Pedicures and Pampering at Manassas Spa
By Jennifer Buske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Bottles of O'Doul's sit on tables, and the pshssssst of soda cans being opened is heard as half a dozen men grab a drink. The low murmur of small talk about family, work and the weather fills the room, and the scent of buffalo wings lingers in the air.
Sounds like a night out with the guys at a bar, but it's not.
And the guys didn't show up by accident.
They walked into a different kind of guys' night -- one that included not only drinks and food, but shampoo, massages and, yes, even a little "manscaping."
"You don't have to be macho all the time and can enjoy the same things women enjoy," Manassas resident Kurt Schinnerer said while getting his hair cut. "This is relaxing, and I think the older you get, the more you like to pamper yourself."
The 50-year-old sales representative was one of eight men in smocks and swivel chairs Thursday for a men's night at Tranquility Design Academy, a school for hairstylists in Manassas.
Academy owners Gloria and Wayne Harding, who also operate Tranquility Day Spa and Salon with locations in Manassas and Haymarket, said they arranged the event to draw men into a ritual that is part of many women's lives: a day at the salon. The event, which featured discounted haircuts and other services, also raised money for Malecare, a nonprofit organization that educates people on prostate cancer, which Gloria Harding's father successfully battled.
"We are actually seeing an increase in men's interest" in salons services, Gloria Harding said. "Men are taking better care of themselves and find women absolutely love that. What's motivating them is probably what motivates men in most cases, and that's the woman in their lives."
Harding was right, in a sense. Two of the men at the event went because of a woman in their life, 18-year-old academy student Brittany Bombardier. Bombardier got her father, Jerry Bombardier, and stepfather, Joe Martin, to visit.
"She made the appointment for me," Jerry Bombardier said as Brittany trimmed his eyebrow hair.
"I'm not concerned [about the cut], because they have a lot of experts around here in case she makes a mistake," he joked.
Bombardier said he typically visits chain salons. But, he said, you "get what you pay for," and after experiencing the spa and salon, he said he might make a second appearance.
Schinnerer said he was drawn to salons because of two women: his wife, Lana Schinnerer, and Gloria Harding, her friend.
Schinnerer said he started going to salons about six years ago to get more "manscaping" done and the occasional pedicure.
"It's nice to get your feet massaged, and it's something you can do with your wife," Schinnerer said. "My friends have never said anything about going, and I don't care if they do. They are missing out."
Schinnerer said he enjoys the salon but goes only about three times a year. Sometimes, he said, it is nice to keep all his hair.
"Believe me, my wife tells me all the time to get rid of nose hair or hair on my ears. I listen to her sometimes, but sometimes you just want to be manly and not do all that upkeep."
Martin said it was an afro that barbers couldn't handle that got him started on salons in the 1970s. But with the 'fro long gone, it was his daughter and the chance to donate to charity that got him to Tranquility on Thursday.
"I remember the first salon I went to was my mom's, and it was in a mall. I was sitting in the waiting area, and if I saw one of my friends come by I would hide my face in the magazine," he said. But now, he said, he's no longer embarrassed. "Things have changed. I have three daughters and a wife, so I am surrounded by women. I now live in a woman's world."
Although most of the men walked through the academy's door Thursday because they had a loved one in the business, Manassas resident Angel Montanez wandered in on his own.
The 39-year-old communications inspector's neon-yellow vest was covered by a purple smock. Although he kept his cellphone on hand for any work-related calls, Montanez said he was ready to relax and get pampered for a few hours.
"Friends pick on me, because they think I shouldn't waste that much time on myself," he said. "I say, if you can waste time beating yourself up, you can spend the same time getting pampered. This is not at all just a girl thing."
A salongoer for 10 years, Montanez said he likes the environment because stylists compliment customers and the services are extensive, allowing him to get not just a haircut, but a scalp massage and occasional pedicure.
"It is much appreciated," Montanez said.
On Thursday, Montanez opted to color his mustache, which grows half white and half brown, and get a "shoeshine," or highlights. Stylist Mollie Romine said she didn't know why the service is called a shoeshine, but it's how Tranquility markets the service to men.
After emerging from the dome-shaped Jetsons'-like hair dryer, Montanez said he was pleased with his new look. Salon employees told him he looked "10 years younger."
"See, they compliment you here. You don't get that at the barbershop," he said.
Montanez's hair coloring was probably the most exotic procedure done during the event meant to introduce men to waxings and other grooming procedures.
Oh well. At least the wings and drinks went over well.
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