredible.  I really enjoyed it.  The barber was too timid with my head as well.  It had the light sandpapery feel when he finished, but my face was perfectly smooth.

The cost was $30.

[Sir Harry]

Bayou, he did not touch the beard, and I did not want it touched.

What's with the new name?

Oh, nothing special.....just wanted a name to better represent where I live...the name may have changed, but I'm still the same Sir Harry and you folks can still call me as such if you like

[-Doug-]

Nice looking results slybeard! One day I want to gotta place like that. If nothing else, just for the experience.

[pjm789]

The two barber shops in my area refuse to use razors to shave someone's head.  What a great experience!  Wish I had a shop local to me and a barber experienced enough to do it.

[Sir Harry]

Once in a while, if I go beyond say, five days growth, there are some shops in Baton Rouge and New Orleans that do straight razor headshaves...I would say maybe once out of 10 times, they get it smooth like I do myself, and even then, they usually have to shave my head twice. The cost ranges from $10 to $20 plus tip depending on which shop I go to....but more often than not, the extra effort is worth the tip.

[slybeard]

The place I went to charges $35 for a headshave, and I added a $5.

BTW - a question I have always had - what is the appropriate tip for a barber?

[Sir Harry]

The place I went to charges $35 for a headshave, and I added a $5.

BTW - a question I have always had - what is the appropriate tip for a barber?

It depends on: a. what are you getting done and b. the quality of his work....20% for outstanding service, 15% for above average service, 10% for average service, $1 for below average service (if you were not happy, you don't have to tip him at all if you so choose) My last barbershop headshave the guy did an outstanding job (he shaved over it twice and trimmed my beard) and charged me $17 total. I gave him a $20 and told him to keep the change, I was so impressed. Too bad this guy is only a part-timer...