Jefferson Hack (April 2005 - April 2010)
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Is Lila wearing extensions in the second last picture?
www.telegraph.co.uk
Barber-shop virgin Jefferson Hack puts his life in the hands of a man wielding a cut-throat blade for a traditional close wet-shave
I let my girlfriend do it once. I even once let my five-year old-daughter have a gentle stroke over my chin with a safety razor. But never, until now, have I let another man come near my face with a blade.
I have often walked past Murdock, the gentlemen's grooming shop in the East End of London, and wondered what a traditional men's wet shave with cut-throat razor would feel like.
Murdock, which has been open since April 2006, mixes discreet, Jermyn Street charm with a chic eye for style. It's a neighbourhood hangout.
With its scattering of first-edition books and curiosities, its pre-war lounge music and complimentary espressos, it has established itself as a first-stop shop for men looking for advice on grooming or guilt-free pampering, and without the private-members' feel or fuss of a West End day spa.
"I wanted to bring back the heritage of the barber's shop in this country for the contemporary man who appreciates the past and appreciates style," explains owner Brendan Murdock.
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And so it was that I booked myself in for an ultra-clean start to the week.
While the rest of London was gearing up for a Monday morning at work, I was lying back in the soft leather arms of a 1950s barber's chair, listening to Stan Getz and having mint ointment rubbed into my weekend party stubble by the soft hands of a Jordanian cut-throat expert.
"Ahh! You are a virgin," he proclaimed with a wry smile after I told him it was my first time before the blade.
Like the first time in a strip club or at a gaming table, I felt like I was crossing a bridge of initiation; the experience would reveal itself as suspiciously simple once the mystique was peeled away.
The proceedings started with pre-shave oiling, followed by the iconic hot towel treatment that I associate with the opening scenes of the original Scarface, when the police walk into the shop to take Tony Camonte for questioning.
The steam opened my pores and made my hairs stand to attention. Then, deploying a traditional badger's brush, the barber fluffs the classic Santa Maria Novella Crema da Barba, created by Dominican Friars in the 13th century, into my skin.
The barber's first pass, as it is known in the cut-throat businesses, began from my sideburns, the barber gliding his way to my lips, leaving room for the occasional flourish as he wiped the cream from the stainless steel blade (I could see him brandishing the blade from the corner of my eye).
After a fresh coating was lathered on using the badger's brush, he cut against the grain of the hair to give me the super-smooth finish that the wet shave is famous for.
More towelling was used for the post-shave cool down, along with a non-alcoholic astringent made of olive oil and witch hazel extracts to soothe and calm the skin. Through the towel my face was gently massaged, reminding me that I had survived the blade without nick or burn; I felt suitably relieved.
He then rubbed the Santa Maria Novella cologne between his palms. The shock of the light sting woke me up. I didn't know what to expect, but I felt like a weekend of stubble was now far behind me.
"Do your remember your first time?" I ask Brendan.
"Yes, it was terrible," he replies. "I came out with razor burn all over my face, I really didn't enjoy it. It was at an old-fashioned place that used the wrong products for my skin."
Brendan, with his namesake shops in Shoreditch and at Liberty in W1, has more than made up for it since then.
• Murdock is at 340 Old Street, London EC1V, 020 7729 2288, murdocklondon.com
CREAM OF THE BUNCH
Barber Brendan Murdock's top three shaving creams:
D.R. Harris Arlington Pre-shave
Apply to dry skin just before shaving (wet or dry) to remove natural oils and cause the bristles to stand erect from the face. It smells of fresh citrus and fern.
£50 (500ml), drharris.co.uk
Malin+Goetz Shave Cream
Cools and protects the skin without causing razor rash. Vitamin E provides sensitive skin with a non-irritating shave.
£13.60 (115g), malinandgoetz.com
Santa Maria Novella Crema da Barba
Enriched with coconut oil, menthol, eucalyptus and camphor, this cream is perfect for general skin types. The foam is an excellent lubricant during shaving and rinses off easily. For the classic touch, it should be used with a badger brush.
£32 (250ml), smnovella.it
BRUSH OFF
The Santa Maria Novella Wet Shave at Murdock costs £38.50 and takes about 30 minutes. All the listed products are available to buy at murdocklondon.com.
Dandy Browns
Contemporary grooming emporium for men in Leeds, with bare-brick walls, reclining leather chairs and complimentary beers. The ''Ultimate Shave" (£25, 30 minutes) begins with an exfoliating rub, followed by hot towels, lathering, and a once-over with a cut-throat razor. To finish, there's a relaxing head massage.
68 Wellington Street, Leeds, 0113 247 1919, www.dandybrowns.com
Male Concept
One-stop gentlemen's grooming spot on the south coast. It's £19.95 for a 45-minute treatment involving a deep-clean facial wash, hot towels, shave and gentle moisturising afterwards.
35 The Goffs, Eastbourne, 01323 735648
Coyle Michael
Salon in Chester that specialises in barbershop-style manscaping. The 45-minute "Executive" shaves combine a facial rub with American Crew oil, a double shave using open blades, followed by a massage and cold compress — all for £20.
30 City Road, Chester, 01244 311377, www.coylemichael.co.uk
INTER- NATIONAL BARBERS
Classic Istanbul barbershop transplanted to Leith. The full wet shave, comprising hot towels, head massage and agonising splashes of rubbing alcohol, costs £8. In as little as 10 minutes, expect a thorough going over: excess ear and nasal hair is singed away the old-fashioned way, with a naked flame.
