Cut throat shave

Last week I had the opportunity to tick off the first thing on my 2013 'to do' list. I ventured into Jimmy Rod's Barber Shop for a cut-throat razor shave.

Some guys need to shave everyday and do it themselves very quickly and easily because it is something that just needs to be done. Consequently, it does seem a bit odd to pay a lot of money and wait a long time to get someone else to do it for you. Despite this, I wanted to tick it off the list and assumed that it is like someone getting a manicure: you don't need it but its a special treat.

I had no idea what to expect but I had saved up a week's worth of growth just in case. I went in thinking that it was going to be a simple walk-in, walk-out operation but as it turns out, a cut throat shave is something that you need to call ahead for.

It seems that the art of performing a cut throat shave is not taught in many places anymore and it is difficult to find someone that is able to do it.

When I arrived, a young lady introduced herself and said that she would be my barber for the shave. At first, I was a little concerned by this. It would be like me giving bra advice to women. But then again, I could be very good at that.

When I sat in the chair, the first thing she did was trim my facial hair with clippers. Normally, this would be all I need and I thought that the rest was just going to be a waste of time.

The barber then put a hot towel on my face to soften the skin so that the razor blade can glide over it. A special oil was rubbed into my face and this was followed by another hot towel. The final towel was folded and placed over my eyes. I figured it was so that I couldn't see the blood when I got cut.

On television, they always portray cut throat shaves with big, long sweeping strokes so this is what I expected. What actually happens is small, tiny strokes with the barber right up next to your face closely watching each one. I could feel the barber's breath on my face as she concentrated hard. I wanted to ask how she learnt to do a cut throat shave but was too scared to move. I could hear someone in the chair next to me making jokes and talking as he got a hair cut. I wanted to laugh but was afraid that if I did, I would lose an ear or something.

After the shave, the barber rubbed some more oil into my face and I got a bit of a face massage. She then finished it off with a cold towel to close the pores again. Now I have never felt a baby's bottom but my face was what I imagine it would be like.

In the end, the whole experience was pretty much like a facial treatment for men. A few days later and my face was back to where it was beforehand but I'm not lining up to do it again just yet. If you did it every time you needed to shave, it would cost a lot of time and money!