For Father’s Day in L.A., consider these 8 spots for grooming services
Hollywood is pretty much synonymous with vanity. So as manscaping and metrosexuality continue to liberate men from coast to coast, it’s no surprise that a hyper demand for male grooming services has resulted in a burgeoning crop of local spas, barbershops and massage parlors catering to guys. For a Father’s Day treat, consider introducing Dad to one of these club-like bastions of clipping, plucking, waxing, nipping, tucking and pampering.
The Shays Lounge Men’s Spa
Vibe: A cozy, bloke-friendly British spa. Think wingback chairs with plaid cushions, fuzzy blankets on the treatment tables and a pot of tea or spot of bourbon. When Bristol, England, native Jodi Shays, owner of the local Queen Bee Salon & Spa locations, noticed that her male clientele had grown to make up about 35% of her business, she decided to expand her Culver City site (across the street from Sony Pictures) with an adjoining men’s spa that’s to officially open this month. Customers span the spectrum from teenage boys getting facials to grooms-to-be requesting spray tans to men in their seventies talking business over pedicures. Couples are also accommodated. The focus is on friendly, highly personalized service, with staff noting everything from how clients like their nails filed to how they take their cuppa.
Services: Facials, waxing, manicures, pedicures, brow grooming, spray tanning
Pricing: From $10 for a between-the-brow wax to $150 for the Diamond Geezer microdermabrasion facial with massage and brow trim; for Father’s Day, get 10% off the one-hour Bee-Spoke Facial.
Where: 10182 1/2 Culver Blvd., Culver City
When: 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Info: (310) 204-2236; theshayslounge.com
Frank’s Chop Shop
Vibe: A 1930s-inspired, hipster barbershop hangout with retro barber chairs, black-and-white checkered floors, mahogany work stations with Hollywood-style vanity lighting, a billiards room, a game table corner and (in the works) a private speak-easy room serving cocktails. Walls are decorated with contemporary art and photography, while local graffiti artist Retna has been commissioned to paint a mural on the exterior. The original Frank’s Chop Shop launched on New York City’s Lower East Side a decade ago as an outgrowth of owner Michael Malbon’s magazine Frank151, followed by a Cleveland shop, and now this location, which opened in March. Designed “for the modern gentleman of leisure,” according to Malbon, the shop offers classic barbering with a nod to networking among the who’s who of cool. Clients include A-list DJs, pro athletes, actors and musicians, including Sacha Baron Cohen and Joe Jonas. The shop sells select grooming products, Black & Metal candles made in Los Angeles and accessories designed by Malbon, including caps for New Era and razor blade necklaces.
Services: Haircuts, classic straight razor shaves, beard and mustache trims
Pricing: From $15 for a beard or mustache trim to $70 for a Styled Scissor Cut with more specialized layering, tapering and texturing techniques; VIP memberships with package services, product discounts, event invites and other amenities, $500-$5,500. Dads and sons booking haircuts together on Father’s Day will receive one cut free.
Where: 8209 Melrose Ave., Beverly Grove
When: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Sunday
Info: (323) 424-7326; frankschopshop.com
Ziggy’s Hair L.A.
Vibe: A community-oriented, unisex Aussie hair salon with creative flair. The loft space boasts a DJ booth, a colorful, psychedelic “Muse” wall mural by Culver City artist Kelly M. Hogan, and a showcase of vintage cameras. With three locations in Sydney, Australia, the company opened this first U.S. outpost in March and plans to use the space for evening events and pop-up shops featuring local artists and designers. The goal is “great service at a price the average person can afford,” says local entrepreneur Richard Rosenberg, who co-owns the business with his brother David. Clients are offered beer, wine or coffee with services, and the salon carries a range of natural hair products from Down Under brands such as Evo, Original & Mineral and Uppercut.
Services: Hair color and cuts, shaves, beard trims
Pricing: From $15 for a beard trim to $65 for hair color; 25% off all services for dad June 10-21
Where: 4130-A Sepulveda Blvd., in Culver City
When: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Info: (310) 876-0912; ziggyshairla.com
Marina Manland at Marina Plastic Surgery Associates
Vibe: Man cave treatment rooms within a plastic surgery center to make guys feels more comfortable with nips and tucks. In a nondescript, high-rise building in Marina del Rey, plastic surgeon Grant Stevens specializes in CoolSculpting non-surgical fat reduction, which has helped his male clientele to quadruple. Catering to this growing business, Stevens incorporated guy-friendly decor such as leather chairs, flat-screen televisions tuned to ESPN, a faux buffalo head, sports banners and a men’s room boasting an upscale urinal and looping Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition videos. He started referring to Botox as “Brotox” and named his newly macho treatment rooms the Bear’s Lair (hair removal), the Lion’s Den (hair replacement) and the Doghouse (facials and Ultherapy non-surgical face and neck tightening), and launched Marina Manland in November.
