The Art of Shaving

If you know anyone that shaves or has a beard and is crazy into the maintenance and upkeep of said beard, this is the store you need to come to with a bit of cash in hand to purchase a wonderful surprise/​gift for this person. You can check out the website so you are not completely blindsided by what to expect. They do have testers in the store to smell the products and find out which you would like best on the person you care about.
Good hairy luck!

The age old tradition of straight razor shaving caught my interest, the passion caught fire and I was bent on getting started with a basic straight razor set up.
A good friend of mine recommended I check out TAOS in walnut creek, so i decided to head out that way and give ‘er a gander. To my surprise I was smack dab in the middle of high priced goods territory (par for course in downtown Walnut creek.) The shop was elegant and classy if not a wee bit too small. nonetheless the layout was sufficient to display the various implements of shaving. I was greeted rather quickly as though I was interrupting a conversation between the two sales people. I stated my intention of getting started in the tradition of straight razor shaving and was promptly directed to the disposable style of razor.
I told the gentleman that I was not the average slow learner and desired the true form razor to begin with. At that moment we looked over the only three razors on display, which I thought was rather disappointing to say the least.
I had questions, being a machinist and metal worker I was curious about the blade alloy, how heat and cold cycles affected the blade edge and as to what type of honing stones along with compounds would be required to maintain the edge. all of these questions laid out on the table remained unanswered and diverted to showing me various aesthetic features of the blade. Not impressed.
The selection is minimal and blade maintenance items at an even lower number.
after looking over the razor i was interested in, I decided that the quality was enough to get a great start. It was only until i came home and did a bit more research that it dawned on me. the razor that I purchased was the only one in the shop which was used as a display and showed some minor signs of being demonstrated on with a strop (as to which he showed me as well.) I asked for a discount under those terms and was denied under the pretense that all blades have a max cycle of 1 week from received to sold. (I call BS.) The one thing that took me as odd was that, most blades when purchased are sealed in some form or another to prevent contamination, this one obviously had been handled by many before I. Unsafe, unprofessional and unsanitary. (i did my best to sterilize the blade before doing any shaving with it. Dont make the same mistakes that i have, please do a fair amount of research before letting the sales people have at you lol.
to make one good positive note though. the demonstration on shave prep and lathering was nice, informative and very interesting, though the push to buy a 120 $ badger brush afterwards was not classy, let alone the three times it took to acquire pricing from a ratty copy paper price sheet. (you can afford to put my items in a beautiful bag but fail to present prices in an elegant manner.) The shave cream is quite posh though and does help with a clean cut. It is apparent that the gentlemen helping me was not well informed on all of the products for sale. I believe to save some face, the gentleman did give me a handful of prep and shave samples which was very nice of him. Id be weary of the oil though, it made for a very sloppy and sticky cut.
Gentlemen, if you go, beware of these aforementioned reviews and tread with a solid and firm mind. Get informed and allow yourself the ability to discern quality information and bad information.

Do you hate shaving? Do you love shaving? Either way, this store is for you. I have SUPER sensitive skin, and my girlfriend spent way too much time digging out hairs from my neck, until my boy Pablo set me straight. Helpful guy, not pushy, but knows his stuff and will work with you. It gave me my gift ideas for guys in my family for the next like year.
Pablo, if you read this, you are a saint.

I was walking by and noticed the store for the first time. I walked in and was greeted by Jessica. She explained everything to me about different shaving tools and lathers. I have been shaving for 30 years and though a razor is a razor for the most part. Those old fashioned razors never appealed to me. So I bought the cheapest one at $ 55 and 20 blades to give it an honest shot. The process is different than a disposable razor but the outcome is so much better. I think I’m hooked. There wasn’t an attempt to hard sell me. I enjoyed my experience.

Okay, I was only going to get some info and see what they had as I had already seen their site online. This is a speciality store in the heart of Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek so their products are priced accordingly. All of the products are very good. Danny the store manager waited on us and explained all about saftey razors. He really knows what he’s talking about and he uses the product too. It was not a high pressure and it was the last day of their promition so I caved. Very happy with products I purchased and would recommend him and the store.

Great products and excellent customer service. I’ve spoken with both male and female salespersons and the company obviously schools them on the nuances of shaving. There products are a bit pricey but most are worth the added cost as others are gimmicky… really.
I’ll get keep shopping there and also tell my friends about them.

Ok, so first impression. What an expensive rip-​off for shaving stuff. My friend came to visit from Columbia and wanted to check it out. The manager Dylan Idlet was very friendly and informative and gave us a demo of the products. I was pretty impressed, and my friend bought the kit. Dylan also offered some samples to my friend, and I asked for some for my husband. My husband tried it out and fell in love. He was kinda like, well sure what can it hurt to try, but was a little apprehensive about all the steps you had to do (4 in all). Being in the military he has to shave every day and his hair grows super fast where it looks like he didn’t shave by noon. He has the roughest hair that hurts if he attempts a kiss. After using this product his skin was smooth all day and he loved the feel and smell of it. For Christmas we got him a full kit and a straight razor. He loves it and felt like it was worth the money. Although we didn’t get it from Walnut Creek because my hubby lives in NY, I give the credit to this store because Dylan gave the best demo and also gave the samples which sold us. In Buffalo where we actually bought the product, we found out they give a 10% discount for military members which saved us a lot.

