The Art of Shaving

This was a pretty great place, I found the employee that was there to be very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. The store was very clean and neat as well, gave a hipster atmosphere to it.

3.5 stars.
I’m a big fan of Art of Shaving’s products. Ever since I started using their shaving kits, my shaves have been closer and my skin less irritated. Yes, they’re expensive, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Like all their other stores, this new location (I’m pretty sure it opened within the last two months) sells all their products, and in the same über-​manly-​looking space: dark wood and bold colors cover everything. Also like the other stores, there’s an in-​store «shaving station» for you to try out the goods (just a wash basin and mirror) before you buy– maybe that’s your thing, but I’ve always found this aspect of the A.o.S experience somewhat awkward. Something about shaving myself in the middle of a mall with hundreds of people walking by just seems weird. But to each his own.
The location in Tyson’s Corner offers everything this new Fair Oaks store does, but differs in one very significant way: it has the back room. This back room is where you can get a professional shave and/​or haircut, and turns what would just be a good mens grooming shop into a must visit destination. The services offered at the Tyson’s store, specifically the haircuts, are amazing– in my opinion the best in the area (and priced lower than many of it’s competitors, too).
The lack of an onsite barber definitely hurts this spot. If I were running the company, I’d make the barbershop room a part of every single store, not just a select few. What this means for the Fair Oaks shop is this: it’s a great convenience for restocking your shaving supplies if you happen to be at the mall, but otherwise there’s not much reason to visit. You can buy A.o.S products at many other stores (Macy’s, Grooming Lounge, etc.), and more importantly, online. That you can have all the products shipped right to your door AND this location not having a barbershop makes it a hard sell outside of the above stated situation: you already being in the mall and stopping by to restock.
That takes nothing away from the quality of their products though, and for those of us who live closer to Fair Oaks Mall (or simply prefer it over the too-​giant Tyson’s), it will make for a nice little addition to the already impressive stable of stores to be found within Fair Oaks.
Definitely visit the Tyson’s shop for the shaves and haircuts (Tommy is the best!), but outside of this omission, there’s nothing wrong with this new location.