Services: NeoGraft hair replacement, Ultherapy neck- and face-lifts, CoolSculpting fat elimination, laser and light-based skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, MiraDry sweat reduction, liposuction, facials, Botox, waxing and more
Pricing: From $200 and up for Botox to $3,500 and up for Cellfina cellulite reduction treatments. In honor of Father’s Day, all men who book appointments in June will receive a complimentary ManLand Medical Facial and a Visia facial skin analysis; the first 100 men to book will also receive free “Brotox.”
Where: 4644 Lincoln Blvd., Suite 552, Marina del Rey
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Info: (877) 298-9915 marinamanland.com
Tomoko Spa
Vibe: An upscale massage sanctuary with minimalist-modern Asian decor. Osaka, Japan, native Tomoko Kurono, whose flagship spa is in Herzliya, Israel, opened this first U.S. location in late October. The spa specializes in East-meets-West massage techniques incorporating aromatherapeutic essential oils and warm sake, hot rocks and energy work to rejuvenate mind and body. Four treatment rooms are outfitted with waterfall showers, traditional cedar bath tubs and dining areas, for an intimate, private experience. All services include organic tea, a light snack such as mochi and coconut gelée, and a 15-minute Japanese foot bath with massage prior to treatment. About half of the clientele is male; Cash Warren and wife Jessica Alba have come in for couples services.
Services: Therapeutic individual and couples body massage
Pricing: From $180 for a one-hour Zenshin Massage that combines Swedish and Asian techniques to $710 for a 3 1/2-hour Japanese Experience for Couples including an ofuro bath treatment, 80 minutes of massage and Sugarfish sushi
Where: 141 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills
When: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Info: (310) 205-7300; tomokospa.com
Manly & Sons Barber Co.
Vibe: New-school neighborhood barbershop, serving guys ages 1 to 100, with a Prohibition era-inspired atmosphere: Classic barber chairs, vintage furnishings, and barbers clad in retro-cool attire such as tailored vests, ties, suspenders and toppers. Hailing from Portland, Ore., barber Tony Pin and his client Mike Hare joined forces to open the Echo Park space late last September. Beyond authentic barbering services, the shop also offers a wide, well-curated range of grooming products, straight and safety razors, accessories such as Bixby’s handcrafted small-batch resin hair combs, limited-edition cashmere bathrobes and luxurious ties by Natural Born Elegance (co-owned by Hare), and an assortment of vintage tie clips, shaving mugs and cuff links. Rose and Dagger tattoo parlor, home to an array of accomplished globe-trotting tattoo artists, has also set up shop in the space.
Services: Haircuts, beard and mustache trims, straight razor shaves.
Pricing: From $8 for a hair wash to $66 for a haircut, wash and straight razor shave. Twenty percent military and student discount; one-time free haircut and shave before a job interview; and every Sunday is “Father Son Day” with 50% off one of the two haircuts. In addition, dad will receive a complimentary shave with his haircut on Father’s Day.
Where: 1200 N. Alvarado St. in Echo Park
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Sunday
Info: (213) 353-4784; manlyandsons.com
Mr. Nail Lounge
Vibe: An urban gentleman’s lounge boasting a black-and-gold interior inspired by James Bond films, roomy leather chairs and benches with individual foot basins and lighting adorned with top hat shades. In January the nail spa added two traditional barber chairs in a sectioned-off area near the front for haircut and shave services by the Bespoke Parlor. Specialty cocktails are complimentary with any service and the company is now promoting monthly partnerships with local liquor brands, such as Loft & Bear small-batch vodka. Last month, local tailor Rich Freshman took up in-house residency, offering made-to-measure suiting and alterations. The lounge will feature live jazz music and complimentary cigars on Father’s Day.
Services: Haircuts, shaves, beard and mustache trims, manicures and pedicures
Pricing: From $27 for a spa manicure to $127 for the Perfect Gentleman, a straight razor shave with the Platinum Treatment manicure and pedicure including massage.
Where: 9005 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday
Info: (424) 302-0070; mrnaillounge.com
Hammer & Nails
Vibe: A garlodge setting for male mani-pedis. Car parts and framed hammers serve as art in the industrial loft space, while tobacco-colored leather club chairs with nailhead detailing are accessorized with individual flat screen televisions, headphones and piles of guy-oriented books. While the business opened in late 2013, premium treatments added within the last year incorporate ingredients such as Guinness Extra Stout beer and Tennessee whiskey.
Services: Manicures and pedicures; private grooming parties
Pricing: From $23 for a manicure to $120 for the Sports Pedicure, a 90-minute service with hot stones, massage, reflexology and paraffin wax or — created for Father’s Day — the Jack Hammer, an 80-minute hand and foot treatment featuring a Tennessee-whiskey-and-brown sugar scrub, massage, paraffin wax and essential oils, $120; private grooming parties from $900
Where: 8257 Melrose Ave., Beverly Grove
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Info: (323) 651-1458, hammerandnails-salon.com
