The Art of Shaving

Absolutely the best shave crème. Although they no longer cater to ladies I still buy the shaving crème for me when I am picking up for my husband. Does NOT clog your sinks and feels great! Treat yourself and your boy toy at home.

It’s just shaving right? Every guy does it, products are available everywhere, does the world really need another specialized pampering store? Is this just for metrosexuals?
In a word no. While most men are perfectly happy using the disposable stuff that is out there at CVS, and if that works for you that is fine, what made me rethink how I shave turned out to be ultimately, the cost of today’s disposable razors. To be able to get a decent shave without cutting up your face, you need to spend about $ 4 a blade that only lasts a couple of days. I decided to go back to the old fashioned double edge safety razor.
The attendant here was super nice and personable. I only came in here to buy replacement blades, and they had two choices: Merkur and Gillette. Since I have used Merkur before, I went for the Gillette: around $ 6 for a pack of 5.
I also had a nice chat with the attendant: no sales pressure at all, he answered my questions and gave me a sampler pack at the end. I feel that this was excellent customer service.

I received two of these nickel shaving kits as gifts, and tried to return one unopened. I have not been to a less helpful place. Their return policy is garbage. I gave them my wife’s credit card that she purchased the product with, and they refused to look up the purchase.
The kit is chinsy and overpriced. The lotion irritated my skin; and I am not the least bit sensitive.

If I were a man I would purchase my grooming & skin care needs here… since I’m not, I buy my husbands stuff from here, lol. I love this store. Its so clean and polished. I love how they take a minimalist approach… something that’s unheard of when your target audience is female. When you shave, do you want to smell like lavender, lemon, sandlewood, or nothing (unscented)? Easy. They do offer a number of different razor handles and brushes, but it never gets overwhelming… it basically boils down to cost at that point. Now you will pay a pretty penny here, but personally I think its worth it. I spent $ 200 on a razor handle for my husband, most use Fusion blades which you can purchase elsewhere for less, but inflation is kept at a minimum so you mine as well buy them here. The products also have some true longevity to them. The brushes should be replaced once a year, and the full sized shaving kits ($ 100) last about a year. So yeah, you’re going to spend some money, but then again, you’re set for a while. The Art of Shaving isn’t for everybody, but for those who do fit the bill, it will be a true fit. Invest.

Okay, if you look at any of my pics you will be able to tell that I am very bald. Sometimes we hairless creatures need products for our scalps to protect our skin and keep it from getting too oily. I got a great recommendation on an aftershave and the type of blades I should be using from this place. The aftershave ran a little over $ 30 for a 100ml bottle but after noticing the difference immediately I decided it was definitely worth the cost.

The staff is really helpful, but these products are insanely over priced. You can find Dovo and Thiers Issard Products for a much better value elsewhere or online. For example, I wanted to purchase the following:
Thiers Issard blond horn razor $ 260
Matching brush $ 175
Strop $ 75
For a total of $ 510 plus tax
Then I went online and found this
You get all 3 items, plus shaving soap, a shaving dish, stropping paste, and an alum block. Save your money and shop smart!

If you read my reviews, you’ll quickly find that I’m more-​or-​less obsessed with shaving. So you’d think I’d love The Art of Shaving. Well, I don’t. Here’s why.
It’s great that there’s a store (a chain, actually) that focuses on high-​end shaving stuff. Unfortunately, they were bought up by Proctor and Gamble, which owns Gillette. So, instead of objectively promoting the use of quality stuff, they spend most of their time pushing fancy, over-​priced handles for mediocre «razor» cartridges.
Don’t get me wrong — they do sell straight razors (Dovo) and safety razors (Merkur), and they stock high-​quality stuff. Those products, though, are really an afterthought at AoS stores, and the employees are rarely knowledgeable about their use. They’re basically there for show. Especially the Dovo straight razors, which usually aren’t even shave-​ready (straight razors have to be honed before use). The Dovo and Merkur prices in the store are usually 50−150% higher than what you’d find online at a store like West Coast Shaving (or many, many others).
They do have nice brushes, but they’re generally sold with a sizable markup over similar products on the market. I do have one, though, and I’m quite happy with it.
Their shaving soap is excellent. The sandalwood soap is tallow-​based, so it’s pretty pricey. But it’s among the best I’ve used.
The shaving cream is very good, but not really anything to write home about.
The pre-​shave oil is a little thick for my taste, but that’s really just a matter of personal preference. I love the scent of the «unscented» shave oil. I have no idea why they call it «unscented,» as it has a really nice, peppery scent to it.
Look, Art of Shaving stores sell nice stuff. But the mark-​up is quite high, and the P&G ownership means they are often pushing inferior (read: Gillette) products. Straight razors provide the best possible shave (in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing), but they’re impractical for the masses. Safety razors, though, provide a superior shave to cartridge razors, and do so at a lower price. Gillette moved away from them because they can’t make enough money on the blades (which are $ 0.10 — $ 0.50, rather than $ 2.50 — $ 4.00). It’s not that I don’t like the products sold at The Art of Shaving… I just know enough about shaving that I can buy better stuff for less money elsewhere.

