The Universality of Needing a Shave

Yesterday I was sitting in Richard’s office (the ceilings are so low in there you have the option of either sitting or crouching…) and we talked about how British it is to get a proper shave from a barber. At the time I was in complete agreement with Rich, but since then, after flicking through holiday snaps with my girlfriend of our time in Turkey last year, I’m afraid I have had to change my stance on the matter.




We were staying at a resort on the coast and were bombarded with everything you’d want or need whilst taking a week off work to relax and unwind. We had plenty of sun, sand, delicious food and of course we had a traditional Hammam. For those of you who don’t know what a Hammam is, it’s a traditional Turkish massage which involves a number of requirements; opening the pores in a steam room, a soapy lather worked into your entire body, an invigorating dousing of cold water and a massage from a man who’s primary requirement for the work seems to be copious amounts of body hair. I know this as the massage takes place in the steam room and so no-one present wears much… Don’t panic you do cover your modesty with a Turkish linen towel. I’d heartily recommend the experience to anyone who is taking their summer holiday in the country.



Despite the great Turkish food including the obligatory “Delights”, the ancient ruins and the Hammam I still felt like absorbing more Turkish culture. It was then that my girlfriend suggested I should get a traditional Turkish shave. Now this is why I don’t believe we can call a wet shave ‘British’. There are differences of course. Both the Brits and the Turks treat their clients with the utmost respect, as barbers worldwide I believe not only have a code of honour to those they put a lethal weapon to, but also to the rituals themselves. However in the UK you’ll often find a traditional wet shave in the smarter areas of town; the Turkish barbers will set up shop literally anywhere and often perform their service in the doorway of their shop so their clients can chat with his friends and take in the cool breeze blowing off the sea. It’s a wonderful sight to walk along the pier as we did and see a barber methodically shave a grizzled old Turk outside the shop whilst a street dog lies in the sun at his feet.



Given the opportunity to try out a Turkish shave I jumped at the chance. I’ll admit that the process and method is very much the same as in Britain but what you get instead is a friendly simple experience and yes – cut throat prices…. sorry. Of course the biggest and most dramatic difference is when, at the end of the shave, the barber confidently inserts “burning taper” up the nostrils, and in the case of old men their ears too, to burn away the hairs. It’s a bizarre experience and though it definitely doesn’t hurt it does leave the nostril feeling bizarrely exposed. One word of warning if you choose to get a wet shave whilst on your holiday - don’t leave it to the end of the trip like I did. If you’ve grown either a beard or substantial stubble during the holiday you’ll be left with pasty white cheeks and lips to contrast with the tan/sun across the rest of your face.



Having started out in this school of thought I keep coming up with other examples of non British shaving. Look at the opening scene of The Untouchables: the famous gangster from Chicago Al Capone is getting a wet shave whilst answer questions from a bunch of journalists. I’m sure it wouldn’t take me long to come up with other nationalities who’d claim to have shaving as part of their heritage and that’s for the simple fact that all men need to shave. For some blokes it might only be a shave every few weeks and for some if they’re like my friend James from school it is ideally twice a day (though James was quite freaky).



So I will end by saying that on the one hand I disagree with Rich that a traditional wet shave isn’t necessarily British. However I will agree with him that though we don’t have exclusive rights to it, it is nonetheless one of the most relaxing and luxurious ways you could spend an hour in the capital or indeed anywhere in the country. The British also bring a certain classiness to the whole affair. The Turkish create a relaxed everyman’s right to a good shave, whereas the British barber will make you feel like you’re the king for the day. So why not get yourself feeling smooth your highness?

Beware - Paul, Mal and Barbara are coming…



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