2013 Trend Report Spotlight: Men — from Barbers to “Brotox”

Our latest spotlight from our SpaFinder® Wellness 2013 Trend Report delves into the “Men: From Barbers to ‘Brotox’” phenomenon, as more men, from Beverly Hills to Berlin to Beijing, are spending serious money on their looks to have serious “work” done at med spas and plastic surgery offices. Vanity+men=“man-ity” services like Botox®, fillers, surgeries, and skincare, mani/pedis, waxing, and threading treatments.

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  Gangnam Style: Man & Nature

  This four-story plastic surgery clinic on the Apgujeong “beauty belt” in Seoul’s stylish Gangnam district caters to men only—and is surrounded by other high-end plastic surgery centers, spas, and salons.

  “Men, many med-spas report, have different needs than women when it comes to all this enhancement, particularly in the West. They demand subtle, gradual, and not too ‘plastic’ results,” our trend report states.

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  Bliss Spas “He-Wax” Treatments

  Bookings for services off of Bliss Spas’ “he-wax” menu have doubled since the concept’s 2011 debut. According to spas, men prefer “unisex, multi-service spas (like Bliss), or a ‘gentleman’ spa known for shaves (rather than a waxing-only destination), to keep it on the down low,” says our trend report.

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  Gentlemen’s Tonic

  Gentlemen’s Tonic brand, found in London, Hong Kong, and Dubai, offers everything from eyebrow shaping and tinting to waxing and multi-vitamin facials.

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  HOMMAGE Barber Room

  HOMMAGE, said to be the first luxury barbershop brand concept, provides facials, mani/pedis, massages, and more in private gentlemen’s club-type settings at five-star hotels from Bermuda to Macau. “Hair color, threading, facials, manicures, pedicures, injectables…they’re all becoming much more popular. But with men, everything has to be results-driven. It can’t fall within the categories of the frivolous or indulgent; it has to be grooming and treatments as a subset of taking care of oneself, and doing what you need to do to remain competitive in the work world,” observes Tom Wilscam, CEO of Hommage.

  Image courtesy of HOMMAGE

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  Bodé Spa Medi-Wellness for Men

  At Bodé Spa Medi-Wellness locations, men can treat themselves to services titled, “The Tune-Up”; “Liquid Plumber” (facial); “The Hand Shake” (manicure); and “The Sock Destroyer” (pedicure).

  Image courtesy of Bode Spa
  

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  Nickel Spa for Men

  Exclusive-to-men lines such as Nickel Spa for Men’s proprietary product collection, which includes items like “Fire Insurance After Shave Cream,” and “Le Grand Buff Perfector,” continue to multiply. Says our trend report: “Men’s skincare/beauty products are growing fast in the U.S.: Sales have spiked 18 percent since 2006, and are expected to grow another 23 percent by 2015*…last year nearly 60 percent of total male skincare/beauty product revenues came from the Asia-Pacific region**…”

  *Mintel research, 2012
  **Euromonitor data, 2012
  

  Image courtesy of Nickel for Men

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  Fast Facts: Did You Know?

  According to our trend report:

  • Twenty-five percent of men ages 18-34 have had their nails done in the U.S. alone, while 20 percent have had a facial.*

  • Men represent approximately one in 10 cosmetic procedure patients in the U.S., with the top “less-invasive” procedures comprising Botox, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion. The top “more-invasive” treatments? Rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, and liposuction.**

  • The number of American men receiving Botox has skyrocketed 258 percent in the last decade.***

  *Mintel research, 2012
  **American Society of Plastic Surgeons data, 2012
  ***American Society of Plastic Surgeons data, 2012