The Art of Shaving

I went in about three weeks ago an spoke with the general manager I believe his name is Mike the guy was amazing gave me a 5 – 7 minute educational background on shaving and on my way out he also gave me a sample of pre shave oil the shaving cream and after shave balm I just the sample this evening I must say I’ve never had such a soothing smooth shave with such a soft finish I am absolutely impressed with the products and will be in to purchase a few items definitely check it out

Though they don’t actually do the shaving here, they sell many products. I could be wrong, but I swear they did offer the shaving service there. When I got there, it was busy lol. By busy, I mean there were 3 of us customers in the store and 1 employee. Waited a bit but I left after not being acknowledged by the busy fellow. Came back a bit later and got information on the grooming service gift certificate. The gift are can be used at any location, and that’s exactly what will be done (not by me of course)! Don’t have much else to say as I didn’t buy a product, but a service.

I’m always a fan of stores who specialize in something, and why i wouldn’t buy Art of Shaving at Nordstrom. At least give more business to the main store too, and keep them busy, is the way I look at it, Nordstrom will always get action but I digress.
It’s a good size store, with a communal middle table as well, carry all products on both sides.
Neidy quite helpful too. One thing to note is you get a better selection of brushes than anywhere else too. She showed how the higher end ones with more stiffer bristles to create that extra foam.
Located on ground level.

I went here with my husband the other day. We unfortunately could not afford to buy anything, but I had to write this review to sing the praises of Mike Lewis the store manager. I’m pretty sure he knew we would not be buying, but he still spent a good 15 minutes with us answering our questions and brightening our day. I will totally order something from here eventually!

5 stars for customer service. We went looking for a soft bristle mens brush, they did not have the brush the hubs wanted. We didn’t end up buying anything, but the girl who served us took the time to explain the difference between the brushes, combs and products, also gave us alternatives where we might be able to find the brush we wanted. Wish I had caught her name, great service. Going back.

For The past 40 years I’ve been doing my shaving with combination of the multi bladed mass-​produced shaving instruments and usually the Braun electrics. I can’t say I’ve been entirely satisfied probably because I had nothing else to compare it with. Recently though I start looking at the old-​fashioned safety razor .Did some research online, took the plunge and bought a German unit. I did my normal shave and even the first time it turned out tremendous. there was not the stubble that I thought was usual even with both the multiple blades and electric. I do not have a heavy beard by the way. You know how guys, are once we get our toys we start to research and I got a full set of the oils and I went down to the Art of shaving that I’ve seen At Valleyfair. I must’ve talked to the owner for an hour receiving the lowdown on the right, the wrong,
things work. Very informative to listen to the history of shaving. I’ve been doing a few things wrong. The owner was very low-​key just informative. No hard sell. Just a pro. I left making only a $ 20 purchase. In short I was very impressed with the store .I appreciated the ambience of it’s old-​school feeling. Sure you can buy online and get virtually the same thing cheaper but you’re not going to go through the unique experience. Which, lets get down with it, what makes life worth living.

I can in here looking for a shaving kit for myself and one as a gift to a relative. The store has a good collection of razor handles and shaving brushes. The store manager gave a quite detailed explanations on each of the items in the saving kit and explained the differences in the shaving brushes. The place might seem pricey but the products really do justice to the slightly higher prices. The interaction with the store staff was quite pleasant.

Some of their shaving cream is good, and fairly priced for how long it lasts, however, many of their razors are fairly over priced. A razor online of the same type runs about 43 $ and they are selling it for close to 60.
The lack of razor blades is also a problem and the pre/​after shaves are mediocre at best (A bottle of clubman from CVS is probably a better option)
You typically wont see any hardcore wetshavers in here and there is a point for that. With many forums online (badger and blade) and many online specialty retailers, buying from here is almost pointless.
It is generally a rip off, except for their shaving cream.
for 20 $ a pop, the stuff actually lasts quite a while, though for that price you can get a truefitt and hill tub of cream and have it blow their product out of the water. Even a tube of proraso is cheaper and still out does it, performance wise. But the scent and lather of the product (and the longevity) is amazing and is worth the 20 $ price tag.
They do have gillette platinum blades here, so that is one star for them, and the other star is for the shave cream/​store upkeep.
Workers could be a little bit more positive in their attitude.
+I hate to sound like a chauvinist, but the women who work there need to stop acting like they are experts in wet shaving, and telling me what is good for MY face, and how I am correctly/​incorrectly doing things… seriously, do I tell you how to properly put in a tampon?
sometimes they don’t even know anything about what you are talking about and act all cold to you… yeah, even when you are in a male specific store, you can’t get away from women.
I would say skip this place unless you are in dire need of blades or cream, but for brushes and everything else, look for other mediums of retail.

