Alain, Maître Barbier à Paris
Confined to the realm of an idealised, rustic image for years, going to the barbers is coming back into fashion with an undeniable rise in interest for this small luxury.
More and more salons are opening, or re-opening, their doors across France, with the majority of barbers having been trained by rare ‘maîtres barbiers’ – master barbers.
We therefore went to see Alain, a master among master barbers, who has held a small salon-museum in the Marais area of Paris for more than twenty years.
If I had to sum up my experience of the Master barber in one expression, it would be one of him taking his time over what he does.
Shaving is a chore that I undertake every morning in front of my bathroom mirror in roughly 3.56 minutes. A task perfectly carried out thanks to modern-day razors and neutral foams, no longer named after ‘manly’ fighter jets.
However, settling down into the chair, our master barber transformed these tedious minutes of habitual shaving into a soothing ritual.
Everything starts with an essential oil, applied carefully by hand, meant for nourishing the skin as deeply as possible. The aim is to improve the glide of the razor blade during shaving.
Alain then applies the shaving foam with a brush dipped in hot water. A rich, warm mousse covers my skin and relaxes me to the point of closing my eyes.
Then comes the impressive shave using the folded razor, that I can only describe as invigorating so as not to discourage these gentlemen.
Thankfully, after a turn with an Alum stone, the master barber – Alain – places a warm towel on my face.
I fall into a quasi-sleep for the second time.
Last but not least, my skin is sprinkled with talc.
Allow around twenty minutes for a full shave. A ritual that I would gladly adhere to every Saturday to erase the stresses of the week.
And sirs, is it not amazing that shaving can even provide a moment of pleasure for men!
This is the personal razor of Johnny Halliday…
Alain, Maître Barbier
Salon-Musée
8 rue Saint Claude 75003 Paris
+33 1 42 77 55 80
http://www.maitrebarbier.com
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le rasage à l’ancienne ! un vrai délice , le rasage devient sacré depuis que j’y suis mis , la preuve en image http://www.rasageclassique.com .
J’ai prévu d’allez chez faire un saut chez Alain , pour admirer son art .
Ce Alain avec qui j’ai souvent travaillé dans une autre vie est un homme passionnant ! il est l’un de ceux que je recommande : http://thenewmeninthecity.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/rasage-a-l%E2%80%99ancienne-plaisir-d%E2%80%99homme-moderne-blog-beaute-homme-the-new-men-in-the-cit/
Un article très intéressant, qui m’a donné l’envie de faire une surprise à mon fiancé pour notre prochain séjour sur Paris, merci.
Un réel plaisir de vous lire chaque jour.
Bonne continuation.
Lilly -