Shaving is a pain. I could see a barbershop shave being a pampering thing to a man, the way a manicure might be to a woman. Very interesting goal.

I had one four or so years ago when I lived in Texas, I went to a barber to get my hair cut, and usually went for the barber shave. It was kinda trippy to have a guy at my throat with a straight razor, but that hot towel shit was heaven, and my face was smoother than Michael Jackson’s boyfriend’s behind for a few days afterward.

The closest I can get to it now is just to let the shower steam up the bathroom enough to open up my pores, heat up a wet washcloth in the microwave, leave that on my face for a few minutes, dive into the bathroom and awkwardly shave my face in the already fogged-up mirror. I usually do two passes for an extra-smooth shave, but it’s nothing compared to a straight razor shave.

Yeah I heard any barber shop that has a pole outside does shaves but I tried to get one once and it was some young guy who looked at me like I was an idiot.

If you want the whole barbershop experience, I can recommend two barbershops in Pocatello, Idaho that are exactly what you said shops aren’t anymore. The first offers $5 haircuts, is decorated with military posters and vintage posters showing the standard styles (“flat-top with fenders,” anyone?) and manned by tough old guys who used to give my boys great flattops. The second is manned by younger fellas but they spend all day cutting hair and shooting the bull and watching TV-games, politics-and batting about the state of the world and who’s gonna win which game and how the town’s run by idiots.

I used to go with the boys just to listen in, though I never saw another woman in there e-ver.