Originally Published June 9, 2003 -- Your Wellness
Guide
It's True: Real Men
Get Pedicures
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Do men
and spas really go together?
According to Spa Finder magazine, they do. The publication
states that men now make up to 20 percent of day spa clients, with
that number on the rise.
Women
want to be pampered. Men, however, want the results. |
Spa Finder’s
Susie Ellis told me “Men want the massage to truly feel better. They want
to lower their cholesterol or lower their blood pressure.”
“Getting men
to the spa is still a bit of a hurdle, but once they have the experience
they are sold.”
The market
of spas for men is huge. It’s only the tip of the iceberg for what men
could become as clientele.
Let’s take
Dr. Deepak Chopra as a good example of how the spa industry is marketing
to men. He has The Chopra Center, an educational institution and spa for
the mind and body, which just relocated to and entered into a partnership
with La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
Dr. Chopra
also has his new male-oriented book,
Golf For Enlightenment, which
is connected to a series of golf seminars at The Chopra Center and La
Costa’s PGA championship golf courses.
Through this
combined experience of golf and spa, men are being introduced to spa
services in a way that is comfortable and enticing.
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In
fact, at the Fairmont’s Willow Stream spas, every detail of décor,
services, smells, protocol, and amenities are catered specifically
for men, as well as the women. It’s a gender-specific experience.
At
Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, men pass through the spa to go
golfing or to play tennis, offering them a familiarity and comfort
with the spa.
Spa
Manager Karin Allen of Rancho Bernardo says “We
definitely have had a steady increase in the last four years of men
coming to the spa. And, they are trying different types of
treatments, like a lot more body treatments and really starting to
get into facials and manicures.”
She says that
before, men would try a sports massage, but now there are
gender-specific facials and the
Inn’s staff is
educating the male clients on other available treatments. |
Photo: Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
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Men’s facials are more common at spas, such as this male
receiving a treatment at the Fairmont Banff Springs resort.
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Karin told me “I definitely see the trend toward more body treatments and
facials for men. There is now a growing awareness that they feel better
after being at the spa, and there is a visible improvement in the quality
of their skin.”
“Men
gain more confidence by taking better care of themselves. The stigma of
some ‘foo-foo’ girl treatment is really disappearing.”
What is the
best way to introduce men to spas?
Find
Specific Services For Men:
Look for a spa, likely a full-service resort spa, that caters to men.
Look for specific services for men, which will be notated in a spa’s
service menu; this will tell you the spa has thought about how to take
care of its male clients. You can investigate many spa’s service menus
online.
Bypass
Women’s Day Spas or Salons:
A man doesn’t want to go to a local salon with 20 women looking up at him
from their hair and nail jobs. Again, a more full-service day spa or
comprehensive resort spa will be more comfortable.
Try a
Men-Only Spa:
There are also a few men-only spas, which may become more widely available
in the future. Take a look at Nickel Spa For Men in New York at
www.nickel.fr.
Consider
Services Men Might Prefer:
Facials, massages, manicures, and pedicures are common services for men.
And, light, soothing exfoliation body rubs are preferred over, for
example, more aggressive salt scrubs.
Buy a Gift
Certificate:
With Father’s Day coming up, buy hubby or daddy a spa gift certificate.
You can usually purchase a certificate directly from your preferred spa.
Or, Spa Finder at
www.spafinder.com has gift certificates which can be purchased online
and used by a network of over a thousand spas.
Terra
Wellington
is a
national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
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Wellington