More men seek pampering at spas

HARTFORD, Conn. — They’re in the relaxation lounge swaddled in generous, thick cotton robes and padded sandals. They’re sipping pineapple juice and munching on giant cashews (perhaps considering an offering from the platter of tiny muffins and dainty pastry). Their hair is damp from a rainfall shower and slicked back with a leave-in conditioner made from the oil of crushed grape seeds.

Some might be waiting for an orange peel buff, a mango and papaya sugar glow exfoliation, a green tea massage or just a routine cucumber pedicure.

Just another day at the ladies’ spa?

No, the men’s.

Emboldened by newfound metrosexual urges, freed by the Queer Eye-ization of the pop culture landscape, unembarrassed by their need for a ginger-almond facial, American men are hitting the spa. Twenty years ago the idea of an average American man walking into a spa for an herbal body wrap was an alien concept, something wholly unusual and perhaps even alarming.

Today, however, men are as common a spa fixture as eucalyptus in the steam room. Having recently discovered what women have been enjoying for years, men are now booking spa treatments in greater numbers, making vacations at resort spas and organizing buddy days and weekends at destination spas where they will be exfoliated, oiled, massaged and groomed into sleek, shiny seals.

“The whole idea of men grooming is becoming very popular and more mainstream,” said Susie Ellis, president of Spa Finder Inc. “Men are seeing the spa as something about health and wellness, not just about pampering. Men are finding they can go to the spa and feel much more relaxed. There are fitness and workout rooms. There’s exercise. There’s spa cuisine. It’s a great, healthy benefit. The spa can reduce stress and offer therapeutic value. It’s not just about luxury anymore.”

Ellis estimates that about 30 percent of all spa-goers are men. The spa industry—which includes day spas, resort spas, destination spas and medical spas—has grown significantly since the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, when men accounted for less than 5 percent of spa business, Ellis said. Now some spas, especially resort and destination spas, report that men account for nearly 50 percent of their business.

“The growth has really been in the last five years,” said Ellis, whose company includes Luxury SpaFinder Magazine and SpaFinder.com. “Even 10 years ago it was less than 20 percent.

“That’s a large increase, a major acceleration in the past several years.”

In response, the spa industry has leapt up to embrace this new and growing clientele; catering to men who want an eyebrow wax and a peppermint hair mask isn’t whimsy, it’s good business.

“They feel very comfortable being here,” said Julie Robinson, general manager at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa at the Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa in Groton, Conn. “It’s a comfort zone for them.

“It’s not about luxury any more; it’s a part of life, part of their everyday routine.”

To make men feel welcome and comfortable in a spa setting, Robinson’s spa provides black robes, a masculine locker room, the sports pages and Sports Illustrated. Small but important details are intended to make the peacocks feel at home among the hydrating milk baths.

What kept men away for so long?

“Fear of the unknown,” Robinson said. “Way back when, they used to call it the beauty parlor. Times have changed. Things are different now.”

Indeed, a tremendous cultural shift in the American man’s attitude toward fashion, grooming and lifestyle has contributed to the male invasion of the traditionally woman-only spa. The rise of the metrosexual and the popularity of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” has made it OK for everyday Joe to seek out treatments to reduce eye puffiness, improve skin clarity and keep fingernails nicely buffed.

“We have a lot more regular men coming into the spa for pedicures, manicures and massages,” said Penelope Menacho, spa director of Elemis Spa at Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn. “They’re also getting scalp massages, frangipani hair treatments and seaweed body masks.”

While the majority of Elemis customers are women, Menacho said “men have been coming a lot more each year” since the spa opened two-and-a-half years ago. “It’s blossoming more and more in favor of men having services. “It’s not based on prettiness and pretty perfume.

“It’s a relaxing environment, neutral ground. And they’re enjoying the experience.”

Menacho said the spa answers men’s needs both to stay fit and to enjoy themselves.

“They want to explore different options and take a more holistic approach, our society being so health-conscious,” she said. “A lot of men also just want to get pampered. They understand that pampering is not a bad thing.”

Whether they’re going for pampering or to pump themselves up, men are definitely the new trend in the spa industry that is busy reinventing itself to accommodate guys.

Ellis said one of the new trends is for men-only spas (luxurious enclaves such as the Nickel Spa in New York) offering an extensive treatment menu and barber spas (such as the national chain the Art of Shaving) where men can get haircuts, manicures and pedicures as well as an old-fashioned shave.

Ellis said a man who might not think a spa is for him is easily converted once he takes that first step.

“A man might be at a spa resort on a business meeting or to play golf. But once he goes into a spa, he’s hooked,” she said.

“It’s like, `Oh my God, this is so fabulous.’ And they keep going.”