“Men Who Pamper Themselves”
by Rick Kaempfer



From Spring 2006 issue of Get Healthy Magazine
A Publication of The Times



It’s one of those trends that many men tend to doubt, despite the extensive press it has received the past few years. Men are supposedly pampering themselves more and more—taking greater pride in their appearances and taking better care of their health. This trend supposedly extends to the formerly female world of spas and salons. I admit I had my doubts about this, but I tried my best to approach the subject with an open mind.

When I began my inquiry, however, I encountered a problem right away. I had no idea how to even bring up the subject with another man without offending him. I took baby steps. I intentionally spoke only to men with closets full of stylish clothing, or men who kept themselves physically fit. If anyone was partaking in this trend, I figured, it would be them.

I received mostly silence on the other end of the line. After clearing their throats, several of them admitted to getting massages. I couldn’t get any of them to admit to the more traditionally female spa treatments like facials, manicures, or pedicures. One of them, Ed D., even takes a four day spa vacation once or twice a year, but says that he only gets massages and takes the exercise classes. I pushed. Has he ever had a facial?

“That’s like surgery,” he said. “I don’t get that at all.”

Another one who admitted getting massages was adamant when I asked about taking care of a certain sensitive part of his body. Had he ever experienced a pedicure?

“Nobody touches my feet,” said Bob S. “Including me.”

After getting nowhere, I sent a mass e-mail to all of the men in my e-mail address book, asking if any of them were part of this new trend. I figured if they didn’t have to speak to me directly, they might admit to it. Not one of them responded. Two hundred e-mail addresses; Zero responses. I was starting to believe that this trend didn’t really exist.

When I placed calls to salons and spas in the area, I expected them to admit this “men pampering” trend was a bunch of hooey, but they shot me down right away. Each place I called told me that anywhere between 10-30% of their clientele are male. In fact, Angelica Bochenek of Niko Salon and Spa in Chicago, told me that her male customers are among her favorites.

“They stay loyal forever,” she said. “And they are better about keeping appointments than women. Even if they have to cancel, they will make a point of rescheduling.”

Are they embarrassed or tentative when they come in?

“Not at all. They do it all,” she said. “Facials, manicures, pedicures, eyebrow waxing, back waxing. And they come back regularly—every few weeks.”

So why couldn’t I find one?

“Ask your female friends,” she suggested. “They know which men go to spas.”

Within minutes of sending out a mass e-mail to the females in my e-mail address book, I had a long list of names and numbers. Apparently the trend is real, even if it remains taboo to discuss it openly man to man. When I got the men on the line, they were a little sheepish about discussing it at first, but eventually conceded it was true. They also pointed out something that I hadn’t yet considered. Most of them had been introduced to the world of spas and salons by a woman in their lives, and women loved sharing this experience with them.

“I started out by accompanying a former girlfriend to the spa,” said Jay De Castro, a business quality assurance analyst from Chicago. “She got me into facials and massages. A subsequent former girlfriend got me into eyebrow waxing. I think it was a dare.”

“My wife convinced me to go with her,” said Vinnie Walczak, a CPA from Northwest Indiana. “She sold me on the health benefits; and as a way to relieve stress.”

Of course, the health benefits are very real. Without getting into the grisly specifics (and trust me—I looked it up—it’s pretty grisly), of finger and toenail fungus; there’s really no downside to getting rid of it. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about either; over 30 million Americans suffer from some sort of finger or toenail fungus. Facials are healthy too; they clean out the pores, remove the toxins and dead skin, and help keep your skin youthful and blemish-free. Plus, there’s another aspect to facials, manicures and pedicures, I hadn’t considered. Each of them also involves a certain amount of massage to areas that desperately need it; your face, your hands and your feet. It doesn’t take a genius to realize how good that could feel.

“I felt a little funny getting a pedicure at first,” said Walczak. “But I’m a runner and my feet take a pounding. The foot massage felt great. It also feels good to get your hand massaged when you get a manicure.”

“Two words describe how I feel afterwards,” said De Castro, “Clean and relaxed. Especially facials and massages. They totally relax and rejuvenate me.”

“After I leave there, I sometimes feel a little weird,” admitted Fed Ex truck driver Mark Creghin of Bolingbrook. “But I’m definitely relaxed. Especially after the pedicures. I like sitting back and collecting my thoughts.”

They were making some very good arguments, but what else could they say to sell it to someone like, oh, I don’t know, maybe an uptight German who doesn’t feel he deserves any pleasure or comfort? Not that I know anybody like that; it’s a completely arbitrary hypothetical.

“Imagine,” said Walczak. “Four days of total relaxation in the middle of nowhere with nothing else to do. My wife and I spent our honeymoon at a spa. It was fantastic.”

Hmmm.

When I run into that hypothetical uptight German or his hypothetical and probably less-uptight wife, I’ll have to mention it to them. They could probably use a weekend like that.

Does the spa have cable? He’ll want to know.