Swanky salons tap on metro-sexual Mangalorean men

Mangalore: Gone are the days when women used to throng at parlours and salons to pamper themselves. This is the age of metro-sexual men and Mangalore is no exception. Huge number of spas and salons have come up in the city catering to beauty needs of men.

With the Mangalorean men demanding more specialised look, influenced by Bollywood trends, the expertise of the conventional hair dressers is falling short. To quench the styling thirst of the Mangalorean style freaks, several numbers of hi-tech salon are on the anvil.

Due to this trend, the traditional barber shops have been running empty as most of the youngsters are turning towards swanky saloons, which have an aura of sophistication and style attached to them.

Keshava Bhandary is a barber by profession who has felt the pinch of changing trends. "The youngsters do not visit us anymore because of the advent of the swanky salons. Neither do we provide the kind of services they do nor can we do the kind of styling they do there," he says.

These expensive salons do not just provide styling but also provide an array of spa treatment for hair and skin, which is in great demand among men. Treatment like pedicure, manicure, facial, bleach, hair colouring and grooming are now opted for by men regularly.

Meet the Kudla guy and an engineering student Kalandar Nawaz of Valencia. He says that he visits salons because of comfort and experienced stylists who can groom him the way he wants.

“I prefer high-tech salons as there are professional groomers employed there. According to my taste they style my beard and hair. I am quite relaxed when it comes to the products used on me because all of the products are branded ones. The traditional salons give only trimming and shaving service. They cannot provide the kind of services that are available in these salons," he says adding that the groomers at the swanky salon are abreast with the current trends and they very well suggest the customers on the kind of styling that will go with the customer.

Rohan Carlo, who is a commerce graduate and grooming expert in Mangalore runs Veera's style Academy. He says that over the years the style mantra of Mangalorean men has been changing and today more and more youngsters want to look like Bollywood heroes.

"Hair colouring, straightening, tattoo, grooming, nail arts and facials are in demand. It is fascinating to see how Mangaloreans are not scared of trying new things," he says.

Scope for beauticians

Since the demand for hair and beauty treatments are increasing there is huge demand for professionals in Mangalore. In such a situation getting trained stylists has become a challenge. However, to cater to this demand couple of academies have come up where they train individuals in beauty treatments and prepare them as trained stylists.

All in all with the changing skyline of Mangalore, the inclination of the people too has been changing and today not just women, but even men love to spend that extra time in front of the mirror.