OK, I have been shaving with a mug, shaving soap and a brush for over 30 years now. I shave with some vintage Gillette double edge razors and Schick Injectors. I gave up on cartridge razors, except for travel, they are TSA friendly, a long time ago. My wife and I strolled into the store just to see what kind of products they had. Everything I saw there was overpriced and the sales person was very insulting. Salesperson: «Can I help you, sir?» Me: «Not really, I am just seeing what you carry.» Salesperson: «What type of razor do you use?» Me: «I own a few vintage Gillettes and a couple of Schick Injectors». Salesperson: «Well sir, you would get a much better shave with one of our Mach 3 or Fusion razors.» Me:: «Why would I be interested in a $ 150.00 handle for a cartridge razor that I don’t even use? Didn’t you hear me say that I shave with vintage double edge and injector razors? What have you got along those lines?» Salesperson: «Are you sure you wouldn’t like to try one of our Mach 3 or Fusion razors?» At that point my wife had to leave the store to avoid bursting out laughing and I said, «No, thank you.» and walked out.
Here my issue; I know that Art of Shaving is owned by Proctor and Gamble as is Gillette. I know that the sales people have to push their product. But to be totally ignorant of «traditional» razors and try to sell a cartridge razor to someone who does not use them is just plain insulting. Furthermore, some of The Art of Shaving’s products are just plain silly, like the $ 175.00 battery operated power shaving brush. Meanwhile, their shaving products like the pre-​shave oil, soaps and creams are top notch, if over priced. For a man who is looking for quality shaving products, that are many other options besides The Art of Shaving. I will not be returning

Sadly, it just so happens that after you’ve entered and passed your thirties, hair that used to grow on your pâté has decided to migrate to your nose and ears. The best way to combat this cruel joke is through the use of an electric trimmer. I had one but it was getting old and, besides, it got lost during our recent move. My wife suggested we check out the Art of Shaving to see if they sold one.
The location is extremely tiny. Stranger still, there were 4 employees there at the time of our visit on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. An employee proceeded to show me the 4 steps to the art of shaving and tried to sell me a set for $ 100. I said I wasn’t interested but he ended up giving me a sample. What I did end up buying, though, is exactly what I had sought in the first place: a $ 30 Panasonic hair trimmer.
I thought service was impeccable and, indeed, upon trying the shaving sample yesterday, I thought that I did feel a closer shave and my skin wasn’t tingling thanks to the protective oil and after shave balm.
Still, $ 100 for shaving products that will last me 3 or 4 months is a little steep, even for my upper middle class metrosexual fashion sense.
All that aside, it’s strange to see so much hate from the other reviewers. I certainly found the customer service here impeccable.

I like the products, but the people at this location have not been as helpful to me as I would like.
After receiving a shaving set as a gift I came to this store to purchase a lather brush. I told the guy from the beginning I wanted a basic brush. The man helping me went on and on about this chrome razor/​brush combination set or this perfectly balanced brush handle. Each item he tried to sell me was over $ 60. I was only planning on spending less than $ 10 for a plain old brush that I can use and see if I like the cream I received as a gift.
Only after I thanked him for his help and started walking towards the door did he open a drawer and show me the $ 6 brush that is not displayed in the cases with all the others that are priced %1000 higher. This left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
I enjoy the products, for that 2 stars.
For feeling like I was being sized up to be taken advantage of… minus 3 stars.

I bought a fancy $ 150 razor kit as a New Year gift for my father. Guess what? We came home, put a battery in, and the razor is not working… How can this piece of low quality be sold for so much? I will go back and exchange the razor since it is a gift, but I will never go to this store again.

I do want to start by saying that John, who got very critical comments from LC here, has always been helpful and courteous to me. I hope that LC will consider giving John a break and will pull her review. We all have bad days at the office.
I started with The Art of Shaving «system» when my wife gave me their products last Christmas. The Walnut Creek store is where I go to get replacements. If you go in to buy a single jar of the shaving cream, they will try to sell you a set. If you go in to buy a single bottle of pre-​shave oil, they will try to sell you a set. if you go to buy a single bottle of after shave balm, they will try to sell you a set. The single products are expensive. The sets of products are really expensive.
I’m not sure how keen I am on the «system». It takes me twice as long to shave in the morning because of all of the products I’m using. My shave is marginally better than it was when I was using disposable Gillette Track 2 razors and Edge shaving gel. But The Art of Shaving Products smell better (according to my wife).
I’m giving The Art of Shaving Walnut Creek three stars because of the good service I have had there. I’m not giving it more stars because, although I still use their products, I’m not sure it is worth the cost and the extra time it takes me to shave each morning.

Nice place. We have been to the Valley Fair location. This place was located in the heart of Broadway Plaza. It fit comfortably in the mix of upscale shops and eateries.
John went out of his way to help my husband select a replacement brush and other items. We also had some items shipped as presents. This was the first location that featured a guy shaving men. It was the whole nine yards with hot towels and everything. Hubby was clean shaven, so we skipped the shave and kept shopping away.
John gave him some great samples of other things he cab addicted to. A very nice shop.

This review is strictly for the customer service at the Walnut Creek location only.
This goes out to JOHN from the Art of Shaving.
It was Father’s Day and I had called in to schedule a shave appointment for my husband for 2:00pm. Realizing that we were not going to make it by 2:00 since we were coming from Hayward, I called in and re-​scheduled for 2:40pm. I talked to John and he told me we can come in either at 2:40 or 3pm. While my husband and I were driving to Walnut Creek, I called John one more time from the road and asked if 3pm was still available.
He said, ‘yes. no problem. just come in.’
We finally arrive to the store at 2:50pm and John tells us that they CANNOT take my husband for the shave appointment. Say what!!!
1) John knew we drove 40−45min to Walnut Creek just for this.
2) He clearly said 2:40 or 3:00 pm — No problem, Just come in.
He did not seem apologetic at all and he had the nerve to tell us to just come back the following weekend. To top it off, the lady who does the shaves was STILL at the store!
My husband and I have never received poor service at the SF or Valley Fair location, so if I were you, I would go to those locations instead. BUT, if you happen to go to the Walnut Creek location, I would advise you not to do business with JOHN.