The Art of Shaving

Went in to get some Christmas ideas.
Not sure of the name of the guy who answered my questions, but he was really helpful without being pushy. He also pointed me in the direction of some great gift sets that were super affordable so that was nice too.
Not sure if I’ll ever have to return, but if I do, this is a great location!

I’m visiting from San Francisco and wanted to treat myself to a nice straight razor shave. I call ahead to see if they had any openings and got myself a 11:15am appointment. I’ve had about a dozen or so shaves in the past few years, so I knew what to expect from the shave. Ryan at The Art of Shaving gave me one of the best shaves I’ve had. I got the Royal Shave ($ 55 before tip) and it was top notch. The whole process took about 30−45mins and it was an enjoyable experience the whole way. Ryan told me the process, showed me he was putting in a fresh blade into his razor and then leaned me back in the old school barber chair. Hot towel to start, followed by some of AoS Pre Shave Oil rubbed onto my stubble. A round of hot lather, a single pass with the razor and then repeated again. After the shave was completed I was giving another hot towel wrap, some sort of moisturizer mask over my whole face, then a cold towel to help close the pores. Ryan then wiped off the mask, gave me a spritz of something and applied some after shave type balm and returned the chair to it’s upright position. To top it all off Ryan gave me a neck shave to complete my new cleaned up look. Great experience overall and a hell of a shave. Will be back whenever I’m in the Seattle area.

My brother and I stopped by for a classic straight edge shave and hair cut here. It was a fantastic experience. The gentleman barber, Ryan, dressed immaculately and had clearly practiced at cultivating a professional and elegant personna. He was obviously talented with the razor and also proved to be very knowledge about the products he was using.
Definitely recommend coming here for a clean cut look.

I really like Art of Shaving. I was referred by my friend Rusty because I hate shaving. I was using an electric Braun (can’t remember which model) and every time it would give me razor burn, ingrown hairs, which would lead to me touching my face more, so more acne… Anyway my buddy told me to come in so my wife booked me a shave for father’s day. The retail staff explained a lot as to how hair on your face reacts to product etc. Everything they said, just made sense. Look, I’m in sales so I have a decent radar for when people are just trying to sell me something. I ended up taking their pre shave oil, shave cream, a silver tip badger brush (I’m a huge Archer fan «That’s silver tip badger kid! God you’re such a baby») so I couldn’t pass that up. and the after shave lotion. I went with the lavender scent. In this world, you get what you pay for. Pretty sure we spent over $ 500. I wasn’t super surprised, because my buddy told me that there stuff was spendy, however it lasts a really long time. I absolutely concur. I am still on the same shave cream and after shave lotion almost 2 full years later. I have gone through 3 bottles of pre shave oil. I take care of my brush, so I expect it to last my lifetime. The staff will tell you, it doesn’t matter if you use a disposable razor, the product makes the difference. I give this portion of the review a huge 5 stars. I would say ingrown hair, razor burn and acne down by about 85% from the electric. I don’t hate shaving now. The barber experience: This part I could take or leave and here is why. the most important part of the process is using the brush to get your hair to stand up. They can’t use a brush on you because they can’t sterilize it between uses and obviously they can’t break open a new brush for every customer. The shave was OK. I would give it 3 stars. I got shaved sure, but I felt like my untrained hand does a better job at home with a lessor razor thanks to the product. Disclaimer, I have not asked if I can bring in my own personal brush for them to use on me. If so I would go back for that.

We walked in to this shop and was quickly greeted by the male associate; sadly, this was about all the service we received. It’s a shame because we were really interested in the safety razor and brush selection they had on display. We waited for more than ten minutes and still did not receive assistance by the staff.
For those that enjoy a luxury shaving product, this is the place to visit but just be warned that the service is not the greatest.
I would save yourself some trouble and order your products online.

I love love this place!!! Let me first start with that statement. As you walk in you are greeted by one of the nicest person in the world.(Deo) His knowledge is endless and friendly manner is so welcomed. I will always be greatful for his expertise. The store is simple yet well informed. Everything is displayed nicely and all of the products is out to feel and try. They even have a sink in there front area how cool is that. Next is the product itself and for that I would say the jury is still out.(I haven’t received my product yet) I know people say in other reviews that there products cost is high. I agree to a certain point yes there product is high but sometimes paying for expertise is invaluable. Thank you guys at the Art of Shaving for such a wonderful experience and if I am ever in the area I would definitely stop by. Last thing thank you for shipping my stuff.

