Just went for a shave at HOB today. Only one thing to say. Im very dissapointed.
It was the most horrible shaving experience I've ever felt. 15mins of pain and i was left with razor burns and a couple of cuts on my chin and neck.
I would like to qualify my review firstly though. They did everything right. The proper shaving procedures were followed(hot towels, pre shave balm etc), and the ambiance of the place is good as usual. The only thing lacking was the skill of the guy doing the shaving. I would also like to say that I'm no newbie to the wet shave experience and i do wet shaves myself at home. I knew the moment the barber made the first stroke that i was in for a hell of a ride.
The angle of the blade was totally off and too much pressure was applied. He did not follow the grain of the hair in certain places. After 5 min of facial scraping, he did another thing which i totally disagree with, which was apply a 2nd hot towel. This is rather unorthodox as hot towels are usually done only once. Even after a proper shave, the skin would be too raw and applying a hot towel induces nothing but pain. The rest of the experience was normal(cold towel, alcohol rub etc)
At $35 for the shave, i expected a true relaxing shaving experience at the hands of an experienced barber. Clearly this was not the case. Yes it is no Sultans of Shave or Truefitt & Hill pricey, but its still a premium amount and should be backed by a premium service. I've had better shaves from run of the mill $10 indian barbers. Im disappointed to say the least. Its a shame coz i went there for a haircut once and it was a great experience, which made me come back here for the shave. Attached are some pics of the aftermath. A friend even asked me if i was shaved by Edward Scissorhand. Lol