Shaving occupies an odious niche in the daily ritual. The whole idea is, frankly, a bit of a drag; the physiological equivalent of taking the bins out. We'd really rather not first thing in the morning, but there you go - what choice do we have? It is also evident that many men, though loath to admit it, enjoy nothing so much as a good, old-fashioned, pampering. Which may explain the sudden return to prominence of the hot towel shave.
Once synonymous with flat-caps and sepia-lacquered pre-war barber shops, the hot shave is once again on the male agenda. "Hot shaves are really the in thing right now. It's a wonderful luxury and a great way of relaxing," says Michael Kavanagh, manager of the Trinity Barber in central Dublin. "A lot of guys like to give it a shot - just to see what it's like. We are getting loads of young people in at the moment."
For the uninitiated, a hot towel trim can be an intimidating prospect. Most barbers employ the cut-throat razor; a fearsome piece of equipment which looks as if it properly belongs in a sand-blasted western or gloom-infested Victorian shop of horrors. It is that sort of blade to which the description "wicked" is disquietingly appropriate.
A professional shave takes about 10 minutes. Given our collective fixation with all things retro and kitsch, the process is appropriately old-fashioned. First of all, a steamed towel is placed over the cheeks and jaw. The heat opens the pores on the face, allowing an extremely close shave. After laying on a creamy layer of lather, the barber sets to with the aforementioned razor. Finally, a cold towel is applied.
It may sound like a curiously neutered experience; one hardly worth attaching any cultural significance to, but it is this very congeniality which partly explains the hot shave's unexpected ascent of the late 1990s social ziggerzat. Even in this age, beauty therapy remains for many men an absolute taboo.
Manicures, eye-brow waxing, facials - to the average male, such luxuries occupy an alternate universe. Patronising a beauty salon would, as far as most of are concerned, be tantamount to donning frock and petticoat and parading down the high street.
Also, some chaps can't help but get the wrong idea. To a certain sort of man, a beauty treatment or massage must, by definition, contain a sexual element. Many salons have been forced to introduce women-only house rules to prevent over-excitable male customers. So very often, the barber's is the only available choice for those of us in search of a professional mollycoddling.
In Dublin, most city centre men's hairdressers provide hot towel shaves. The Trinity Barber on Trinity Street is among the cheapest, charging £11.50. Other popular choices include Knights on the Green on St Stephen's Green, which charges £13.95. The Merchant Barber shop in Temple Bar asks £12.50 for shave or £18.50 for full beard trim. Pre-booking is not strictly necessary but is advised, particularly at weekends.
Outside the capital, barbers which offer shaves remain the exception rather than the rule. In Cork, Frankie O'Barbaries on McCurtain Street offers an intriguing Turkish shave - basically a traditional hot shave plus massage - for £15. In Limerick, hot towel shaves are available at Figaro's Barbers shop on Bedford Row for £12.50. In Galway, Healy's on High Street is the most popular choice. Shaves are priced at £7.