TREND: EVEN GUYS GO FOR A TOUCH OF TLC // SALONS GROOM FOR MEN // Hair and skincare mixes with relaxation, recreation BY LAURIE LUCAS Now that Keith Thomas has waded into pedicures he just might be ready to face an esthetician for a seaweed kelp wrap. But please don't call the Moreno Valley man "metrosexual." Until a few months ago, Thomas, 34, who works two sales jobs, used to cut his own hair. He wanted the perks of a salon without the presence of - well - women. On a friend's say-so, he ventured into a new full-service men's salon in downtown Riverside. "It's a nice, upscale manly environment where I feel comfortable," Thomas says. And that is why Rhonda Johnson opened Strictly Barbers on April 15. "Some guys are terrible chauvinist pigs," she says. "They're sick and tired of getting a haircut next to Mom." She's among a growing number of canny entrepreneurs who understand that while real men may still scrub their face with Dial soap, sometimes they can't resist a little TLC. But there's a precarious, razor-thin line between balancing male vanity and masculinity. In his new flagship salon and spa in the Henri Bendel store in Manhattan, Frederick Fekkai added a men's styling lounge called l'Atelier de Frederic with stainless-steel sink faucets and tufted sofas. This hybrid of hair care, skincare, massage, recreation and relaxation aimed at men is slowly catching on California, says Willetta McDowell, Johnson's sister-in-law and mentor. She owns Hair Biz Salon in Rialto and has worked 33 years in the industry. "They're more common back East where they're called barber salon malls." No question that manly decor, such as lots of leather, wood and dark colors helps put the man in manicure. Cher Layton, who recently closed Gentlemen's Quarters after 13 years in Palm Desert, is scouting another location. "Men need a masculine alternative to a female salon," says the master barber, who offered manicures, pedicures, hot steamed towel shaves and head, shoulder and neck massages. A fancy clientele at The Shave of Beverly Hills sips cocktails and listens to Sinatra while submitting to a $90 shave and a haircut. Owners Adam Dishell and Bill Sanders pump up the machismo with euphemisms such as "gray blending" or "gray reduction" for hair coloring, "fingernail scrubs" for manicures and hair removal treatments dubbed "uni-brow surgery" for brow waxing and "sweater removal" for back waxing. Mark Matthew Fine Gentlemen's Grooming Club just opened in Studio City with a menu that includes custom haircuts, scalp massaging shampoos, hair coloring, and styling, straight razor shaves, hot towel facials, manicures, pedicures, shoe shines and grooming consultations. Krista Martin, 36, owner of Metro for Men in Irvine, offers a country club ambience with a lounge area, drinks, satellite TVs at each station, cigars and a shoeshine. One of her regulars, Brian Bunetta, 47, of Redlands, is touched by the little touches - the masculine chairs, the extra scalp massage. "It's very inviting," says the consultant in real estate development. "Men like pampering like the women do to escape the pressures of the day." That's Martin's mantra. "Men have been the forgotten customer in the industry and given so few choices beyond cut and color," she says. "I'm not just giving them a precision haircut but an atmosphere, an experience in an exclusive environment." Women are welcome, but they comprise less than 1 percent of her clientele. Johnson, 36, of Strictly Barbers, has relented a bit from her initial plan to exclude women. Stylists cater to "strictly divas" in separate rooms. "I want a men's salon with women in it," she says. But the furnishings of the 4,000-square-foot building are masculine, a fusion of contemporary barbershop and salon. Forget frou-frou. Services start at $20 for a haircut and include massage, hot lather and towel shaving, skincare, manicures, pedicures and a juice bar. But don't expect flickering candles or an Enya CD. Up against franchises and full-service salons geared toward women, old-fashioned barbershops can't quite cut it anymore: a 6percent drop occurred between 1993 and 2005 in the state. As these male sanctuaries slip away, Johnson decided to give professional men a pampering place of their own. "I considered Old Town Pasadena," she says, "but Riverside is mini Pasadena." Johnson, who grew up in Rialto, is a licensed stylist with a background in marketing and public relations. She gutted a 70-year-old building on 12th Street and expects to complete the renovation by next spring. Law books and an antique Polaroid camera adorn Strictly Barbers' lobby. Johnson looped neckwear around sconce light fixtures and themed each room's decor: sailing, flying, music, golf and an Irish pub. While waiting, clients can play chess, checkers or watch ESPN on one of the multiple flat panel, high-definition TVs. In the gaming room guys can play poker, pool, billiards, darts or dominoes while they chug drinks from a Coke machine. There's a barbecue pit in back ready for community events. Jay Shaw likes to shoot pool before his haircut or manicure. "I like the masculine atmosphere," says the owner of a multimedia production company in Fontana. Michelle Herting and her husband, Jose Seja, own a CPA business in downtown Riverside. After his barber died, Seja floundered searching for a replacement. He nixed women's salons as too intimidating and too expensive. Seja found his tonsorial niche at Strictly Barbers. "He doesn't feel uncomfortable getting his nails done there," says his wife. "He liked the facial so much, he asked me to try it." A picture of the Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop - hanging in one of the rooms is Johnson's favorite. "My staff is trained in every hair texture. I'm all about diversity," Johnson says. "I'm catering to professional gentlemen of all nationalities." "It's a new environment, it's fresh," says Theo Bland, a 36-year-old clothing and accessories designer in Fontana. "It's about time for guys to have a place to go other than the sports bar." * * * PERSONAL CARE * Men's grooming product sales are enjoying DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH as men are now purchasing more skincare products. * U.S. men's grooming sales increased 13 PERCENT in 2004 as the category grew at twice the rate of the women's market. * In the U.S., the men's grooming retail category will reach $10 BILLION by 2008 SOURCES: REMAX, A LONDON-BASED CONSUMER PACKAGING COMPANY, NPD GROUP, A NEW YORK-BASED MARKET RESEARCH FIRM, AND PACKAGED FACTS. * * * Where to go: Metro for Men 1582 Alton Parkway, Irvine 949-450-0150; www.metroformen.com
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