Grooming for Grooms
PETE: One of the few advantages of bearing heart and soul by writing a Staggered blog each week [aside from the prestige, honour and kudos, I'm guessing? Ed] is the promise of getting some free stuff, from people wanting to advertise something. So when West London posh hair salon Jason Shankey said they wanted some victims, Dan and Pete jumped at the chance to be groomed…
DAN: Now, I’m not particularly stylish. In fact, if I have a style at all, it’s probably ‘laissez-faire’. So, I wasn’t particularly sold on this ‘Male Grooming’ idea. All I’m used to, frankly, is barbers’ shops. Yorkshire barbers shops at that. In and out in fifteen minutes, briefly discuss our obligatory whippets and flat caps, leave with a buzz cut that means I don’t have to return for a good ten or twelve weeks.
PETE: Once we’d all had a good snigger at “grooming”, and the “groom’s package” being offered, we organised a time and date to show up. I have to admit being naturally apprehensive at male grooming, as like most men I consider this sort of thing to be, well, a bit gay. However, my visions of being fawned over by some effeminate queen were pretty soon dispelled. In fact, at Jason Shankey they pretty much go out of their way to escape this image. The first thing we are shown is the waiting room, replete with vintage movie posters (McQueen, Caine, Connery), Sky Sports and free beer. And a putting green (yes really).
Golf, anyone?
DAN: Not having to wait long, we were quickly shepherded through to one of the main performance arenas: two very sharply designed and obscenely-comfortable salon areas for the first part of the package: a bit of a trim and restyle.
Kudos to Billy, who was tasked with the unenviable chore of scything through the unkempt, uncharted depths of jungle that was my ‘hairstyle’ to give me something a lot cooler and, more crucially, manageable. We were soon chatting away and it didn’t really feel like I was even getting my hair cut, as we covered practically all contemporary football, the wedding, the history of the salon and Pro Evolution Soccer. He noted I didn’t seem nervous given the wedding was relatively imminent, but soon put paid to that by pulling out a cut-throat razor and saying Sweeney Todd more than once.
PETE: I got the Hungarian blonde, while Dan got Billy. In your face Dan! The haircut bit was fairly familiar, although the prewash and head massage was quite relaxing. She also did something called a razor cut, which while probably known to many readers was completely new to me. All in all I was more than happy with the result. Next came the cut throat razor shave. This was another first for me, but any initial fears of ending up in next door’s pie shop were unfounded, as she had a very steady hand and seemed to exhibit no obvious psychotic tendencies.
Hold still...
DAN: This was the element of the experience I was most looking forward to: the hot-towel shave. A cut-throat razor taken to my, frankly, irritating and persistent stubble. A brief face massage preceded an exfoliating application, after which I was wrapped in a warm towel, leaving my face completely covered for a few minutes with only my nostrils exposed. Following this, shaving oil was applied, followed by a moisturising shave gel. Another, slightly hotter, towel was wrapped around my head this time. This was the most relaxed I have ever been in a hairdresser’s chair at this point; I was practically asleep. A very careful, very thorough shave was undertaken; constantly ‘topped up’ with shaving gel to keep the moisture in, first with and then against the grain, interspersed with another, still hotter towel. I have relaxed considerably whilst writing this just from the memory of it. I’m literally… on the point… of… drop… ping… … … o..
Wargh!! Sorry. That was the sudden memory of the cold towel being put on to finish the process.
PETE: The whole thing was generously bracketed with lots of lathering and moisturising, which not only prevented any blood but left my face feeling very well-cared for afterwards (and also smoother than it’s been since I was about 10 years-old!). The salon suggests that you have some kind of deep cleansing treatment like this a few weeks before the wedding, to clean your pores and hopefully prevent you getting any nasty zits on the big day.
Dan's best side.
DAN: If I’m being perfectly honest, the shave itself wasn’t as close as I expected, and I was still stubbly in places afterwards. I think this was down to my testosterone levels increasing in betrayal of my taking it for a ‘male grooming experience’. I can hear it jeering ‘Judas!’ late into the night…
But the experience itself is *divine*! It took around 45 minutes with my face being exfoliated, massaged, shaving-creamed and when the final towel came off, it felt electrified. If it’s possible for your face to get high by itself, this was how it happened. It. Was. Amazing.
By now, so relaxed that (a) I hadn’t notice Pete stood in front of me videoing my experience and (b) I had to be peeled from the chair, I was quite disappointed to leave. This had been the most chilled out experience of ‘male grooming’ I’d had. Jason Shankey have managed to successfully reinvent male grooming as an experience; somewhere to hang out for treatments and never feel uncomfortable; somewhere to go for a few hours and not feel it’s a chore.
PETE: Yep, I was so relaxed after the whole thing that I sat outside in a bit of daze and found myself telling some complete stranger about how wonderful it all was. It wasn’t until he made some excuse about going shopping and disappeared up a fire escape that I realised he wasn’t a customer, but had just popped out for a smoke, and probably lived in the flat above. Oh well, maybe I won them a new customer?
DAN: After moving back into the waiting area and wondering where Pete had disappeared to, I was unexpectedly accosted by Emma, one of the Grooming Centre’s team who informed me I was booked in for a manicure; which was news to me. You may be ahead of me in realising I have never had a manicure before… I just have that look, don’t I? Anyway, Emma did magic on my fingernails! She used some implements I wouldn’t be able to name in a labelled line-up, to buff and polish them all. They are *so* shiny! I keep looking at them in admiration. You know. Like girls do…
Before... and after. They've even managed to make me taller!
PETE: Good grief, you’re getting far too comfortable with all this. Is the wedding still on? I found the whole manicure thing a bit unnecessary to be honest (she even offered me a “plain varnish”. Nail varnish? Get away from me woman!), but it was the only part of whole thing I wouldn’t do again. All in all, the whole experience was not in the least bit uncomfortable, or sissy, or even overtly focussed on vanity and looking perfect, like so much of the world of female cosmetics seems to be. It’s certainly something I’m seriously considering on the morning of the big day. I might even see if the Best Man wants to pay for it…!
Jason Shankey - grooming in style
DAN: Jason Shankey’s Male Grooming is clearly something you do for the more special occasions: to treat yourself; as a gift from the lady in your life or for a big event like, say, a wedding. It’s a bit more expensive, but the team are given that freedom to spend a bit more time on the job; be that little more creative and giving each customer the time of day. It was all supremely laid-back and, critically, feels like a nice place to be. The staff were very friendly and it’s this atmosphere that makes it what it is. As a culture, an experience, rather than the practicalities of ‘getting your hair cut’, I think they’re moving in the right direction. Long may it continue.
Will I be going back? I reckon…
For further details on Jason Shankey London or your nearest Jason Shankey salon call 0207 386 3900 or view the website: www.jasonshankey.com.
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