Cambridge Chemists, Manhattan

The final shopping stop we made was to Cambridge Chemists on Lexington.  This store has a much smaller selection but had a few soaps that Pasteur’s didn’t have.  They also had a nice phonebook shaped cabinet that had some restored vintage straights, safety razors and some scuttles.  The prices for these were a little high but it was nice to see them available to the beginner non the less.
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Pasteur Pharmacy & Surgical – 34th St. and Lexington

Our first shaving related stop on the New York trip was Pasteur Pharmacy & Surgical on 34th.  This was just a 10 minute walk from our hotel.  When we got there the owner told us it wouldn’t be open for half an hour so we went next door for some breakfast.  If you have the chance, I recommend trying Alices Tea Cup.  After breakfast we returned to Pasteur’s.
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Just got back from my trip to NYC. I am not a city folk by any means but I would be lying to say I didn’t love the place. I have so many unique hobbies that finding local venues is usually difficult to impossible. My girlfriend Deeann and I made this trip about two of my interests and I can say I had my fill of both. Absinthe, which we both share a passion for, and Classic Wet Shaving.

Thanks to all of you guys on the Wormwood Society and Badger & Blade forums for pointing out some of the best places to visit in NYC on our tour.

In the next few posts I will share my experiences on our unique tour of New York, New York.

• Part 2 - Hotel Delmano, Brooklyn
• Part 3 - Maison Premiere, Brooklyn
• Part 4 - Please Don’t Tell (P.D.T.), East Village, Manhattan
• Part 5 - Astor Wines & Spirits, Manhattan
• Part 6 - Pasteur Pharmacy & Surgical, Manhattan (34th St.)
• Part 7 – Cambridge Chemists, Manhattan

Gillette Tech Razor

Here is a somewhat outdated list of the items I have and use everyday to shave with. If your new to the classic wet shaving scene, you may be shocked by the variety. If you come here as a fellow wet shaver, you may be dissaopointed by the miniscual collection I have. Either way, here it is and here is the link to the original post on badger andblade.com

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Shaving. It’s something almost all of us do and many on a daily bases. We do it for work, we do it to look a certain way or just for hygiene. One thing I have found to be almost a consensus is that it’s not a welcomed chore. We don’t enjoy it, yet we will spend thousands of hours of our lives doing it. For some, this may be fine and dandy.

I am one of those people who have lots of hobbies. When I get into something, I spend countless hours learning about all the aspects. Also, being a bit of a gear head, I will spend money on my new found hobby. Some of these hobbies come to a stand still after a while. I end up with hundreds of dollars worth of gear I may never use again.

One day, I said to myself, “What is something I do everyday, that I can turn into a hobby?”. I picked shaving. I have always suffered from a certain amount of razor burn on my neck and maybe I could remedy it. It’s also manly and has a vast history world wide. There are all kinds of items to upgrade and learn about.

I googled “shaving forum”, signed up to the first place I found (Badger and Blade) and started reading everything I could. I learned about all the new “Acquisition Disorders (AD)” I could acquire. RAD: Razor Acquisition Disorder, SBAD: Shaving Brush Acquisition Disorder and on and on for creams, soaps etc. Not to mention the learning curve for each new tool.

Well I decided to pick up my first set of tools. I ordered a Vulfix badger brush form England and found a nice Gillette double edge razor from the 40s. I picked up a sampler pack of razor blades so I could try several and find out what works best for me. I ordered some Almond shave cream from the British company GEO F Trumper.

When I finally got it all together, I started shaving. It took a while to figure out how to make a usable lather in a bowl with the brush and cream. Also, learning at what angle to hold the razor and how gently to press when shaving. I tried this for 6 month and was still getting razor burn.

I kept reading that straight razor was the way to go. So I joined another forum (Straight Razor Place) and did some more reading. I finally pulled the trigger on a vintage razor that was honed by one of the forums honemeister (RupRazor). I ordered a strop from the local strop smith (Tony Miller). When I tried, I will say, I was nervous and didn’t get a great shave. Over the course of a few months, my skill increased and I started to get better shaves. I was finally getting some relief from the razor burn. Purchased some homes and started on a bad binge of SRAD (Straight Razor Acquisitive Disorder). I even got into restoring and making handles for straights.

Well it’s about 4 years later and I can say I have not had razor burn in years. I actually have been shaving with a double edge again frequently and have mastered that as well. Every day I get to experience what our grandfathers and heroes of past have known for centuries.

Shaving is something to be enjoyed. A relaxing time for reflection that has been lost since Gillette pulled a advertising stunt and added two blades instead of one. We are up to 6 plus and we all buy into it thinking it is better. I am her to tell you that it is not. Aside from the experience, you can actually save money. A 10 pack of blades for a double edge is under 2 bucks. Your face will thank you and as long as you don’t get inflicted with one of the Acquisition Disorders, your wallet will too.

Happy shaving!

My Shave Den

My next purchase