Who says men can’t have a little pampering from time to time? Guys, you deserve it, treat yo self!

I’ve been on a number of cruises, and one of my favorite activities to do is visit the spa for some much-needed pampering. I don’t do much of that when I’m not on a cruise, other than the occasional pedicure. On the ship, I usually go for something involving a facial and double-close shave. I can’t recall the actual name of it, but that’s the basic gist.

Granted, there are some things the barber on the ship would do apart from what I’m going to talk about, namely the scalp, face, and arms massages. Those are great, but the actual shave itself is the best part. Being that I’m not going to be on a cruise any time soon, I wanted to get as close to the same experience in the interim.

Here are the products that I use:

From left to right:

Olivina Charcoal Face Scrub, Bourbon Cedar scent

Gilette Fusion 5 Shave Gel

Gilette Fusion 5 Razor

Bull Dog Original Shave Gel

Nivea Men Moisturizing Face Wash

Bull Dog Original Moisturizer

You definitely should do this while in the shower, since the heat from the water helps open your pores up. If you need a mirror, or usually shave before your shower, I’d recommend investing in a shower mirror you can hang on the wall. I shave by feel, without looking, since the few shower mirrors I’d tried wound up not being very good, and not staying where I mounted them to begin with. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Start in the shower by just standing under the warm water. Have it as hot as you can be comfortable with, but not so hot it’s scalding your skin off. Take extra care to make sure your face is plenty wet, and warm.

Once you’ve gotten your face nice and soaked, start with the Charcoal Scrub. Cover your face with it, and let it sit on there for at least a minute or two. Rinse it off.

Then use the Gilette shaving gel, cover your face with it, and shave downwards for the first pass. Rinse off the shaving cream after this step.

Side note: This treatment in the spa does involve shaving both with and against the grain (down and up etc) - if your skin is especially sensitive to shaving the opposite direction/etc, be sure to be cautious with shaving the opposite way from what you normally do.

After your first shave pass and rinsing off the shaving cream, apply the Bull Dog shave gel, and shave against the grain. I typically use less pressure when shaving in the other direction since my skin is a bit sensitive to it. Once finished, rinse off.

Usually by this time I’d do the regular “shower” stuff (soap, shampoo, etc.), and before finishing up, I’ll use the Nivea Moisturizing wash at the end to sort of finish the experience. Leave the gel on for about 2 minutes if you can, then wash it off, and you’re done with your shower.

When drying off, don’t wipe your face, but “pat” it so you can leave some moisture on there from the shower. After you’ve dried off, use the Bull Dog moisturizer to lock in some of the moisture from the shower. Apply your favorite cologne/deodorant, etc and you’re all set. A few minutes after you finish, once the moisturizing cream sets in, your face should feel very nice and smooth.

Give yourself a pat on the back, sit down and put your feet up, you just pampered yourself, and you definitely deserved it.