The Pilgrimage to Austin
"I walked into the shop with a mental list of must-have accessories, and walked out with an entirely different set of essentials. What changed my mind? A whirlwind tour of the art of shaving by Charles Roberts. Not only is Charles a wet-shaving enthusiast in a world of electric razors, and an importer of fine shaving goods from Europe, but he is also the developer of a systematic approach to shaving that aims at attaining the holy grail of grooming: the perfect shave."

The First Shave
"The sink is cultured marble, the fixtures brass with ivory handles. Above it, my reflection stares back at me from the mirror, the expression just short of giddy. I have arranged everything precisely. All of the clutter that surrounded the sink just a few moments ago has been bulldozed into a pile on my wife's side of the counter to create a clean, neat masculine preserve."