After Sweeney Todd, who will brave a shave?

Published on Monday 11 February 2008 09:25

Johnny Depp goes for the throat, but the city's grooming experts offer a far gentler run-in with the razor

GENTLY, the barber spreads the soap over the unsuspecting client's face and prepares his cut-throat blade for use. The man in the chair sees a mad glint in the barber's eye but, before he can act, the barber lunges forward and slits his client's throat from ear to ear.

Is the blood-spattered scene a true reflection of what can happen in a barber's shop in Edinburgh? Scott Russell, manager of The Players Lounge in Rose Street, is one of the new breed of modern barbers and has been shaving Edinburgh's menfolk for nearly a year. He laughs at the suggestion, but admits: "I've noticed clients a bit nervous if they've never had it done before."

The murderous barber in the room over the pie shop is, of course, Sweeney Todd, portrayed by Johnny Depp in the new musical film of the same name. After decapitating his victims, he tips their chair back and presses a foot pedal which flings the body through a trap door into a cellar below. The film has thrust the spotlight on to the traditional barber's shave – a fine art which came close to dying out in Edinburgh amidst the HIV scare of the 1980s/90s. However, in salons like The Players Lounge, modern men are increasingly asking for shaves, often as part of a broader pampering experience.

"Men's grooming is one of the fastest growing industries," says Scott, as he tweaks a client's locks. "Shaving is a lost art that is now being found again."

His shop offers men a hot towel shave, which includes a massage with oils. The barber wears gloves and uses a fresh disposable blade to prevent the spread of infection and the whole experience costs 25 and lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.

At H.I.M. on Queen Street, where a huge plasma screen shows Sky Sports, a 30-minute shave costs 22, or men can opt for a luxury wet shave, which costs 37. The 75-minute process starts with a hot towel on the face and a massage with essential oils, after which shaving cream is applied. The hot towel goes on again to soften the bristles, then the first shave takes place, shaving with the grain. After that once again it's the hot towel, massage, oil, foam, hot towel and another shave, this time against the grain, hot towel, cold towel to close the pores, and a massage with soothing cream.

"It's pure indulgence and pampering," says H.I.M.'s manager Wendy Brown. "We get a lot of grooms and best men coming in. If we are doing a wedding party we have Buck's Fizz and complimentary cider or beer."

It's a long way from the old-fashioned barber's shop. At Sam's Place on Gorgie Road, Italian business partners Sam Rizzo and Al Russo have been shaving clients since they opened in 1971. The two men, who both come from Salerno, use a special barber's soap which they brush on to produce a fulsome lather. The sting at the end is a mere 7 for a cool shave or 8 for a hot one.

The busy shop, where the radio plays Terry Wogan and a sign welcomes customers to help themselves to tea and coffee, has barely been altered since they bought it. The same three black leather chairs sit in front of the mirror and the wall panels have beautiful old wooden frames.

These days there's more of a demand for a number one, two or three tightly-cropped hairstyle, than a traditional shave. "We do shaves but not much," says Al.

"We did consider giving up shaving," admits Sam, "If we had to rely on it alone we would have closed the shop. Some people want a shave in a barber's shop when they are getting married, but if we are lucky there's one a week."

Do customers get a bit fidgety when the blade is brought close to their face? "Sometimes people watching the shaving look very concerned, and then if they see blood . . ." Sam tails off, with a broad smile. "We don't really cut anyone but some people do fear the razor. It's psychological."

Benny's on Grove Street is another barber's unchanged in the 42 years since it opened. Owner Benedetto Vettese does a mean wet shave for 7 and a haircut for the same price, with discounts for OAPs. Most of the customers are regulars and over the years Bene has worked his magic on everyone from Sean Connery's father, "a wee man, he didn't look like him", to the Proclaimers, "I cut their hair since they were wee boys".

In the old-fashioned salon, decorated with Italian football flags, men can buy Duralon combs for 50p and a bottle of Italian scented hair tonic to take home. Though the room hasn't changed much over the years, the styles have.

"When I started it was the Tony Curtis style, all blow waves," smiles Benny, "then the Beatles came in and people wanted that. Nowadays it's a number one, two or a zero – it's a lot easier. I shave the way I learnt in Italy. There's an art to shaving properly," he confides, "Each person has different skin and you need a light touch. A lot of barbers don't shave because they are scared."

And is it true that barbers used to offer their customers condoms with the euphemistic query, "Something for the weekend sir?" Bene looks embarrassed. "We used to sell a lot before the NHS started supplying them to sexual health clinics. But we stopped around 15 years ago. It used to be good business," he smiles, before he breaks the disappointing news, "but we never used that phrase."

A rotating barber's pole marks City Barber's in Queensferry Street. The salon, run by a Scot of Turkish origin, Oscar Nesvat, and his cousin, Orhan, opened two years ago. A half-hour 15 shave includes a shoulder massage.

Oscar learned to shave on a balloon covered in shaving foam.

"You have to do it without bursting it. You still cut people though," he shrugs, "A guy comes in with a face like the moon and you can't help it – but you learn from your mistakes."

DEMON BARBER DRIVEN TO MURDER BY DESIRE FOR REVENGE

SWEENEY TODD was a fictional barber and serial killer whose weapon of choice was a straight razor, with which he cut his victims' throats in a room above a pie shop on London's Fleet Street.

His partner in crime, Mrs Lovett, baked the flesh into pies to sell.

In the new Tim Burton film, Johnny Depp plays Todd, a barber who had been deported to Australia for 15 years for a crime he didn't commit. Returning to London, he slits the throats of customers in madness after the loss of his wife and daughter.