272 Leith Walk, Leith, Edinburgh, 0131 554 7222
Barber-shop virgin Jefferson Hack puts his life in the hands of a man wielding a cut-throat blade for a traditional close wet-shave
I let my girlfriend do it once. I even once let my five-year old-daughter have a gentle stroke over my chin with a safety razor. But never, until now, have I let another man come near my face with a blade.
I have often walked past Murdock, the gentlemen's grooming shop in the East End of London, and wondered what a traditional men's wet shave with cut-throat razor would feel like.
Murdock, which has been open since April 2006, mixes discreet, Jermyn Street charm with a chic eye for style. It's a neighbourhood hangout.
With its scattering of first-edition books and curiosities, its pre-war lounge music and complimentary espressos, it has established itself as a first-stop shop for men looking for advice on grooming or guilt-free pampering, and without the private-members' feel or fuss of a West End day spa.
"I wanted to bring back the heritage of the barber's shop in this country for the contemporary man who appreciates the past and appreciates style," explains owner Brendan Murdock.
advertisement
And so it was that I booked myself in for an ultra-clean start to the week.
While the rest of London was gearing up for a Monday morning at work, I was lying back in the soft leather arms of a 1950s barber's chair, listening to Stan Getz and having mint ointment rubbed into my weekend party stubble by the soft hands of a Jordanian cut-throat expert.
"Ahh! You are a virgin," he proclaimed with a wry smile after I told him it was my first time before the blade.
Like the first time in a strip club or at a gaming table, I felt like I was crossing a bridge of initiation; the experience would reveal itself as suspiciously simple once the mystique was peeled away.
The proceedings started with pre-shave oiling, followed by the iconic hot towel treatment that I associate with the opening scenes of the original Scarface, when the police walk into the shop to take Tony Camonte for questioning.
The steam opened my pores and made my hairs stand to attention. Then, deploying a traditional badger's brush, the barber fluffs the classic Santa Maria Novella Crema da Barba, created by Dominican Friars in the 13th century, into my skin.
The barber's first pass, as it is known in the cut-throat businesses, began from my sideburns, the barber gliding his way to my lips, leaving room for the occasional flourish as he wiped the cream from the stainless steel blade (I could see him brandishing the blade from the corner of my eye).
After a fresh coating was lathered on using the badger's brush, he cut against the grain of the hair to give me the super-smooth finish that the wet shave is famous for.
More towelling was used for the post-shave cool down, along with a non-alcoholic astringent made of olive oil and witch hazel extracts to soothe and calm the skin. Through the towel my face was gently massaged, reminding me that I had survived the blade without nick or burn; I felt suitably relieved.
He then rubbed the Santa Maria Novella cologne between his palms. The shock of the light sting woke me up. I didn't know what to expect, but I felt like a weekend of stubble was now far behind me.
"Do your remember your first time?" I ask Brendan.
"Yes, it was terrible," he replies. "I came out with razor burn all over my face, I really didn't enjoy it. It was at an old-fashioned place that used the wrong products for my skin."
Brendan, with his namesake shops in Shoreditch and at Liberty in W1, has more than made up for it since then.
• Murdock is at 340 Old Street, London EC1V, 020 7729 2288, murdocklondon.com
CREAM OF THE BUNCH
Barber Brendan Murdock's top three shaving creams:
D.R. Harris Arlington Pre-shave
Apply to dry skin just before shaving (wet or dry) to remove natural oils and cause the bristles to stand erect from the face. It smells of fresh citrus and fern.
£50 (500ml), drharris.co.uk
Malin+Goetz Shave Cream
Cools and protects the skin without causing razor rash. Vitamin E provides sensitive skin with a non-irritating shave.
£13.60 (115g), malinandgoetz.com
Santa Maria Novella Crema da Barba
Enriched with coconut oil, menthol, eucalyptus and camphor, this cream is perfect for general skin types. The foam is an excellent lubricant during shaving and rinses off easily. For the classic touch, it should be used with a badger brush.
£32 (250ml), smnovella.it
BRUSH OFF
The Santa Maria Novella Wet Shave at Murdock costs £38.50 and takes about 30 minutes. All the listed products are available to buy at murdocklondon.com.
Dandy Browns
Contemporary grooming emporium for men in Leeds, with bare-brick walls, reclining leather chairs and complimentary beers. The ''Ultimate Shave" (£25, 30 minutes) begins with an exfoliating rub, followed by hot towels, lathering, and a once-over with a cut-throat razor. To finish, there's a relaxing head massage.
68 Wellington Street, Leeds, 0113 247 1919, www.dandybrowns.com
Male Concept
One-stop gentlemen's grooming spot on the south coast. It's £19.95 for a 45-minute treatment involving a deep-clean facial wash, hot towels, shave and gentle moisturising afterwards.
35 The Goffs, Eastbourne, 01323 735648
Coyle Michael
Salon in Chester that specialises in barbershop-style manscaping. The 45-minute "Executive" shaves combine a facial rub with American Crew oil, a double shave using open blades, followed by a massage and cold compress — all for £20.
30 City Road, Chester, 01244 311377, www.coylemichael.co.uk
INTER- NATIONAL BARBERS
Classic Istanbul barbershop transplanted to Leith. The full wet shave, comprising hot towels, head massage and agonising splashes of rubbing alcohol, costs £8. In as little as 10 minutes, expect a thorough going over: excess ear and nasal hair is singed away the old-fashioned way, with a naked flame.
272 Leith Walk, Leith, Edinburgh, 0131 554 7222
Working Girl
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- Jun 3, 2007
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I love his shoes. You can always tell if a man as great style by his shoes.
Looks like Jefferson likes to party the same way Kate does.- Status
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