Two of my toenails are permanently black and blue. I could probably use a pedicure–to have the bruised nails removed or the other eight painted to match–but the thought of walking through a salon filled with hair dryers and curlers and women staring at me through coated eyelashes is too much.
But then I found the American Male, a full-service salon for men.
“We’re not a froo-froo place,” said Jennifer Hill, owner of the body shop that offers services ranging from facials to chest waxes for the stylish Chicago man.
Although you will find some of the trappings of a traditional salon (shampoo tubs, a pedicure chair), the American Male, 401 W. Ontario St., looks more like a locker room. The walls are covered with Michael Jordan photos, boxing gloves and televisions permanently tuned to ESPN. And they offer cigars and Heinekens.
“We meet a man’s day-to-day styling needs in an environment that’s comfortable for men,” Hill said.
For someone whose day-to-day styling needs consist of a toothbrush and razor, I was a bit skeptical going in for my salon treatment. As part of the Quality Grooming Experience package ($36), I received :
– Paraffin hand dip: With fluffy oven mitts on your hands, you look like an idiot but feel like a champ.
– Energizing shampoo: There’s some ingredient in the soap (I wasn’t really listening) that tingles the scalp.
– Mini-facial: Just about the most relaxing experience you can have.
– Splash of astringent: To refresh your face after the facial.
– Warm towel: I felt like I was in an old “Popeye” cartoon.
– Mini-scalp massage: I felt like my brain was being rubbed to sleep.
– Haircut: Stylist Cynthia Pokorney did a great job without asking a million questions.
– Re-shampoo: Washes away hair clippings before they fall down your shirt (nice touch).
– Conditioning: From lifeless to flaxen in minutes.
– Styling: Pokorney spent five minutes arranging my hair. “I know it’s weird, but I’m a perfectionist,” she said.
The concept of a male salon is weird for some people, and Hill shies away from the metrosexual stereotype associated with male salon-goers.
“I don’t use that label,” she said. “With their diet and workouts, men have taken care of themselves internally for years. Now they want to take care of the external.”
They do their best at American Male to ease the salon stigma. The atmosphere is laid-back, and there’s a privacy screen for those receiving foot treatments. And by the way, it’s not a pedicure, it’s “foot detailing.”
My toenails are still broken, but the other parts of my body feel like a million bucks. I could have opted for the detailing and had my toenails repaired, but I decided to maintain a reason to return. With the range of services offered, it’s easy to find an excuse. You can have a foot detailing while drinking a beer, have your chest waxed with a hot towel on your face while bathing your hands in paraffin, or have your eyebrows sculpted while watching “SportsCenter” and having your shoes repaired and shined.
And they’re adding more services all the time. Is there anything they won’t do at American Male?
“We don’t do women,” Hill said.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
