The Grooming Guys Blog

Grooming Lounge -- Where The Toilet Seat Is Always Up!

One of the Grooming Guys is down here visiting our Atlanta store and noticed an interesting phenomenon.  It's a phenomenon that could only happen in our type of men's place and one which turns conventional wisdom on its head.  You see, in the Grooming Lounge guest bathrooms, you'll rarely ever see the toilet seat down.  In fact, after speaking with several male staffers and guests, we've determined that the act of putting a toilet seat down in our guest bathrooms is the equivalent of treason.  As our crack Grooming Expert Kevin Dunn said to this Grooming Guy:

"Why would I possibly put it down?  I do that at home and only dudes use this bathroom.  Putting the seat down is against the code. This is my refuge from having to do that."

So with that said, the Grooming Lounge immediately instituted a new policy for its stores.  Said policy reads:

"All toilet seats in guest bathrooms should have the lid up at all times.  That's how guys roll and they shouldn't't have to go through the agonizing effort of flicking that seat up before they take care of business."

Sorry to be so crass in this blog, but we're just sharing the truth and making the world an easier place for every gentleman.  Thanks for visiting www.groominglounge.com.

 

 

Grooming Guys Podcast Part Deux

Looking to hear the musings of two men who are way too focused on their hair, skin and general hygiene?  Tune into the Grooming Guys Podcast Part Deux.  Our first Podcast installment was a big hit and even had quite a few listeners on iTunes (thanks Mrs. Sarshar and Mrs. Gilman).

In this latest issue, the Grooming Guys chat about some of the biggest falsehoods, myths and misinformation in the world of men's grooming.

Tune in NOW!

Who In The World Made This?

We were recently forwarded a link to a video/commercial on the Grooming Lounge and we have no idea what it is or where it came from.  Our guess is that it's some high-school or college kids who had to create a video ad for a course they were taking?  Who knows?

That said, we're flattered that someone would choose our company to do a project on.  So, guys with big G's on your hats, I.D. yourselves and we'll shoot you some free stuff.  Appreciate the effort, but please know that our marketing team isn't very threatened.

Check out the video from nowhere by clicking below:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO THAT CLEARLY INFRINGES ON OUR COPYRIGHT AND BRAND.  BUT, WE REALLY DON'T CARE.  JUST WATCH IT.  OR DON'T.

Why You Can't Buy The World's Best Shaving Cream Anywhere

Thanks so much to the hirsutely-astute geniuses at New York Magazine who this week named our very own Beard Destroyer Shave Cream as the best shave cream on the market today. While we are quite flattered that the crew at this Big Apple institution said "that men should trust their scruff to anything that calls itself destroyer," the great publicity did bring up a big question for us.

Why can't you buy this stuff anywhere other than Grooming Lounge stores and our web site?

It's a question we had asked at least 20 times this week and one that has been a constant since our in-house Grooming Solutions hit the shelves. Want the answer? It's simple.  We haven't really gotten around to to it yet. Yeah... just hasn't been a priority.

You see, Grooming Lounge Shaving Solutions, including the aforementioned Beard Destroyer, were developed by our Grooming Experts (a.k.a Barbers) for use in our shops.  When we opened our flagship store in D.C. more than six years ago, our crew at that time, together with us Grooming Guys, set out to create a shave line that could make our on-site hot lather shaves even closer and smoother.  We had no grand illusions of seeing these bottles resting on the shelves of Barney's, Saks or others. Instead, we just wanted to make stuff that made our jobs easier and maybe, if we did our job right, our store guests would want to pick up a bottle or tube for themselves on the way out. In fact, we were so casual about it we barely spent a minute on the original packaging -- instead focusing all our energies on the product quality inside the tubes and bottles.

Fast forward a few years to 2008 and you'll see that the packaging has evolved, as has our web site and store network.  But, our product distribution remains much the same.  Grooming Lounge shave products and their new buddies, Grooming Lounge Hair Care Solutions, are available in our stores and on our web site -- not really anywhere else.

Why you might ask have we not tried to expand the reach of these products? As stated before, we made them for selfish reasons -- we wanted to use them ourselves so we never really had a focus on securing real estate in other venues.

But with the recent onslaught of publicity we've received (Washington Post, USA Today, NY Magazine, Details Magazine) for these products, we think the time might be right to spread the GL Solutions gospel a bit.  Question is... how do we do it?

