Beauty salons not exclusive domain of women
By Aloysius Unditu and I. Christianto
JAKARTA (JP): The adage that beauty parlors are women's territory no longer holds. Today, men from all walks of life -- from blue collar workers to business executives -- frequent parlors for a myriad of reasons.
They share one thing in common: they want to look better, an attribute they seek to boost their self-confidence in their everyday activities.
Some head-hunting companies make it a basic requirement that prospective (male) business executives have a good physical appearance, neat attire, and are handsome.
And there are many more external factors that drive men to beauty parlors.
An American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery survey found that the number of American men going to beauty parlors almost tripled from only 10 percent in the early 1980s to 26 percent in 1994.
The credibility of the survey results is debatable but it revealed one thing for sure: going to beauty parlors is not an exclusively female pastime.
Nowadays, more and more male executives visit beauty salons on a regular basis for hair, facial and skin care. Some even use them as places to socialize.
Says famous hairstylist Johnny Andrean, "As far as physical appearance is concerned, men and women are the same. They want to appear better looking. Coming out neat tells much about one's personality. It is just fine for men to visit beauty salons."
Johnny believes men-only salons have a bright future catering to the growing needs of male executives.
"I'd like to run a specialized beauty salon like that someday," he says.
The president of Timor Distributor Nasional, Soemitro Soerachmad, reckons it is okay for men to go to beauty salons. "It's important that I appear fresh at work."
Since 1990 the 59-year-old Soerachmad has been one of the regular customers at the Rudy salon in the smart Permata Hijau housing complex, in South Jakarta.
"I usually go to Rudy twice a month to have my hair trimmed. The parlor is near my home," he said.
Some people use beauty parlors as rendezvous for socializing, where they can meet and gossip.
Many parlor owners are well aware of this and offer more than just facilities where people get their hair cut or facial treatment.
"Salons are not just facilities where people look for beauty but for good health as well, and are open to both men and women," Tika Bisono, a psychologist, argues.
Mohammad Idwan Ganie, founding partner of the Lubis, Ganie, Surowidojo law firm, says he would not go to a beauty parlor for facial or skin care treatment because he can handle it himself.
The graduate of the University of Indonesia's school of law and the University of Hamburg, Germany, says that rather than spending time at beauty parlors, he will hunt around for hand- made European shoes, shirts, bags and ties.
Ganie, lawyer and legal consultant to many business conglomerates in Indonesia, is well-known for his legendary expensive taste.
He bought his Berluti and John Locke shoes in France and Norton and Rose ties in London.
"I don't mean to boost my self-confidence with them. I just find it comfortable wearing them," he says.
Born in Amsterdam in the late 1950s, Ganie understands five languages; English, German, Dutch, Latin and Indonesian, underlining why he has become such a successful lawyer.
In fact, men pursuing physical beauty dates back about five centuries. Ancient Greek men were very serious about their pursuit of physical perfection. They considered physical appearance as important as spiritual well-being. Male Greeks often had manicures, pedicures and had their hair cut at barbershops.
It was Heroditus who in the fifth century BC advised the Egyptian goddess Atsositou about a beauty mask of apricot pulp, and coconut milk.
Not only is this one of our earliest extant beauty tips but it was given by a man.
Male executives and businessmen visiting beauty parlors are just modern-day versions of Heroditus.