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It’s raining
Male Grooming
men!
As has been the trend for the past few years, the number of South African men opting for professional grooming services is on the increase, with more male clients than ever before, as well as more male salons targeted at this demographic, writes JOANNA STERKOWICZ.
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onsider that it was back in 2014 that South African beauty salon chain, Sorbet, opened its first ever Sorbet Man store (in Sandton City) and that there are now a whopping 24 stores in the country. This incredible increase in the number of Sorbet Man franchises reflects the expanding demand for male grooming services. Says Glen Summers, who heads up the Sorbet Man division: “We opened three stores last year alone, with the most recent being in Canal Walk, Cape Town. I believe that South African men have most definitely evolved over recent years and have developed more of an understanding of what it means to look good. “For some gents, it is a necessity to have your grooming done by a professional and that is where Sorbet Man comes in. We are a ‘destination’ of sorts, where guys feel comfortable and at ease with their barber or therapist. I see it every day in store where gents take time out to look after themselves. It is sometimes not only about the grooming but about the feeling you get before and after your treatment.” A multiple Professional Beauty Award Winner, Hines and Harley Men’s Grooming Lounge in Parktown North, Johannesburg, opened in December 2015.
Says co-founder Jared Hines: “Other branches of Hines & Harley are most definitely in the works. I am hoping that things progress as they are doing now and that there will be some be new Hines
and Harleys opening in the near future.” Sonette Donker of Skin iD (Skin Intellectual Data) in Sandton, notes that about 40% of her clientele is male. “They are normally the boyfriends or husbands of my female clients,” she explains. “My younger male clients are more into deep cleansing and light peels, whereas those in their mid-twenties and older like the anti-ageing light peels and micro-needling.” Tzvia Hermann, founder and owner of The Laser Beautique franchise, notes that they have always offered men’s treatments. “When we first opened in 2009, our first client was, in fact, a man and we lasered his back. It’s now become more acceptable – and even expected – for a man to groom. This is why we are seeing an increase in men investing in themselves. The majority of our male clients range from the teens all the way up to the 50-somethings. “It’s true though that most of our clients are women and they are starting to encourage their husbands, brothers and sons to groom. Men are even starting to have what The Laser Beautique calls a ‘man-icure’ and the men’s pedicure.” > online @ probeauty.co.za
