From what I have experienced so far, the pace of life in Albania is slower than I am used to. The one exception to this is when in a car, and then it seems very fast & furious. Other than that, people do things like sit in cafés for long periods of time having one coffee and casually chatting with friends. Many people seem to like just watching the world go by.
Seeing everyone taking their time at life inspired me, and I set out to get my head and face shaved. I have always wanted to get my face shaved with a straight edge razor by a barber but had never made time to do it. I found a small barber shop called The Gentlemen’s Den. The name freaked me out a bit, but things looked all right. The barber did not speak English though luckily someone there did. I scheduled a shave for the next day at 11:30.
The next morning, I was very excited to go in for the shave. I was a little late, but the barber was very understanding. We navigated our language barrier and I was confident he understood I wanted my head and face shaved.
After getting settled in the barber’s chair, he first covered my head with a generous amount of blue gel. He used a lot of it. However much you are thinking, it was even more than that. The cool gel felt cool which was so nice because it was a very hot day outside and immediately got me relaxed.
After that sat for a few moments, he wrapped my head with a hot towel. The contrast of brisk gel and hot steam was incredible. I could feel my hair follicles opening right up, and in a few minutes, they were ready for a serious shave. The barber loaded a new razor in his straight blade and started shaving away. I was loving it!
This is where things took a wonderful turn from great to amazing. After he was done with the blade, he then smoothed shaving cream all over my head which started a little tingle and mild but invigorating burning. This move wasn’t just refreshing, it was genius. After a couple minutes of this shaving cream treatment, he shaved my whole damn head again. He was meticulous.
At this point we had been there for quite some time and I thought maybe I had not been successful as I thought communicating that I wanted my faced shaved, too. Of course, seconds later, I saw I had no reason to worry. He grabbed a head rest, attached it to the chair, tipped me back, and gave my face the same outstanding double shave treatment. All I could think was, “What is happening here? How can I ever just have a normal shave again?”
After nearly 45 minutes, my first Albanian barbershop shaving experience was done. Now, those of you who know me will find this particularly funny because you know I don’t have a whole lot of hair. I gave him 1200 lek, plus what I hope was a generous tip, and went on my way, feeling brand new. I am not sure I have ever spent 45 minutes in a barber’s chair. In case you are keeping track, 1200 lek is about $12. Not bad for the best shave of my life!
I regularly move through life quickly. I often get told, “Wow, you look like you are in a hurry!” This happens even when I’m not particularly in any rush. Satisfying a lifelong wish for a barbershop straight edge razor shave was great on its own, but it also showed me that part of my journey is going to be learning how to slow down and pay more attention to the world.
After reclining back and giving my full attention to all those different sensations, I want all my stops in a barber’s chair to be 45 minutes of shaving bliss! I think, just maybe, if I slow down some in everyday life and look more closely at what’s around me, I can have some of that bliss outside the barbershop, too.
