Head Shavein Providence, RI

Head Shave — $25

The hot-towel shave is the oldest service in the trade and the one that rewards patience most. You spend forty minutes reclined: five towels off the steamer to soften the beard, three warm lathers brushed in by hand, and two careful passes of an honed straight razor — with the grain, then across it — for a shave no cartridge can match. A fresh blade is used for every client, without exception, and the barber will tell you plainly if your skin would be happier with a beard trim instead.

What you get in the chair

• A skin read and a patch pass before the first lather on any first shave
• Five hot towels from the steamer to soften the beard and open the pores
• Three brushed lathers and two razor passes — with the grain, then across it
• A fresh, single-use straight-razor blade for every client, every time
• Unscented pre-shave oil and a cool-towel, balm finish to close the skin
• An honest call from your barber if a trim would suit your skin better today

How it goes

1. Read the skin. The barber checks growth direction and any sensitivity, and on a first shave starts with a patch pass and a lighter lather before committing to the full service.
2. Towels & lather. Five towels off the steamer soften the beard; three warm lathers are brushed in by hand, each one buying the blade an easier, closer pass.
3. Two passes. An honed straight razor is drawn with the grain, then across it, re-lathering between — the two-pass method that gets closer without the burn of forcing one.
4. Close the skin. A cool towel and an unscented balm settle everything down, and your barber notes any sensitive spots on your card for next time.