Gone are the days when men would just wake up, splash water over their faces, get dressed and hit the road.
These days, instead of dropping spouses off at hair salons or beauty spas on weekends and then calling up friends for a few hours at the local pub while the madam is getting herself fixed, men are starting to realise that looking and feeling good is an integral part of a healthy balanced life.
Though many African men are still of the view that beauty shops are meant only for ladies, labelling those who do as softies or coconuts, (black people with white mentalities), hectic urban lifestyles and the pressures of all-work-and-no-play attitude take an unprecedented toll on health and more and more men are starting to realise the benefits of a little time-out.
Spas allow for a relaxing, calming and detoxing experience that is a perfect complement to a balanced exercise programme.
“In the last three years we have seen a significant increase in the number of men coming in for our services. I think they are starting to realise that it’s not just a woman’s thing. Male clients come in mainly for pedicures, facials, massages eyebrow tinting and body waxing,” says Noelene Farr a therapist and Managing Director of Urban Space, an upmarket beauty massage and makeup spa situated in the suburbs of central Gaborone. “In this light Urban Space now offers lots of packages specifically for men. We also do tailor made packages to suit individual needs.”
According to Noelene, their clientele consists mainly of people with a higher income bracket.
“We get mostly executives and business men thirty five years and older, who come in for our services and I think the reason they keep coming back is because they have realised that the treatments we offer don’t just make them look good but feel better as well because they also help to reduce stress.”
