Get a hot towel shave in a barber shop. Yup, crossing it off my list!

This is a great example of taking advantage of things when they almost jump in front of you. The story is as such..

I work with 3 other people in a small room, we often like to boost our morale by buying lunch for each other. Actually, we just take turns. On this particular day I decided that Panera bread was in order. (I love their brocolli and cheddar.)

There had been an empty office space next to the Panera since I had started this new job, but this day was different. People were moving about setting up beautiful wooden stalls and leather chairs. I stepped into the parking lot to get a good view of the sign.

It was a Roosters Barber Shop opening right next to my work! I’ve always wanted to get a straight razor shave in a barber shop and I couldn’t allow myself to pass up this opportunity. I saw a guy in a business suit standing nearby, and asked him about Roosters. His name is Amir, and he is the owner of this new location in Farmington Hills, Michigan. I told him about The List Life and how I’ve always wanted to get a barber shop shave.

Needless to say when I told Steve about this we jumped on the opportunity. So opening day we both went in. I was shaving my sad excuse of a beard/stache and Steve wanted to get his head shaved. Overall the experience was amazing. I could have easily fallen asleep after the scented-oil face massage, steaming-hot towel, another oil-massage and so on. Admittedly I never thought that straight-razors could no longer be used, mainly due to hygienic reasons which makes sense to me, so it wasn’t a deal breaker. The only draw back to the disposable razor method is it can be easy to apply too much pressure. Sometimes it is necessary to use more pressure in order to cut the whiskers down to nothing, but I dare say it’s an art form that requires practice. Don’t misunderstand me though, no blood was drawn and when everything was finished I didn’t want to stand up. I was relaxed and invigorated all at the same time!

Steve also had this to say about the experience:

I am growing my beard out before I cut it all off for the wedding.  For this reason when we went to Roosters I oped out of the 7 layer facial shave (although I distinctly remember watching Vegas getting his face massaged and reconsidering)  Instead I decided to get my head shaved.  This had it’s benefits for sure because it allowed Vegas and I to have a more well rounded experience at the shop.  The head shave was not nearly as in depth as the process for Vegas’ face.  However it did include a nice hot towel wrapped around my head (more than once) and a (fantastic feeling) scalp massage.  I agree with Vegas’ words about the pressure of the blade, it was startling because I wasn’t expecting that much pressure to be used on my skin.  However, I never bled, and definitely ended up with a closer shave than I have ever been able to achieve for myself.  It is definitely something that I would consider doing again, not necessarily on a regular basis but certainly before an interview or other important life even (say, possibly, a wedding?).  I mean, most people get a haircut at least once a month, so why not a once a month visit for a good massage and shave?

Now we have a lot more pictures of this process which you can check out on our Facebook page.

More Shaving Pictures!

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.
-John Lennon

When an opportunity does present itself, don’t let it slip by!