It had been a busy Thursday at the office trying to catch up on various projects after being away on vacation for two weeks. It was now approaching 7 PM as I walked toward my apartment and my thoughts shifted from work to wondering what I was going to do for dinner. Up ahead, I noticed the illuminated barber pole at what had been Charlie's Barber Shop. This raised my curiosity since Charlie had passed away several months ago and his shop had always closed at 5 PM. Seeing the barber pole also reminded me that I needed a haircut and this might be a convenient time to take care of this minor detail. As I approached the shop from the other side of the street, I remembered the days when I first moved to this area and went to Charlie's on a regular basis. I stopped going there after a year or so when my work schedule became more demanding and Charlie's would always be closed after work hours. I always enjoyed my visits to Charlie's because his barbershop was very much like the one I went to growing up in my hometown. Right after Charlie's death, the shop closed and it appeared that it might close for good but talk around the neighborhood was that a young woman had purchased the shop. Right before I left for vacation, I had noticed that the shop was undergoing renovations so I was curious to find out what the new owner was like and what she had done to the shop. As I crossed the street for a closer look, I could see a young woman with short blonde hair seated in one of the chairs reading a magazine. The sign on the door indicated that the shop closed at 7:30 so I decided this might be a good time to get a haircut and check out the new barber. Once inside, I noticed that the shop had changed dramatically. Charlie's Barbershop had undergone a major transformation and now looked more like a styling salon. To my disappointment, the two old leather barber chairs had been replaced with modern styling chairs, the kind I detested. As I started to think of a reason to exit gracefully, the woman stood and greeted me with a warm smile. "Hi, my name is Carol" she said as she shook my hand. "Do you need a haircut?" she added. She was dressed in black slacks and a traditional white barber's smock which buttoned at the shoulder. She was tall with a medium build and quite attractive. Trying to figure out a way to exit gracefully, I said "maybe some other time but hope you don't mind if I stopped in to check out your shop." "No problem, glad you stopped in" Carol replied. "Maybe you'd like to see the rest of the shop before you go." Feeling somewhat guilty, I agreed. Carol was certainly attractive and a few extra minutes wouldn't matter as I had nothing to do anyway. "I rent the space out front here to two stylists that work during the day." "My own work station is back here. As I followed her, Carol explained how she had been trained as a barber and wanted to attract clientele that wanted the atmosphere and services of an old-fashioned barbershop. Toward the back of the shop was a separate work area that had been constructed during the renovations. "This is my space back here" Carol said as we entered the room. Carol's work station was separated from the rest of the shop by partitions which were roughly five feet in height. Inside this work area was an old-fashioned barber chair finished in red leather and white porcelain trim. From the side of the chair hung what appeared to be a large leather belt. The floor was a black and white checkered tile. The single chair faced a floor-to-ceiling mirror surrounded by an antique barber's cabinet. To the side of the small room was a large antique sink. "How do you like it?" Carol asked as we entered her work area. "This is great" I replied. "Care to have a seat?" Carol asked, sensing my enthusiasm. "Sure" I replied without hesitation. Carol gestured toward the barber chair and said "make yourself comfortable while I lock the front door and put up the closed sign." While she was doing this, I was enjoying the unique comfort of the big leather chair while taking in the surroundings. I could hardly believe that a place like this existed! Displayed above the large mirror was a list of services and prices. To my surprise, the list included old-fashioned shaves for $15. As I pondered this discovery, Carol returned and promptly removed a red pinstriped barber's cape from the cabinet which she draped loosely over my shoulders. She asked me to loosen my collar then proceeded to tuck a small towel between my shirt and neck. Carol then brought the barber's cape over my shoulders and snapped it into place. "How would you like your hair cut? Carol asked. We briefly discussed the type of haircut that I wanted then Carol went to work. She grasped the lever on the side of the big chair and pumped it three or four times to raise it to the proper height. Carol proceeded to give me a great haircut during which she told me the story about how she found out about the shop and decided to start her own business. When Carol finished the haircut, she unsnapped the cape and removed the towel from around my neck. She took a large soft brush and swept around my neck to remove any loose hair. "Would you like me to shave your neck?" she asked. "Yes, please" I said. Carol then replaced the towel around my neck and loosely draped the cape on my shoulders. After lowering the chair, Carol went to the lather machine and returned with a handful of warm shaving cream which she applied generously to the back of my neck and around the ears. After wiping the remaining lather from her hands, Carol opened a drawer in the cabinet and removed an old- fashioned straight razor with a pearl white handle. She took the razor to the sink and ran it under the water briefly to warm the blade. When Carol returned to the chair, she assured me that she was very skilled with a straight razor and that I was in good hands. This became obvious as she expertly shaved along the hairline with