MAN the magazine reports on the business of men's grooming for the professional barber or men's hairstylist, including popular hairstyles, products and men's grooming services.
Issue link: https://manthemag.epubxp.com/i/703974
P R E M I E R E 2 0 1 6 I M A N I 21 Proprietor of Delaware's sole men's salon and spa, Ginny Rodgers started her career in the unisex salons of Philadelphia. "Most men would go there because they had no other choice, but you could tell they didn't like the smell of the women's products, or the drama and chatter of the salon atmosphere," she says. Rodgers took note, and when she moved to Wilmington and opened Studio One Eleven she made a point to offer the services men would love, stripped of any feminine vestiges. The space has a "masculine but soothing" feel, sporting neutral colors, stone textures and private quarters for shaving, waxing and nail care. The salon and spa also offers precision haircuts, coloring and highlighting services, massages, facials, ear candling and scalp treatments. Special perks for all grooming guests include a fi ve-minute chair massage, and wine and cheese on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The business even gives free, fi ve-minute cleanups between haircuts. "We tell the customer to be here fi ve minutes before the hour or 25 minutes past the hour, and we can squeeze them in between regularly scheduled clients," Rodgers explains. But, in general, this owner tries to give her male customers a break from watching the clock. "We don't compromise by rushing anything, ever," she says. "Like women, men love to be pampered, to feel like they're stepping back from life for a bit. And they're extremely loyal—once they get comfortable with their therapist or stylist." JMC BARBER SHOP > Elmhurst, lL > Wilmington, DE Barber Jay Clarida covered the walls of his shop with guitars, CDs, records and music posters for a very specifi c reason. "When I opened JMC Barber Shop in 2006, the barber industry kinda had a bad rap for taking away your sideburns without asking, or just giving you a straight buzz," he says. "I've been a rock musician for 25 years, and I fi gured that the guitar and music theme might help men to understand that I'm not here to butcher them." The owner's "thematic spectacle" started with one wall of the shop but has since encroached into the entire space, much to music-loving customers' delight. But it isn't only the décor the guys love. Clarida encourages customers to go ahead and play the guitar, drums and organ, tuned up and ready to go, that occupy his 1,000-square-foot fl oor space. "The theme, as well as the soundtrack we play, is mostly rock," he notes, "but we try to represent every genre." The four-man team at JMC Barber Shop prides itself on brushing up on what's new in men's styles, and on encouraging clients who want to try something different. "Most requested nowadays," Clarida says, "would be undercut styles, shaved-in parts—for lack of a better term, hipster haircuts." STUDIO ONE ELEVEN DAY SPA AND SALON FOR MEN WALL OF SOUND Rocking a "thematic spectacle" NO FRILLS Soothing yet masculine Jay Clarida and JMC customer