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| It’s always just a matter of trust. |
Groom
Men appreciate “just going to a place where it’s all guys and doing a nostalgic facial sort of thing, which would include a shave,” explains Joe McMenamin, owner and stylist of Groom (1324 Locust St., 215-545-2626). A proper shave, after all, affords all of us a direct connection to a time that we justifiably tend to romanticize for its simpler pleasures, those we have surrendered to our modern, technologically superior world. It also facilitates a connection between generations: It is not uncommon for Groom to attend to father and son clients at the same time.
Shaving Grace Barbers
The best barbershops are designed to put you at ease right off the bat, and to provide both an experience and a service that you can’t quite get anywhere else. Nick Sgarra, owner and operator of Shaving Grace Barbers (269 Main St., Exton, 866-427-4283; 41 E. State St., Doylestown, 267-620-2005, tries to imbue his clients with a healthy respect for what amounts to a life skill for men. “We’re finding out here that it’s kind of an educational service for the guys as well,” Sgarra says. “We have a lot of guys come in who don’t know how to shave. And so for us, it’s educational.” (As a work-at-home writer, I shave maybe twice a week, so I had a lot to learn.)
True to Brown’s word, 24 hours after my shave at Francis the Duke Barber Co., my ordinarily shadow-darkened face still possessed a remarkable smoothness. A smoothness, I will reiterate, just like a baby’s bottom.