short, efficient strokes, occasionally stopping to wipe the blade. Watching Carol in the mirror, I realized that she would be finished soon. Not wanting to talk while Carol was concentrating with the razor, I waited until it was time to wipe the blade again. "Would you have time for a shave?" I asked her. "I have plenty of time" Carol said "but my shaves take about forty-five minutes just so you'll know." "That's fine, I'm not going anywhere" was my reply. Carol finished shaving my neck area and then applied lotion to the area which produced a mild stinging sensation. After toweling off my neck, Carol asked if I had ever been shaved by a barber. Somewhat embarrassed, I admitted that I hadn't but wanted to see what it was like. Smiling, Carol removed the cape and towel and brushed away the loose hair. "I give great shaves so you've come to the right barber. All of my customers find my shaves to be a very pleasurable and relaxing experience as you are about to find out!" She shook the barber's cape several times to remove the hair and, in one smooth motion, brought the cape over my shoulders, snapping it loosely around my neck. Next, she went to the cabinet and removed several towels followed by a piece of equipment that matched the barber chair. "What's that thing?" I asked her. "Oh, that is for your head to rest on when I put the chair back." Carol walked behind the chair and slid the headrest into position. "First, I'm going to put the chair into a reclining position" Carol said. Carol then reached for the lever on the side of the chair, pushed it downward and gently lowered the back of the chair so that I was staring up at the ceiling. Carol went to the front of the chair and adjusted the footrest so that the padded side was up. I placed both feet on the footrest and was now totally relaxed in the big chair, ready for my shave. "How about some music?" Carol suggested. She added, "Most of my customers like to hear classical music while they're getting shaved." Carol went to the CD player and the sound of Mozart immediately filled the small room. From my reclining position, I could see two ceiling speakers in the front part of the room but suspected there were two more speakers behind me. The sound from this system was outstanding! Carol sked if I was comfortable and, hearing that I was, proceeded to tuck several towels between the barber's cape and my neck. Carol went to the cabinet and returned with a dollop of a creamy substance between her fingers. "This is a cream that I use to prepare the beard for shaving" she said. Standing behind the chair, Carol first applied the cream then used both hands to massage the cream into my beard. The cream had a pleasant mint aroma and tingled as Carol worked it into my beard. "Next, I'm going to apply a series of hot towels to soften your beard." Carol moved the chair so that my head was positioned closer to the sink. Leaving the cream on my face, Carol went to the sink to prepare the hot towels. Moments later, she returned with a steaming towel which she carefully placed on my beard. After checking to make sure that the towel was not too hot, she went to the sink to prepare another. During this time, I felt so relaxed that I nearly fell asleep in the chair. When Carol returned, she removed the first towel and used it to remove the facial cream. She quickly applied the second hot towel and went back to the sink to prepare a third. After the third towel was applied, I could feel the chair moving clockwise to its former position. As I relaxed under the steamed towel, I could hear the familiar sound of the hot lather machine. Carol returned to the chair and removed the towel, applying hot lather to my beard using a circular motion. It was heaven! After cleaning the lather from her hands, Carol went to the cabinet and returned with the straight razor. "I'm going to strop the razor so that the blade is properly honed." I glanced to my right and watched as Carol reached down and picked up the end of the leather belt which hung from the chair. Pulling the belt so that it was taut, Carol opened the razor and stroked the blade back and forth over the belt. As Carol stropped the razor, I could feel the vibrations through the chair. After a minute of stropping, Carol was satisfied that the razor was ready. From her position on the right side of the chair, Carol gently tilted my head so that she could shave the left side first. With expert precision, Carol shaved the left side of my face then moved to the neck area. For a moment, I felt trapped and helpless as Carol guided the razor across the most vulnerable areas of my neck. As she continued to shave me, I felt more relaxed and confident in her professional skills. After Carol finished with both sides and the tricky chin area, she checked for spots that she might have missed. Finding one or two areas that did not meet her professional standards, Carol went to the lather machine and returned with more shaving cream which she reapplied to my face. She carefully shaved these areas until she was satisfied with the results. After Carol had finished with the razor, she prepared a hot towel to remove excess shaving cream and to open the pores. She left the hot towel on for several minutes after which she applied an aftershave lotion. "Up we go" Carol said as she returned the chair to its upright position. Carol then removed the headrest and returned it to the cabinet. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Carol asked as she combed my hair and took care of a few loose hairs. I rubbed my hand over my face and could not believe how smooth it was. I told her it was a great experience and that I would be a regular customer from now on. She removed the cape which meant that it was time for me to get out of the chair. Reluctantly, I stepped down from the barber's chair and assured Carol that I would be back soon.

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