As a single man/​adult I need to look great… well lets just say I need to look as good as a 5’8″, big haired, on the upper end of normal weight, black-​Italian treasure-​troll can look. If you don’t think buying quality shaving products is worth it, take a moment of self-​reflection. Are you reading this at work? Class perhaps? Maybe you are checking out Unilocal on the bus with your cellphone. Take a look around – how do you rank? Not as high as you would like? Now, keep in mind everyone is current toned down; when you are out at the bar with your friends, or going to a new friend’s housewarming party, that everyone else is actually looking their best. Even if you don’t have $ 1 million, you can at least look like $ 1000 and the simplest thing to do is to keep a tidy face.
The Art of Shaving is based around a four step shaving process, which surprisingly isn’t just a gimmick, it actually works. The salesmen are really helpful and more than willing to give you a demonstration. Also, from time to time that have a professional shaver come in and you can sign up for a straight-​razor shave.
I went with the ingrown hair kit – $ 70 bucks gets you the starter pack (Pre-​shave oil, shaving cream, genuine badger brush, after shave balm) and the special night moisturizer. There were two reasons I went for this one: first, it was the best value as the night moisturizer alone was somewhere in the $ 30+ dollar range; and two, I rocked a full beard for a couple years and now that I shave regularly ingrown hairs are more common.

Once upon a time I ran out of my normal after shave balm, and in a frantic panic picked up some sandalwood after shave here. Since then, that scent has become linked with me, and I’m now required to use it no matter what.
What’s really great though is that there isn’t anything wrong or bad with the Art of Shaving. The staff is super-​friendly and helpful. The barber who gives the straight razor shaves is excellent (although he hardcore missed a spot last time), and the products (thought more expensive than competitors like eshave) are top quality.
Really, what else is there to say.
Oh yeah, their manicure tools and lip balm are amazing.
Try them!

I don’t know what cuties or women the other reviewers saw when they went… If your going for them you might want to call ahead.
After growing out a beard for much of the winter I decided it was time to shave. I stopped in on a whim and was offered a free shave with a purchase of $ 45. I made an appointment to come back and a few days and got a straight edge shave.
The barber was certainly the real deal. The whole ordeal took about 30 minutes and involved hot towels, oils, creams and a lot of shaving. I left with only a small nick and smooth face. It was an interesting experience — it is a lot of trust having a man who you have known for less than 30 seconds attach your adam’s apple with a razor. Overall, I did feel like a 1) a complete tool 2) a yuppie as I was getting shorn in the middle of the mall.
Their products seem good and are free of nasty chemicals, but I dont think I could keep buying them every month. I bet you can find comparable products online for less.

The best part about this place is that it is mainly staffed by women who know more about men’s shaving than most men do! If you don’t believe me, go stand in front of the straight razor section for about 30 – 45 seconds…
The Art of Shaving is a store that is trying to bring back the lost art of old-​world shaving while catering to those stuck in a Mach-​3 world. They have a pretty decent selection of razors, including straights, double-​bladed safety razors, and even a high-​end version of the Mach-​3/​5 razors. They even have a women’s line of products.
You will also find quite a selection of pre-​shave oils, shaving soaps/​creams, mugs, after-​shaves, and badger (or boar) hair brushes. For those into straight razors, I think I saw one type of strop, but no honing equipment.
Unfortunately, making the move to shave this way isn’t cheap. Decent badger hair brushes will set you back at least $ 50 alone. There is a bit of a mark-​up compared to some other online sources, but I would say that most of the items (mostly the soaps/​creams, etc) are a good value.
This place is definately worth a look if you are in the area… be sure to ask for samples! I walked away with a small shaving kit (oil/​cream/​aftershave) that I passed out to some friends at the office.

see the cuties at ‘The Art of Shaving’ in the Copely Place Mall. they just opened this past september and i got one of their intro-​kits. it has a pre-​shave oil, shaving crema, post shave moisturizer and a nice badger hair brush for $ 100. don’t go thinking thatz a lotta money cuz the brush alone will set you back $ 50 and the supplies will last you at least four months. even if you don’t buy anyting they will chat you up about your routine and give you tips.