A man reclines in an ergonomic chair, in a room that packs serious design grunt and smells nicely therapeutic. He has a chilled premium beer in hand while some slick chick is fiddling agreeably with his scalp and hair as he watches the game on a widescreen. A dream no longer, the phenomenon is an image centre for men and he’s paying - hopefully every four weeks - big bucks for it.

Male grooming centres are nothing new, civilizations have usually had them in some form - hamams, saunas and barbershops - but with the rise of Average Joe’s awareness in the power conferred by personal maintenance, stand-alone men’s salons are gaining ground in Australia. That men are aware of the impression they project, is now part of the reportedly $400 million men’s grooming market.  

Man What a Fuss opened in 1998 in Melbourne - a city with a good proportion of men are from a cultural background which, from an early age, instills in them that being treated like a prince is part of their persona. Owner Kate Allen offers to remove curl, shave a neck, correct a scalp, colour the grey; she’d realized there was a opportunity to cater to men who wanted to put their heads in a professional’s hands and, importantly, do so in private (while industry growth is pegged at 20%, how and what you do with your hair is still not a matter discussed with mates).

 
Over in St Kilda at The Grooming Room, Kyla Murray has been styling the hair of men with an express service for five and a bit years with a big part of her business being the preparation of groom’s parties. Murray explains, “Successful men, from laborers to lawyers, don’t trust bad experience; they’re not into labels, they like things presented comfortably.”

A prime factors for a men’s stand -alone salon is getting the ‘recipe’ right. Do you create a day spa? Install a webcam so that clients can check from their phone or desk if the salon is busy? What value-added procedures attract regular income? What’s the location’s targeted traffic like? Is too much state-of-the-art design appealing or intimidating? Offer image consultancy? Hot and cold stone massage? Vichy shower? How important is the ‘bounce’ of the staff?

Former NFL player Troy Gray, a man with successful media career, established Destination for Men, Adelaide two years ago. After much dialogue and investigation, he launched the four-chair plus treatment rooms salon in suburban Parkside. A city branch kicks off this November and plans are underway for a third, with the intention to franchise the concept nationwide. That Adelaide, with a population of 1.15 million, can support that many Destinations says a good deal for due diligence.      


Andrew Chim, CEO of Sydney’s Detail for Men, with his background in restaurants saw total body workshops for men as a concept he and his partners could rollout as franchises, too. “We are pioneers in what is a very saturated unisex market and we have provided a service that hasn’t been experienced before now,” he said. The name was picked because of its association with car detailing. Interestingly, unlike sport or cars, men’s personal care is not advantaged by a father’s introduction as the women’s cosmetic industry is, so selling it requires creativity. The salon, which treats hair and body (and wallet), won the retail beauty award in this year’s City of Sydney Business Awards.
 
However, regardless of the depth of research and determining you’ve protected yourself by offering treatments tangential to masculine wellbeing, operating a man’s salon and day spa is a gamble. Carole Haddad, possessor of a personality worthy of a queue around the block, invested $500,000 in Number 19: a one stop, 300,000 square metre experience for men at Brisbane’s South Bank. “Leave yourself in expert hands”: stated the website but, regrettably, not enough did. Haddad explains, “It’s a totally different ball game to women; I was too soon. If you’ve the finances to support it and wait, it will go off. You have to turn it on for men; unfortunately, I didn’t have a ‘happy ending’.” 
    
Salient points to remember: most men haven’t a clear idea of what they want to look like; they hate being bored and prefer salons to reflect how they shop in life – an in and out transaction. Don’t assume you can rely on the pink dollar. Manicures, if given a butch name, are acceptable but anything done to the feet is a touchy subject, while offering a straight razor shave is a growth field. You could also protect yourself as Renya Xydis did in her new Sydney city salon by simply creating a dedicated men’s area in the salon proper. And, it goes without saying nurse’s uniforms on the staff is another business entirely. 

Read more about grooming for men.