I hope he likes his gift.
I wrote that about 3 weeks ago after I checked in but hid the check in publicly so that he would not find out what his Christmas gift would be. Instead of opening presents on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning, he opened it last night; talk about impatient!
When we went to Vegas in August, he took me to The Venetian just so I can get a few macarons from Bouchon Bakery that was literally located in a hidden spot — underneath the escalators. We walked around and around. We walked by Art of Shaving and a gentleman was getting a shave done. I have no clue what type of shave /​services but he had mentioned that he have always wanted a shave done here, at Art of Shaving.
I remembered that and made his «want» a reality. I came in and bought a gift card for the: Royal Shave ($ 55). I was told by the associate ringing me up that the services in Las Vegas was top notch. He will be spending Christmas in Las Vegas w/​his younger brother and his dad so I suspect that he will get it done there at The Ventian location. There are 2 on the strip, I believe.
I was told he will not shave until Monday. Too bad I can’t be there to check in and take pictures of the services being done to him, haha. I hope he likes it and I hope this can be a once-​every-​three-​months kind of thing. It is important to work hard and save towards a future but enjoying life and pampering yourself is vital to self happiness.
Merry Christmas to you, Kevin T.

The quality of the shaving products here go well beyond what the drug stores offer. I have completely changed the way I shave because of this store.

Went here to get my dad a father’s day gift, thought it would be perfect for him because he loves this kind of stuff. I went in and two workers were talking in the back near the cashier. I respectfully waited for the woman t stop talking to the guy there and asked what services they do and what are the prices. She looks at me with her arms crossed like I am inconveniencing her (mind you, there was NO other customers in the shop). She hands me a card and says that I can go online and see what they do there and how much it costs. I simply took the card and said «you’ve got to be kidding me» and as I was walking towards the door I threw the card behind me on the floor. I will NEVER EVER set foot back in that store again for being treated in that manner. She had no reason to not give me any information about the services. Keep her around to push out the business, no wonder no one was in there on a Saturday.

The products are by far worth the money, especially if you have sensitive skin. I actually learned a few things in-​store which has enhanced my shaving experience big time.

This is a review for the store and not the in-​store barber which many folks seem to have some issues with.
I generally detest specialty stores of this type because I always felt like they take up space but don’t really do much good. I didn’t really understand how good their products were until recently when the bf totally schooled me on what happens when you shave normally versus when you shave using The Art of Shaving products.
I really enjoyed visiting this store thereafter and learning about all the ways in which their products enhance the shaving experience for those who have to shave daily and in such sensitive areas as the face and underneath the nose. Their staff is friendly and informative and they apparently have awesome coupons all the time. It’s totally pricey but apparently very well worth it!

My boyfriend loves this stuff and refuses to use anything else. We walked in looking to buy a new razor and brush set, oils and get a shave. If you’ve never been here you need to know this stuff is pricey and we were ready to spend a couple hundred dollars. The man working didn’t give us a proper greeting, didn’t ask us if we needed anything, offer to show us some razors, nothing. So we left. Good way to lose out on a sale.

This review is for CARLOS.
Carlos is such a stud. He should definitely get employee of the year.
The end.