They were apparently excellent but very expensive… :(

An amazing store that’s definitely not cheap. Then again, good brushes are not cheap. Ask an artist who is a painter, and he or she will tell you there’s differences in brushes. This also applies to brushes here.
My BF has been eyeing the items here, and while browsing around this mall, came across this store. They were having a deal if you purchased a certain brush and holder, they would toss in a year’s supply of the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd step gels, creams, and lotions.
I went ahead and got it for Stephen, in Sandalwood scent, and had it shipped back to California for $ 5.
It wasn’t cheap, about $ 500 for the whole shebang, but sometimes life is about splurging and feeling good.

A fun place to go treat yourself (ladies, it makes a great gift) but I’m not sure I’d pay to have it done again (i had a head shave NOT a beard shave). I was expecting a true old-​fashioned shave with a straight razor not a disposable but despite that it was fun. The barber was super nice and the conversation was good but when I got home I had to clean it up as he missed a few places and it was a little rough in spots. I’d probably give it another try for a face shave just to see but I don’t think it will be any time soon.
Speaking of shaving check this website out:

As a chick, I have no reason to go get a shave here, so I’m writing on behalf of my husband who doesn’t leave Unilocal reviews.
He says that he went in for a shave and had a wonderful experience. The barber shaved his head with a straight razor, offered great conversation the whole time, and gave my hubby the smoothest shave he’s ever had (I can vouch for that!)
They were apparently excellent and hubby will be back.

From Skyfall, the shaving scene:
Eve: Oh, that’s just the start. They’re posting five more next week and the week after. It’s some kind of sadistic game.
[Eve watches as Bond gets his razor to start shaving]
Eve: Cut-​throat razor. How very traditional.
James Bond: Well, I like to do some things the old-​fashioned way.
[Eve moves closer to Bond]
Eve: Sometimes the old ways are the best.
[as Bond is about to start shaving he pauses, then turns and hold the razor out to Eve]
Eve: Are you putting your life in my hands again?
**************************
Yes, they do sell straight razors here, also known as cut throat razors. Personally I use a double edged safety razor, not a disposable. I do a wet shave, no foam from a canister, but actual shaving soap.
They carry a full line of razors and accessories. If you like disposable cartridge razor blades, they are here. They carry the full gambit of razor accessories such as soaps, stands, brushes, etc. More so than any other store I’ve seen in Vancouver.
There is also an in-​house barber for haircuts and a wet shave if you want. Writing this review makes me want to shave right now…

I completely agree and enjoy the concept of this place, however they push Gillette and Chinese made products too hard. Most of these types of double edge saftey razors are German… they carry only one brand which is Muhler and the rest of the razors are Gillette. The brushes are well over $ 100 and all of them are made in China. There are no matching options for the German made products. For what they charge some of the quality products are missing. Give the consumer a better choice and I’ll add a star.

Two Words: Internet Shopping.
Its nice having a comprehensive resource for wet shaving supplies. But, there are three big problems with this chain store.
One, the prices are beyond expensive. Do yourself a favor, and spend a couple hours on the Badger & Blade forum, and you will be well informed on what you should buy in shaving supplies, with all kinds of links to reputable internet retailers selling a huge variety of stuff at cheap prices provided.
Second, the one HUGE problem with internet shopping is getting things based on how they smell. It would be GREAT if Art of The Shave had a large variety of soaps, aftershaves and such to sample. Lord knows how sad it is when getting that $ 20 quart of Tabac off eBay and finding out it smells like mix of stale rose petals and mothballs (its supposed to smell like that). But Art of The Shave only sells its own private label products. And they are very expensive. Smart product marketing MBA’s trying to scheme repeat business, for sure. But even the Avon Lady has more proprietary variety than The Shave.
Lastly, their selection of basic tools and expendables is too limited and markup ridiculous. The Shave gives the helpless, unsavvy consumer the impressions it will cost $ 150 to get started wet shaving.
On the positive side, the clerk working there on my visit was passionate about shaving. Geekly about it. But I’m calling the kettle black when writing a 300 word dissertation on retail sourcing of shaving supplies.

Bobbye Pond the in house Barber here is amazing. I strongly recommend getting a shave and haircut here.

Excellent products and knowledgeable sales people – a store true to its name.

My husband and I went to this location of Art of Shaving to look for a gift/​gift card for his brother who has raved about the shop.
It was a bit stuffy to put it nicely and the sales girl was really pushy. As in she followed us around and kind of kept pushing different products even though we told her we would likely do a gift card since we didn’t know which products he already had.
We ended up leaving without buying a gift card since we didn’t like the vibe of the shop. Odds are we’ll still get the gift card for him but online and avoid the pushiness.
I think it can be really nice product based on what we saw but it is super high-​end (as in a razor holder was $ 100).
Be prepared so you’re not in for sticker shock!