Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
BENITA D. NEWTONSome day spas are replacing Lifetime and nail polish with ESPN and cigars to lure men who would never set foot in pedicure tub.
It makes a difference.
ESPN vs. Lifetime.
Detailing vs. pedicure.
Men feeling comfortable at a spa vs. men feeling uncomfortable at a spa.
When Matt Wiencek moved to Tampa four years ago from Pittsburgh, he had never set foot in a spa, much less put that foot in a pedicure tub to be soaked, exfoliated and paraffin-dipped.
"In fact, if one of my friends had told me they were going to a spa, I probably would have laughed at them," he said.
Now the 27-year-old personal trainer has tried just about every service on the menu at the Difference, a recently opened just-for-men day spa in Tampa, and he gets his eyebrows waxed every three or four weeks. He went to other spas before, but he has found his comfort zone at the Difference, with its all male clientele and all female staff.
"Honestly, you feel a little less masculine going to other places," Wiencek said. "At the Difference, you can watch ESPN and stuff like that, instead of Lifetime."
And he's certainly not alone. Wiencek is one of a growing number of men seeking out the services of salons and spas, getting everything from sea salt, algae and mud wraps to aromatherapy, hot rocks and vitamin C facials.
Some call it the rise of the so-called metrosexual, a fairly recent term for a heterosexual male who is comfortable with and passionate about things such as grooming, fashion, design or fine dining. Others point to a general obsession in society with looking and feeling good. Or maybe guys have just finally figured out how delightful it feels to be pampered.
Whatever the cause, providing the products and services that this new class of trendy men craves has the potential to be big business, and local spas are lining up to reap the benefits.
Tait Kmentt, owner of the Difference, said it was high time someone opened a spa that catered specifically to men. Since he opened in October, more than 1,000 guys have come in to be manicured, massaged and manscaped, and many have stayed as regular clients, he said.
"It just made sense," said Kmentt, who also owns process serving and courier businesses in Tampa, California and Ohio. "There's such a need for it. It was risky, though, and no one else had the guts to do it."
At the Difference, it's all about giving men what they want. Custom-blended cigars, alcohol and meals are available upon request. The staff is female, Kmentt said, because many men feel more comfortable getting pedicures and massages from women. There's an Internet cafe, and flat-screen TVs grace the walls everywhere, even over the urinal. Massages and facials are the most popular requests, followed by waxing.
Scott Strady, who is self-employed in the investigation industry, said what initially got him through the door was that he could follow stocks and get last night's sports stats while getting his hair and nails done and his shoes polished. Now he comes in once or twice a week.
"This wouldn't have existed five years ago," Strady, 40, said. "But men are allowing their feminine sides to come out more."
Upstairs, there's a sauna and a sports room, complete with recliners, a big-screen TV and a stocked minifridge. Kmentt said more than a dozen Tampa Bay Buccaneers are periodic clients. On the wall is a photo, for example, of Ronde Barber, who confessed to getting regular honey-almond body polishes and minty pedicures in People magazine last year.
At this spa, even the fish are macho. A rotund lion fish with a three-inch "mane" lords over his swim mates in an incredibly pristine tank.
"A spa atmosphere is social," said Kmentt, 35, who has been visiting spas since he was 18. "Men don't want to sit around talking about girl things like shopping and home decorating. Here they can talk to other guys about sports and going out."
Spa coordinator Canice Schlavo lowers her voice when she talks about men who have "never even had a manicure." Like many in the industry, she is convinced that once a man has the spa experience, he'll be hooked on it.
"You have to feel it to believe it," she said. "My boyfriend wouldn't go to a spa for himself, so he did it for me. Now he's a total spa rat, and that's how it should be."
The right environment is a key to retention, Schlavo said.
"When you're a man, the last thing you want to do is walk into a place that smells like acrylic nail polish and has women gossiping," she said. "But it's 2004, and guys have to take care of themselves, too."
Several local unisex spas say plenty of men feel at home in their chairs as well. Geri Rashid, owner of Divine Designs Salon and Spa in Brandon, constructed her spa to appeal to both sexes when she opened in July.
She created "For Men Only" packages, made sure the robes and slippers came in extra-large sizes, kept flowery touches to a minimum and even installed separate ventilation systems so the scent of hair care products wouldn't waft into the spa area.
Besides more traditional spa treatments, male clientele like to take advantage of Divine Designs' ear and nose waxing and the permanent makeup artist who can give them the eyebrows and lashes nature didn't.
"There have been several days that we've had more men than women," Rashid said.
Sonja Minguela, spa director at Divine Designs, has worked in spas in Austria and said American men are just jumping into a trend that European males long ago embraced. She said the couples packages that Divine Designs offers have been instrumental in convincing men of spa benefits.
"Men are much more shy than women about visiting for the first time," Minguela said. "When they get a gift certificate or come in with their wives, and they see what it's like, they're much more comfortable coming in alone the next time."
At Somers & Co. Salon and Day Spa in Clearwater, owner Jill Somers thinks a little lingo goes a long way in capturing the male market. On their MENu, manicures and pedicures are known as "hand and foot detailing," massages are billed "as full body alignments" and clean pores come under the title of "fitness facial."
"Men are a different sell," Somers said. "They like the pampering, but they don't like the fluffiness of it. You can't make a big deal out it, and you have to be careful how you word things."
Somers said the crowded roster of makeover shows on television such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Extreme Makeover has opened up a lot of doors for men, and allowed them to peek inside the world of fashion and good grooming.
"Queer Eye is great," Somers said. "It's raising a lot of awareness about the options that are out there. Women watch it and encourage their guys to try things from the show, and men get to see what it is like inside a salon. Some guys haven't ever been to a salon, so they're intimidated by what's inside."
Darlene Davison, beach club and spa director at the Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach, said more people in general are interested in spa treatments. Since 20 to 30 percent of her clients are men, Davison recently devised the spa's first package that's exclusively for men. The Don Juan Father's Day special will feature a margarita-themed and -scented treatment, including a foot refresher, a salt scrub exfoliation and a sports massage.
"Men are a lot more educated and spa savvy today, and they recognize that the body needs to be nurtured and taken care," Davison said. "They look at it as a wellness service rather than a fluff treatment."