Interested in being a salesperson for Grooming Lounge Manufacturing?  We don't have time as we're too focused on the quality of our stores and making more great products. So, we need guys who are passionate about the products to do the leg work for us.  If you're interested, just shoot an e-mail to info@groominglounge.com. I don't think we're kidding.  Hmmmm... yeah pretty sure we're not.

Thanks for your support.

Unwanted Hair Awareness Month

As most of you probably know by now, May is Unwanted Hair Removal Month (UHRM) at the Grooming Lounge.  This nationwide effort, led by yours truly, begins later this week and is designed to help men who quietly suffer from UH-related ailments such as uni-brows, hairy ears, back hair, neck fuzz, etc. It's a quiet pain for these men, most of whom haven't a clue as to how to remove the unsightly hair that covers their body and ultimately impacts their personal and professional lives.

Anyway, many more details on the program are to come and are available on our site, but in honor of this historic month, The Grooming Guys sat down with two of our key Men's Skin Experts, Nikki Parker and Katie Wandres, to get thier thoughts and angles on the current state of men's hair removal services.

Grooming Guys: So what waxing service is most popular among men?

Skin Care Ladies: Backs and eyebrows are the biggies... without a doubt.

Grooming Guys: Does it hurt?

Skin Care Ladies: Well it's not a massage certainly.  But that said, if done right, it shouldn't really hurt very much at all.  The chest is the most sensitive, but noses and eyebrows are a walk in the park. The back... that can depend on what kind of rug is waiting for us back there. Usually not too rough though.

Grooming Guys: Is it true that hair grows back faster when you get it waxed?

Skin Care Ladies: That would be a negative.  Since you are ripping those hairs out at the source root when waxing, it takes the body about 4-6 weeks to replace them. Eventually, after a lot of waxing, many guys cease to grow hair in those spots.

Grooming Guys: Is there really an art to waxing or is it just "grip it and rip it?"

Skin Care Ladies: It is most certainly a bit of an art.  On a back wax, you try to round it into the shoulders to make it look like arm hair. For eyebrows, we will shape them, but not so much as for others to notice anything other than a clean brow. We do a lot of eye brow trimming without wax, which is a whole other story.

Grooming Guys: Is waxing really necessary for guys?

Skin Care Ladies: For many it certainly is.  You just can't walk around with a uni-brow and expect to be taken seriously.  Same goes for nose hair.  As for the back, getting a proper waxing before beach season is a must.

Grooming Guys: Any humorous waxing stories?

Skin Care ladies: Many, but the best was a recent guy who was told to come in by his wife before they went on a vacation to the Bahamas.  He was very, very hairy and she demanded he get a wax on his back and chest.  We did his back no problem, but when it came to the chest he was super sensitive and didn't enjoy it at all.  In between the third and fourth strips of wax he grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, called his wife and started screaming at her.  Although he was semi joking, he insisted on her staying on the line and hearing his screams until the service was over.

Why In The World Wouldn't You?

This might be the most self-promoting blog we've ever written (and that's a hard feat to accomplish).  But what we are saying is true and as both Grooming Guys were taught by our folks, "there's nothing wrong with saying the truth... assuming it doesn't hurt anyone."

On a recent visit to our new Grooming Lounge in Atlanta, one of the Grooming Guys dads was treated to a series of treatments on the house (we're sports like that).  After a shave, business manicure, haircut and facial, the Pops in question turned to his Grooming Guy son and stated:

"Who the hell wouldn't want to do something like that?  Take an hour or two out of the day to relax and get treated like a king? It's great."

Anyway, we agree and whether it's your local GL or a place near you, we encourage you to give it a shot.  You'd be amazed as to what a respite from the stresses of daily life a quick visit to a shop like ours can do.  It will make you not only look better, but feel refreshed, rejuvenated and more.

Make an appointment today fellas -- even if it's not at our place (although if you're local we'll be a bit hurt). It really can turn around your outlook and make you feel a bit more clean, polished and gentleman-like.

Why in the world wouldn't you? Not near a Grooming Lounge?  E-mail us at info@groominglounge.com and we'll try to recommend a spot in your neck of the woods.

