In four days we had seen a lot: Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Westminster Abbey, Parliament/Big ben, Leadenhall, Harrod’s department store, some really cool pubs, and amazing wine bar in a cave, and Windsor Castle.
We had been in London since Sunday, each day setting out for a new destination. In short—we had been on the go! We were only halfway through our trip, and still had a lot to see, but today would be a little different. Our only plans for the day were Afternoon Tea at our hotel and dinner at Passyunk Avenue, a Philly themed dive bar serving up amazing cheesteaks. Other than that, no London destinations/attractions were on our list. The rest of the day was up in the air—a free day if you will.
How would I begin my day of relaxation? Reclined in a barber chair enjoying a hot towel wet shave, of course! Though I have shaved just about every day of my adult life, I have never had a proper “cut your throat” straight razor shave. Today that would change!
London: The place to get a shave
I have always wanted to have a straight razor shave; I have always been told how amazing it is from people who have. I simply never found the right opportunity. Where I’m from, barbershops are becoming a thing of the past. They still exist, but are becoming far and few between—taken over by places like Sports Clips or Supercuts. Honestly, I wouldn’t know where to go. Many places advertise it, but you just don’t know what you’re going to get. In fact, a few years back, I had been given a gift certificate to a place that offered shaves, specifically to be used for that purpose. I showed up to redeem the voucher, only to be told I would be shaved with a regular Mach III razor. Uh, no thanks! I already do that on my own. I said, “I’ll just have a haircut!”
There are no shortage of places in London. That—I can assure you! Barbershops showcasing badger brushes and fancy razors in their display windows were far from an uncommon sight. I live in a world where shaving cream comes out of a can and razors are bought at places like CVS, not barbershops. And while you may find stores/kiosks such as “The Art of Shaving” in high end malls, there is no art to shaving back home in America. It’s just something you have to do before you go to work, and like everything else American (as we are often stereotyped), as quickly as possible.
Now the big question: Is there an art to shaving in Britain? Do the Brits wake up every morning, apply some pre-shave oil, whip up some shaving soap in a fancy shaving bowl with their eloquent badger brush, then arm themselves with a “don’t make a mistake” straight razor? Well, I can’t be too sure—however, I can tell you, their abundance of shaving joints tells me they have more shaving “snobs” in Britain that we do back home in the states. Yet today, I would be that “snob.” I would have Buffy fetch the keys to the Bentley, and … wait, it doesn’t really work that way. I’ll just walk.
Truefitt & Hill
Located in the St. James’s district of London, Truefitt & Hill is the oldest barbershop in the world, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000. It was founded in 1805 by William Francis Truefitt. One would think Truefitt & Hill became my destination due to this fact, but this is not the case. There is quite a random backstory that led me to this historical business.
Several years back, I believe 2005, I found myself in a British shop at Colonial Williamsburg. Amongst the various British goods available—randomly—were a few bottles of cologne. Now—I’m not one to necessarily run through bottles of cologne in search of some magical fragrance; However, I did proceed to sample these. I admit, my expectations were low. You have to understand, I was not in a fragrance shop by any stretch. Nor was I in a shop that had a fragrance section. I believe they were situated between the candy and lampshades. To my surprise, I discovered a fragrance that was quite unique. Please don’t ask me to explain it, that’s not really what I do. Bottom line is, I liked it. The label read, Truefitt & Hill. I had no intentions of buying it at that moment, as it was the last thing on my mind being on a vacation in Williamsburg, so I took note of the name for a future purchase.
Fast forward another seven years or so … Truefitt and Hill just didn’t seem to exist anywhere other than Williamsburg. I must have passed through hundreds of fragrance counters to no end. I erroneously assumed this could be found pretty much anywhere. I was wrong! One Christmas my parents, knowing I had been seeking out this fragrance, not only gifted me a bottle of this cologne, they also added one of those fancy badger brush/razor sets along with shaving cream of the same scent.
Since receiving this “start up kit,” I have continued to use Truefitt & Hill products to this day. As their products are not offered in any stores in my area, I purchase everything directly from their website. Their site has made me aware of their various locations around the world, along with the barber services they offer. I always thought it would be pretty cool to visit one; unfortunately there are none within a reasonable distance from me. They had two location in the United States (now just one), one in Chicago and one in Las Vegas. When I was in Chicago four years ago, I failed to realize their location was just a block away from my hotel. Lost opportunity! I was in Vegas the following year, only to find that location had since closed. A few years back I was in Canada visiting a friend with full intentions of visiting their store in Toronto. Plans changed and I never made it into Toronto. As I planned my current trip to London, having a shave at Truefitt & Hill was placed on my list. As fate would have it, I would finally make it to one their locations—the original in London. Who would have ever thought some random event in a store in Williamsburg over a decade ago would lead me to what is perhaps the most historic barbershop in the world?
Making My Appointment
I failed to make an appointment in advance, unsure exactly which day would work best. Most of our days were booked with plans; I needed a day with nothing going on. I realized today would be that day—yesterday. Well, more like last night. So … before I went to bed, I sent them an email requesting an appointment for the following day. Knowing I would not have an immediate response, I moved on with my business, basically forgetting all about it. The next morning I woke up, grabbed my phone to see what time it was, then took a look into my world of emails. Sure enough, there was an email confirming my 10:30 appointment for a hot towel wet shave. It never occurred to me I might have to be up early for this. Fortunately I was up in time; I had about an hour before my appointment. It was definitely one of those moments in which I realized I would have to get moving immediately if I was going to make it. Poor Kathie, she was still asleep, and never even knew I made the appointment. Yikes, I hope she didn’t have any plans for us. I took a quick shower, told Kathie I’d be back later—may have asked her if she was cool with that—and headed out.
The Cell Phone Incident
Truefitt & Hill was just a short walk away from the hotel. I ventured down Piccadilly till I reached St. James’s Street, which brought me to my destination. I shouldn’t admit this, but at one point I thought I may have missed it somehow. I wasn’t exactly sure how far down the block it was, and I didn’t trust myself with the glaring sun shining directly into my eyes. Before I went too far, I figured I should cross reference my location on my maps app, so I turned to step out of the sun just as I grabbed for my phone—sure enough, it flew right out of my hand. Splat! Even a passer by cringed as he cried, “ooh!” I didn’t even want to pick it up, for I knew in my heart it wouldn’t be good. I thought, what do I do now? I can’t replace it over here, can I? My carrier doesn’t exist here. I slowly bent over to pick it up, turned it over so I could see the screen, and somehow, it was unscathed. Not one mark on it whatsoever. Though I will say, when I record videos, I no longer have audio. I’m fairly confident this was caused by the sidewalk on St. James’s Street, though there’s no way of knowing for sure.
The Truefitt & Hill Experience
I finally found the store front—which couldn’t be missed by the way—and made my way inside. This posh barbershop made me feel like I was a member of the Royal Family showing up for my daily grooming. I was cordially greeted, my coat taken and placed in a closet, and I was escorted to a seating area that somewhat resembled a room you would find in a country club. I expected a glass of scotch and a cigar to be offered, but I guess it can only get so good.
I was brought over to a barber chair, and the treatment commenced. There was a hot towel, a facial massage, a scary looking razor, and at various points I feared for my life—but I must say—it was amazing!
My only regret is that I couldn’t provide more pictures. Due to respect of the clients, I was unable to take any pictures of the barber chairs. If you are considering a proper shave, and you find yourself within a reasonable distance of a Truefitt & Hill, I can’t imagine you would be disappointed.
Please check them out!