OK, so this review is for the on-​site barber, not the product or store. Art of Shaving products, while expensive, are actually a great value and do a great job.
So, I am thoroughly hooked on Art of Shaving product, so I decide over the holiday weekend to splurge on the in-​shop barber to do my shave that morning. Note, I switched over to Art of Shaving product because my skin is pretty easily irritated, and I had several bad habits that exacerbated it into a red mass on my neck. After watching the video on their site and following their directions with their products (Shave oil first, shaving cream with brush, skin treatment after shaving, and above all, FIRST PASS WITH THE GRAIN, and, if you want, second pass against the grain) I can relialbly get a very close, comfortable shave with ZERO skin irritation.
Maybe the barber needs to watch that part. She was solicitous enough, did the oil, the shave cream, hot towel, la la la, but then laid into me with some Gilette vibrating 5 blade, LED lit electronic thing. SO far so good on my face, but when she got to my neck, went forcefully AGAINST the grain. Later followed it up with a second pass ACROSS the Grain.
Again, she needs to watch the store video — my neck is a mass of red irritated skin… as bad, or worse, as it ever got with my poor attempts. To make matters worse, I sport a goatee and mustache, and she got these uneven and WAY too short. Thank FSM they grow back quickly — right now I look like I am trying, and failing, to grow my first beard.
I will continue to use these products– the shave oil and cream are the best I have tried, and I have tried a few different brands. But, from now on, I will just buy them from Amazon or
. No point in paying sales tax and dealing with mall parking and all of the accompaning travail.
And I would definately, never, ever, ever let this barber near my face with anything sharp. Lesson learned!

The presence and success of a store like The Art of Shaving reflects a certain desire amongst the post-​baby boomer generations to get in touch with the traditions of their fathers. Many are tired of shaving with expensive cartridge razors and dealing with the ingrown hairs and razor burn that such razors cause. At The Art of Shaving one can purchase double edge single blade safety razors made in Germany by Merkur — modeled after the classic razors that Gillette used to make here in USA. Also available are high quality shaving accessories — badger brushes, creams, pre-​shaves and after shave balms.
During my particular visit to this location I had a lot of questions about the products and techniques involved (shaving with a safety razor is an acquired skill) and was duly met by the most knowledgeable employee. All my questions were answered with confidence and left little doubt about that particular employee’s competence.
My only gripe pertains to the pricing of the AOS products. The pricing on the hardware (razors, blades and brushes) is about right but the consumables are really expensive relative to similar products sold at Bath & Body Works and Crabtree & Evelyn.
Also consider that when one buys the $ 25 dollar starter kit one gets a $ 25 off coupon that applies to the full size kit which reduces the cost of the full size to $ 75 — still pricey. Essentially you get the starter kit free if you end up buying the full size. Be forewarned though that the brush that comes with the starter kit is a piece of shit that started shedding on its first use. To AOS’s credit they will tell you that the brush only lasts a week or two upon purchase.

Every time we go to the mall and pass The Art of Shaving, my S.O. says how much he would love to get products from there sometime. Little did he know that I actually was listening. For our anniversary, I decided that I was going to pamper him with some products, including a lathering brush and possibly a new razor. That was a big «possibly,» since I didn’t know how much a razor would cost.
So I hit the store last week with a friend.
The saleswoman was friendly enough, and she was happy to show me around the store and let me smell all of the scents. Lavender was my favorite. I told her my price range, and she told me about some deals that were within that range. The kit with the pre-​shave oil, shaving cream, after-​shave balm, and a brush was within that range, and it was looking pretty good to me.
Then, I don’t know if her memory lapsed or if she thought that my budget actually meant I could go WAY over my budget, but then she started recommending razors to me that cost upwards of $ 300. Um, NOT in my budget. Neither was a fancier $ 100 brush. Or a «compact shaving set» at $ 275. I think my boyfriend’s great, but I wasn’t up for spending our upcoming vacation money on his shaving needs.
Yes, it was nice to feel the weight of the fancy razors, but it just wasn’t going to happen.
That’s why I had to take off a star. There’s a difference between upselling and not listening.
He seemed pretty happy with the new blades I got him for his normal razor, and he was thrilled when he opened his gift from The Art of Shaving.

Very friendly staff! I got my free complimentary shaving, but have yet to find a male volunteer for it: P
I got the following:
1) Ingrown Hair Night Cream $ 30
2) Pre-​Shave Oil $ 18
I love the night cream! it helps so much with ingrown, stops the redness and eventually allows the ingrown to come out. It is a bit pricey, it will last you in the long run. i’ve had mine for 1 year! A little goes a long way.
I really dont use the pre-​shave oil, because i always forget. But when i do, it helps with the shaving!

The Art of Shaving at Valley Fair FINALLY has a barber in the store.
Sunday & Monday, appointments run from 11 AM — 4:30 PM. $ 35 for the shave OR a complimentary shave with a purchase of $ 45 or more.