Jake’s first head shave by Cory

---

Jake stood just inside the barbershop door for a moment, looking around. The place smelled like shaving cream, aftershave, and clean towels. Clippers buzzed softly in the background. His heart was beating faster than usual.

He had been thinking about doing this for weeks.

"Next up," the barber called with a friendly nod.

Jake walked over and climbed into the tall barber chair. The leather creaked a little as he sat down. Being up that high suddenly made everything feel more real.

"You the one who wants the razor head shave?" the barber asked.

Jake swallowed and nodded. "Yeah… all the way smooth."

The barber smiled slightly, clearly used to nervous first-timers.

"Alright. Let’s get you set up."

He reached for a long strip of thin paper and wrapped it snugly around Jake’s neck. The neck strip felt cool against his skin as the barber tucked the ends together.

"That just keeps hair from getting down your shirt," the barber explained.

Then he lifted the big black barber cape and shook it out. The cape floated down over Jake’s shoulders like a blanket before the barber wrapped it tightly around the neck strip and snapped it closed.

Jake suddenly felt very still.

The cape covered him completely from his shoulders down to his feet. His arms were trapped underneath, and only his head stuck out. Loose hairs from previous cuts clung to the floor below the chair.

Jake shifted slightly and gave a nervous laugh.

"Getting real now, huh?" the barber said.

"Yeah," Jake admitted. "I’m kinda nervous."

"That’s normal," the barber said. "First full shave is always a big moment."

Jake reached up and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair one last time before the barber gently pushed his hand back under the cape.

"Last chance to back out," the barber joked.

Jake looked at himself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and shook his head.

"Nope. Let’s do it."

The clippers buzzed loudly as the barber turned them on. Jake’s stomach flipped a little.

The barber placed a hand on the top of Jake’s head to steady it.

"Alright… here we go."

The clippers pushed straight up the middle of Jake’s head, carving a wide path through his hair. A thick strip disappeared instantly. The loose hair slid down the cape and gathered in Jake’s lap.

Jake’s eyes widened as he watched in the mirror.

"Oh man…"

More hair fell with every pass. The barber worked quickly, running the clippers over the sides and back. Brown locks kept sliding down the cape and drifting to the floor.

Jake could feel cool air hitting his scalp already.

Within a few minutes, all that was left was a short layer of rough stubble across his head.

The barber brushed the loose hairs off Jake’s head and shoulders.

"Halfway there," he said. "Now comes the razor."

He placed a warm towel over Jake’s freshly buzzed scalp. The heat soaked in and helped him relax a little. When the towel came off, the barber scooped up a handful of thick shaving cream and spread it all over Jake’s head until it was completely covered in white foam.

Jake looked at himself in the mirror and laughed nervously.

"I can’t believe I’m doing this."

The barber opened a straight razor with a soft click.

"Hold nice and still," he said.

Jake felt the first slow stroke of the razor glide across the top of his head. When the barber wiped the blade, a perfectly smooth path appeared through the shaving cream.

Little by little, the rest of the stubble disappeared.

Jake kept watching as the barber carefully shaved every part of his head—the top, the sides, the back of his neck.

Finally the barber wiped away the last of the foam and rubbed a cool towel across Jake’s scalp. Then he massaged in a little aftershave lotion.

Jake reached up slowly and rubbed his head.

It was completely smooth.

He smiled at his reflection, still sitting there wrapped in the barber cape.

"Well," the barber said as he unsnapped the cape and pulled it away, sending the pile of hair to the floor, "welcome to the shaved-head club."

Jake laughed and rubbed his smooth scalp again.

"Nervous for nothing," he said. "This actually feels awesome

---