A Smile On His Dial
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday March 19, 2002
YOU often hear young women complaining about their male flatmates.
They steal the hairdryer, use the moisturiser and spend more time in front of the bathroom mirror primping and preening than any female.
This isn't a bad thing at all ? in fact a lot of women appreciate it.
And now more and more men are taking the next step, that of walking into a beauty salon.
Beauty therapist Michelle Monaghan from Indulgence by Toni at The Junction has a steadily growing number of male clients.
Some are the young boys who lock themselves in the bathroom at home, others are men well into their 50s and 60s, but all have discovered the benefits of a little bit of help to keep themselves looking at their best, or even younger.
`They have to get past the door, get past the image of being a "man",' Michelle says.
`But once they have come in and discovered what we can do they are very loyal.'
Often the first visit is set up by the woman in their life, but the second visit is almost always booked by the man after they realise that time spent in a beauty salon is time well spent and that the salon itself isn't a feminine boudoir complete with frilly pink curtains.
For many men the first appointment looms as part of wedding preparations.
Their wives-to-be send them in for facials, manicures, waxing and massage to calm the nerves.
`The girls go all out, so should the men, it's their special day as well and the camera is trained on them too,' Michelle says.
Bleaching fingers to get rid of nicotine stains is a common pre-wedding practice, as is getting work roughened hands and nails looking healthy and smooth. Then there is a bit of waxing to get rid of what Michelle refers to as the `mono-brow'.
Sportsmen also come in to get waxing treatments, particularly cyclists and body builders.
`Men even come to get collagen eye treatments to get rid of the puffy eyes and to tone down wrinkles,' she says.
Facials to de-clog the pores are popular with men who work outdoors and chefs who continually work in a steamy environment, but for professional men, massage and age reversing treatments are the most popular.
Therapist Melissa Byrnes is a qualified kiradgee masseuse, which means she uses deep tissue massage to combat a range of problems from sporting aches and pains to strains caused by hunching over a desk or a computer all day.
Reducing the appearance of wrinkles and making the skin look and feel younger is the main quest behind the majority of visits by males, Michelle says.
One look at cosmetic surgery magazines and you will see just as many men in the before and after eye procedure photographs as women.
Cosmetic surgery is something that a lot of men in business try in an attempt to keep time at bay.
For many professional men, looking youthful and therefore up-to-date and able to cope with long hours and business stresses is important, which is why many older men are now laying down on the bed for facials and eye treatments once they realise that women have been getting great results for years without having to resort to the `knife'.
`They will get better results because they will be hydrated all the time, your skin is at its peak,' Michelle says of the eye treatments she performs on men.
Indulgence by Toni is at Shop 1, 9 Kenrick St, The Junction. For further information telephone 4962-5022.
© 2002 Newcastle Herald