The number of men wanting professional skincare advice is on the rise. We ask award-winning skincare professional Cathriona Flanagan from Face of Man about how we should treat our male clients. (Whatever you do, just don’t call them “beauty treatments”.)
#1 Create a male-friendly environment
When it comes to men and salon treatments, the key is to make sure they don’t feel out of place. Skin expert, Cathriona Flanagan created her Sydney CBD salon, Face of Man, to be an oasis for men. “If they are a new client, they feel instantly relaxed and at ease with their choice of coming into us for a treatment,” says Flanagan whose salon entrance is as dark and sophisticated as one of Sydney’s coolest bars.
#2 Make them feel at ease
Women like herbal tea and a protein ball, according to Flanagan, something stronger works better on the blokes. “They love being offered a scotch or a beer while waiting for their treatment to begin,” she says.
#3 Remember the ten second rule
If you want to get men coming back, you need to think about what they want from a salon – and what they categorically do not. Making your salon overly feminine could well turn them off, so instead of frou-frou, try classic minimalism. Think Great Gatsby for a suave male-friendly approach, or sleek modernity for a clinical feel that men will appreciate.
“Make your environment more man friendly,” says Flanagan. “Within the first ten seconds on walking into your salon, a man has already made his mind up if he is coming back or not. Have male [targeted] magazines in your waiting area, and if you use promotion posters get men on them as if you are inviting them in.”
#4 Be solution orientated
Women come into the beauty salon asking for pampering and relaxation; men on the other hand are more interested in solving an issue.
“Men are coming in with a problem and they want to get a solution from you,” says Flanagan. “Therefore change your language. Quite honestly, they don’t care about how products smell or feel on their skin. They want to know about what result this is going to give him.”
#5 Tailor your treatments to work for him
Men want different things to women so make sure you work those needs into your treatment menu. Better yet, create a menu specifically for men.
“For example if a guy is having a pedicure he is not getting a nail paint,” says Flanagan. “Use the extra 10 minutes to work on getting rid of the hard dead skin build up on his feet, which probably the whole reason he is there.”
#6 Give him good advice
Men might pretend they don’t care about their skin, but they wouldn’t be in your salon if they didn’t. Make the most of their visit by suggesting what they should do for their skin when they get home. The more they think about their skin and care about what goes onto it, the more likely they are of coming back to your salon.
“[I tell men to] always wear sunscreen, it is a life saver… Literally!!” says Flanagan. “The sun is the number 1 cause of premature ageing and skin cell deformities that lead to a huge array of skin problems. It breaks down collagen and elastin production and causes broken capillaries. It can also lead to overproduction of melanin, which can manifest as pigmentation, sun spots, melanomas, solar keratosis, sebaceous hyperplasia… the list goes on.”
Flanagan advices her male clients to “always wear a high quality sunscreen, even on cloudy days or if you’re driving, as sun rays still penetrate through clouds and glass. If you’re going to be outside for hours, just wear a hat. It’s that easy!”
