Boys Get The Treatment
Illawarra Mercury
Monday September 1, 1997
Facials aren't just for women. Now men can enjoy being pampered as well, as GLEN HUMPHRIES discovered.
INSTEAD of the traditional Father's Day gifts like socks, hankies and cheap aftershave in bottles shaped like racing cars, how about something a little different?
Like buying Dad a facial. Yes, a facial.
No, there's nothing wrong with the idea of a guy getting a facial and doing something good for his skin.
To prove this we got three well-known guys to try out a facial at The Chelsea Artistic Hair and Beauty Group. Okay, two well-known guys and me.
The well-known guys were professional boxer Shannan Taylor and car dealer Tom Veljanov (better known as Honda Tom).
Sylvia Picciolo, the beauty therapist at The Chelsea, said the idea of men's facials was popular in Sydney, but was yet to catch on in Wollongong. She said she only saw about five male clients for facials.
The facial took about an hour and differed from what a woman would receive.
"With men's facials, we try to relax them more because they're not used to it," she said.
"It's relaxing as well as a deep-cleaning facial."
To the outsider, it may seem odd that Shannan Taylor would get a facial, but inside the boxing world, he got plenty of support from a lot of "hard guys".
He'd never had a facial before but jumped at the chance after his sparring partner told him how great it felt.
As far as Shannan's concerned, there's no problem with a guy looking after his face.
"Now it's the '90s, so why not?" he said.
"If women can look after themselves, why can't we? The times are definitely changing."
Shannan enjoyed the facial so much, he actually fell asleep for 20 minutes. After he woke up, he decided to get a facial once a month and before every fight.
"It'd be good before a fight, because it relaxes you. I reckon about two or three days before (a fight), it'd be great," he said.
It certainly is relaxing, as I discovered.
Being a journalist, I'd planned to ask a lot of questions during the facial.
That proved virtually impossible; the whole experience is so soothing, I just ended up lying there, doing nothing and enjoying every minute of it too.
Afterwards, my face felt a whole lot softer and cleaner. This was something others could see as well; several friends and workmates noticed the difference in my skin.
Like Shannan and myself, Tom was impressed with his facial.
Tom, who recently turned 50, is considering making the facial "a regular thing".
"I'm a father with three children and I like looking after myself. It's always important for me to look good," he said.
"I also spend a lot of money on clothes and shoes. It matters to me how I look, so I'm an ideal candidate for this."
The Chelsea Artistic Hair and Beauty Group has a free deluxe facial on offer for one lucky man.
For a chance to win, send this page with your name, address and phone number to: Men's Facial, PO Box 1756, Wollongong, 2500.
Entries close at noon on Thursday and the winners will be contacted Thursday afternoon.
WHERE TO GO
Here's a selection of Illawarra salons offering men's facials and treatments.
* The Chelsea Artistic Hair and Beauty Group, Wollongong
Deluxe facial, 11/4 hr, $40.
* Matilda's Beauty Studio, Oak Flats
Deluxe facial, 11/2 hr, $40
Regular facial, 1 hr, $30
* The French Touch, Corrimal
Deep cleanse, 1/2 hr, $25.
Full facial, 1 hr, $35.
* MC's Beauty Studio, Figtree
Facials that last from 3/4 hr to 11/4 and are priced from $25 to $75.
* Melina's Nails and Beauty, Warilla
Facial, 1 hr, $25.
* Synergy Beauty Therapy, Kiama
Facials range from 1/2 hr mini facial ($25) to a 1 hr 20 minute deluxe-deluxe facial ($54).
© 1997 Illawarra Mercury