The Subtle Art Of Emasculation

We've been doing this a long time and seen a lot of things in our Grooming Lounge Barber Shops and Spas. We've seen guys answer their cell phones during massages, men ask to get unmentionable parts of their anatomy waxed (we don't do that), and even had a guy strip down to his underwear for a foot treatment (didn't want to get his pants wet).

But that said, there is one faux paus we have seen more than others that really hits our hearts hard.  It's an act of trespassing so off-base, and one that happens so often, that we felt it our civic duty to stand up for all the men out there. All the men who really want to say something, but are afraid they might get in a tad of trouble with their fairer sexed partner.  Here's a shout out to a certain segment of ladies from your slightly scared fellas...

HE DOESN'T NEED YOUR HELP EXPLAINING TO HIS GROOMING EXPERT/BARBER HOW HE (REALLY YOU) WANTS HIS HAIR CUT!

Don't get us wrong, we 100% respect and appreciate all the women that send their male counterparts to us via recommendations and gift certificates.  It's certainly helped us to build our brand and we whole heartedly welcome your visits, suggestions and shopping time anytime. Women make the world go round.

That said, there is nothing more emasculating than a grown man being escorted back to the barber chair by his wife or girlfriend. Oh yeah, there is something worse than that.  That would be when the wife/girlfriend proceeds to have dialog with the Grooming Expert, explaining in detail just how he/she wants the man's haircut to be done.  This is usually accompanied by said wife/girlfriend pointing to her man as if he was a young child, grabbing his hair to show direction and rolling her eyes when her man throws in his two cents. A few of these rule-breakers will even insist on standing nearby throughout the entire haircut process to make sure all goes well.  Ohhh... those poor guys.

The bottom line is that such actions make a man feel like a child, a goofus (underrated word) and make the men sitting in the other chairs feel uncomfortable as well.  These few ladies have to trust that their men can handle this, and if not, that our Grooming Experts will steer them in the right direction and all will be good with the world. 

We certainly know it's a very small community of ladies who participate in this kind of behavior, but please know that for your guy, it's torture.  Let him have his personal grooming time and take his personal style where he chooses. We won't let him stray too far off course.

If you are one of the men affected by this, but are scared to speak out, fell free to contact our confidential e-mail hot line for one-on-one assistance by clicking here. We're kind of kidding, but kind of not.

Good luck.

6 Products To Keep You Looking & Feeling Good On Tax Day

Whether you'll be giving or receiving on April 15, Tax Day can be a toughie on your physical appearance and sunny disposition.  While the Grooming Lounge certainly can't help identify what items are deductible or write-off-able (is that a word?), we do know a product or two that can provide a great return on investment.  Below are six products certain to keep any American Taxpayer looking good through the week.

1. Menaji 911 Eye Rescue is guaranteed to revive peepers that have spent too much time staring at Turbo Tax or have bags under em' from audit-related nightmares.
2. DS Labs Spectral DNC will do its darnedest to replace any hair you might pull out while looking at how much you owe Uncle Sam.
3. Nickel Morning After Rescue Gel is armed with everything your mug needs to "snap out of it." It's a jumbo cup of Joe (caffeinated) for your face.
4. Molton Brown Enlivening Toko-Yuzu Bath & Shower Wash will liven you up and provide a shot of essential energy after long, stressful or sleepless days and nights.
5. Jack Black Pit Boss Deodorant isn't going let the stress get to your shirt or offend those around you.  It will help you look cool as a cucumber and will keep your pits smellin' on the up and up.
6. Malin+Goetz Essential Travel Kit is the one for you if the tax situation is so bad you'll be fleeing on the next flight out of here.  TSA-approved.

So A Priest & A Rabbi Walk Into The Grooming Lounge...

This isn't a set up for some zany joke, instead, it's exactly what the Grooming Guys witnessed during one day this past week. While pulling out of the garage at our D.C. store, we saw a Priest entering the shop ... surely prepping to get the goods needed to look his Sunday best everyday.

Upon arrival at our Virginia store later that day, one of the Grooming Guys noticed a Rabbi seated in one of the barber chairs awaiting a cut. A certain Grooming Guy thought it would be inappropriate to ask for his blessing over our new Grooming Lounge Hair Care Solutions.

Any hoo, just thought we'd share so you could see the universal and non-denominational appeal of good grooming. Shouldn't come as a surprise though, our D.C. shop often boasts political strategists from both the left and the right seated next to one another getting coiffed.

Can't wait to see who will show up in Atlanta this week.