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
32 I M A N I P R E M I E R E 2 0 1 6 The Great Manscape "Men shouldn't have to be contortionists to groom themselves." "Men shouldn't have to be contortionists to groom themselves." service station GONE ARE THE DAYS of men's hair removal beginning and ending with the Sunbeam Shavemaster. Not only is today's modern man obliged to regularly tend to the whiskers on his face, he's also expected to be the master of his (hairy) domain below the neck. Girlfriends, boyfriends and the grooming world at large have decreed that there's such a thing as too much chest hair, that tidying up one's private areas is simply good manners and that pretty much no one likes a hairy back. In response, more men are coming to the table—literally— and receiving the services necessary to achieve that just- right level of "furriness" for them. In a 2005 Study of Men's Grooming Appliances and Tools, only 5% of male respondents reported having removed body hair below the neck; in 2014, that statistic soared to 39%! Still, there's progress to be made, and a whole sector of males needing and wanting body hair removal, yet stopping short of actually stepping into their neighborhood salon or spa. According to experts, all these guys need is a little encouragement, some practical guidance and a safe place to receive services. TRUTH In 2014, 39% of men reported having removed body hair below the neck. Enter: The Shays Lounge Men's Spa at Queen Bee Salon & Spa When Jodi Shays opened Queen Bee Salon & Spa in Culver City, California, in 2004, she did not have men on the brain. But 10 years and four locations later, the market-conscious owner decided it was time to start rolling out a red carpet for the XYs among us. In 2014 she added The Shays Lounge Men's Spa with a service menu tailored for male clients. High on the menu list: body waxing. With fees ranging from $15 to $80, Shays serves up no fewer than 15 different body waxing services focused on nostrils, ears, shoulders, armpits, arms, chest, back, torso, legs, toes, and intimate areas whose services are delicately dubbed The Brief Encounter (a mankini, including "treasure trail" removal); The Butt Reynolds (self-explanatory); and The Crack Daddy (ditto). Of course, body hair removal is only a part of The Shays Lounge's offerings—brow and facial waxing, facials, nail care and airbrush tanning are also on the menu—but it's the one that seems to grab the most attention. "It's the busiest part of our men's services business," confi rms Shays, who is also an esthetician. "And it's needed! Men shouldn't have to become contortionists in order to groom themselves." Despite the negative perceptions of men's waxing, fueled by that cringe-worthy scene in the movie The 40-Year- Old Virgin, these estheticians are seriously meticulous about their work, stresses the owner. Squeamishness and cries of pain have no place here. Shays credits referrals and word of mouth for her growing CONTINUES > GETTY IMAGES