My first hot towel shave took me nearly 50 minutes and the customer was furious

I had a guy come in last Tuesday wanting a traditional straight razor shave with the hot towel prep. I figured it would take maybe 25 minutes tops, but I kept messing up the lather consistency and had to redo the towel steps twice. How long did it take you fellas before you could knock out a proper hot towel shave in under half an hour?

3 comments

3 Comments

umathompson2mo ago

Took me over an hour my first time too, and the guy kept checking his phone the whole time. I had to re-heat the towels three times because I let them sit too long while I fumbled with the razor. Feels like it takes a good ten or fifteen shaves before your hands just know what to do without overthinking it.

the_laura2mo ago

Notice this same pattern everywhere - people expect instant expertise but muscle memory for anything new takes real time. @umathompson is spot on about those first awkward attempts, whether it's shaving or learning to drive a manual car or even using chopsticks for the first time in public. The real trick is letting yourself be bad at something for a while without getting frustrated about it.

thomas_martinez2mo ago

Does it feel like we're all just learning stuff in a rush these days?