Men tanned and toned to perfection

Sep 12 2008 Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE is experiencing a spa phenomenon due to a growing interest in male grooming and health care.

The face of the average male appears to be transforming into tanned and toned perfection.

The recent surge of interest from men towards the health and spa industry in Cheshire has been welcomed by local hotels and spas who are now specifically catering services just for men.

The flux of interest in male relaxation and invigoration has sent figures soaring and what was once a womanly haven is now a regular retreat for men.

In fact, men now comprise 30% of the spa-going public in Britain and the male grooming market has become a multimillion pound industry.

Top brands, such as Gillette, use celebrity role models like David Beckham to increase sales of their products.

The Grosvenor Hotel and Spa, Chester, is situated on Eastgate Street in the heart of the city. Marketing manager Penta Clark explained: “We are seeing an increase in men coming to use the spa, usually for massages but increasingly for facials, reflexology and most recently the Elemis cooling hot stone body facial. Men seem to be far more comfortable coming in to the spa and trying a wider range of treatments nowadays.”

The Grosvenor Spa is not alone in their rising number of male clients. Su Bloomberg, owner of the Old Hall Country Club and Spa at Huntington has also recognised the growth in popularity of men’s spas first hand from her own business.

“We know from talking to our male clients that spa treatments would be very welcome in companies and professional practices and sizes – if only more people knew about their benefits,” said Su.

“Male grooming is definitely more socially acceptable these days, we try and make sure that we assess every male client’s individual needs by having a consultation before treatment.

“We get all ages of men coming here, one of our oldest clients is 70 and comes in regularly for manicures and pedicures. We also get younger men in, particularly sports men.”