Tips For Building A Male Grooming Business And Spa

The male grooming industry is still booming, but Charlee and her business partner Karis were ahead of the curve. Over eleven years ago, Karis launched Chaps with Charlee, one of Canterbury’s first male-only grooming barbers and spas, offering head-to-toe services for men, including waxing, facials, and beard care.

We sat down with Charlee to talk about Chaps’ treatments, their loyal clientele, what it’s really like running a business in “a man’s world”, and to explore whether friendship and business can mix.

From Skincare Counters to Founding Chaps

Charlee’s career began on skincare and make-up counters in her local department store, where she met Karis. Unbelievably, after just two years, they opened Chaps, just across the road from where they had first worked together.

Surprisingly, they were not close friends initially, but both recognised a shared determination and ambition in each other. That mutual respect became the foundation of their partnership.

Male Grooming: The Opportunity and Offerings

The UK male grooming market has expanded rapidly, evolving far beyond basic haircuts. Men are increasingly embracing skincare, beard care, and full grooming routines. Chaps, one of the barbershops and spas ahead of that shift, has built a treatment menu that invites men into the salon space. Their offering reflects what modern male clients want.

Chaps’ Male Treatments:

Barbering, beards, and shaves
Facials
Massages
Nail care and pedicures
LYCON waxing
Tanning and more

Smart Strategy for Salons: Launching Mini Male Treatments

Chaps offers services designed to make men feel comfortable and confident. Charlee explains how they introduced mini treatments at the front of the shop, where barbershop clients get haircuts, trims, and shaping.

Mini Treatments Include:

Cheek and facial waxing
Eyebrow waxing
Nose and ear waxing

By offering these quick, accessible treatments in a familiar setting, clients feel relaxed while gradually being introduced to the wider range of services available in the rest of the spa.

Get to Know Your Ideal Client: Design Your Salon Space Around Them

At Chaps, design plays a key role in breaking stereotypes around men’s self-care. The layout itself is strategic:

At the front: a barbershop and grooming area styled like a classic gentlemen’s barbers, complete with leather chairs, exposed brick, and warm wooden fixtures, appealing to their ideal client.

At the back: spa, massage, and waxing rooms where clients can discover more advanced treatments in a calm, private setting.

This transition makes men feel at ease while opening the door to new services they might not have considered before, or may otherwise have to go out of their way to find. Something salon owners should consider when offering new services: the space doesn’t have to be large; it just needs to be visible, inviting, and designed with the target client in mind. Even small details, like the flow from entry to treatment, can make a client feel more at home.

If your current layout lacks space, you can still ensure client comfort and seclusion by:

Designating a Multipurpose Private Room: A versatile room exclusively for services demanding complete privacy, such as facials, full-body waxing, and massages.

Creating Semi-Private Spaces: For services requiring partial separation, like pedicures and specialised manicures, use high-quality retractable screens or decorative dividers to zone individual stations for clients who prefer more privacy.

Attracting and Retaining Male Clients

When Chaps first launched, Charlee and Karis worried whether men would book intimate treatments like waxing. However, the response was overwhelmingly positive—some even travelled miles to get their wax. With barriers in the male grooming industry continually being broken, this trend is set to continue making it easier for newcomers to target male clientele.

Their experience working with both male and female clients throughout their careers has provided valuable insights. For example:

Male clients don’t typically come through referrals for treatments like waxing.

Men find local intimate waxing services by:

Google searches for “male waxing” or “men’s hair removal”
Browsing the treatment menu while visiting for other services
Observing other clients in the barbershop

Unlike female clients, who often come through personal recommendations, men rely heavily on online discovery. Clear digital visibility via a website, local listing, or social media is therefore crucial for salons offering male-specific services.

Male Client Mindset

Charlee notes clear behavioural differences between male and female clients. While women often research and buy their own aftercare products, men tend to purchase directly from the salon based on the therapist’s advice, preferring simple, effective solutions without extra steps.

Client Aftercare Process:

Whereas women are likely to follow each step of aftercare advice, men will at a minimum use the recommended products. No matter who you’re selling aftercare to, it’s a great way to boost revenue while sharing expertise, building trust, and supporting clients’ hair care journeys.

Waxing Clients Are Your Core Clients:

Charlee observes that waxing clients are often the most loyal. While waxing isn’t her favourite treatment, these clients are devoted because of the strong working relationships built through trust and results. Once you become their trusted waxer, they’re likely to return every four to six weeks. This makes it worth your while to offer male treatments.

Premium Products, Premium Experience

Charlee believes in knowing your worth and valuing the products and skills that define your business. By stocking premium products and offering top-quality treatments, salons can justify higher pricing while delivering better results.

Charlee’s experience with Lycon, both as a therapist and client, was instrumental in Chaps adopting the brand. Experiencing the product from both perspectives gave them confidence that it would uphold their reputation.

Chaps use the Lycon MANifico range, a wax specifically formulated for thick, coarse hair a common characteristic of male clients. They rely on this range for all their male waxing treatments. Key ingredients such as Titanium Dioxide, Chamomile, Australian Sandalwood, and Micro Mica make the wax exceptionally smooth and ultra-pliable, ensuring a comfortable and effective waxing experience.

Tip: Using hot wax instead of strip wax for back treatments (if client hair growth suits this) elevates the client experience and can yield better results.

Is male grooming right for you and your salon? Ultimately, it comes down to you and the skill set of your therapists, but with Chaps’s experience in mind, it’s certainly worth serious consideration.

Friendship, Female Leadership, and Thriving in a Male-Led Industry

Every successful journey comes with moments of self-doubt. Charlee experienced this with Chaps after managing the business with Karis for two years. She left the industry to explore other interests, only to return and become co-owner of Chaps.

That time away reminded her how much she truly valued the treatments, clients, and salon environment. Seven years on, she and Karis now balance complementary managerial roles:

Charlee: hands-on therapist and creative force, managing day-to-day operations

Karis: front-of-house strategist, managing HR, operations, and the bigger picture

Extending the Brand Vision:

With the success of Chaps, Karis and Charlee introduced a female side of the business, initially branded as Chapettes, for the wives, partners, and families of Chaps’ male clientele.

After five years, however, the clientele Chapettes attracted didn’t fit the original model. They were forging their own style and demanding a distinct identity. Karis and Charlee recognised that the female brand needed its own voice, tailored specifically to these clients.

Thus, Paradiso was born, becoming a unique character in the Chaps story. For their female clients, they turn to LYCON's Pinkini for both intimate waxing and body waxing, which they describe as “a cute name with big results".

Together, Charlee and Karis have built a business model thriving on trust, defined roles, mutual understanding, and freedom to explore their interests, with spaces designed for both male and female clients.

Key Takeaways for Salon Owners

Diversify your services to attract a wider, loyal clientele.
Design spaces that make male clients feel comfortable and confident.
Offer high-demand treatments like male waxing to increase trust and revenue.
Optimise your online presence for the ideal client.
Value your expertise, premium products and pricing reflect professional skillset and results.

FAQ's:
Q1. Is It Worth offering Male Grooming in my salon?

A1. Men are investing more than ever on grooming and self-care.
Adding male treatments helps you expand your client base, diversify your skills, and increase revenue. It also gives your salon a competitive edge and taps into a rapidly growing market that values expertise and trust.

Q2. Is male intimate waxing popular?

A2. The growing acceptance and interest in male grooming including manscaping has led to a noticeable rise in men seeking intimate treatments for hygiene, comfort, and confidence. While many may not openly discuss it, the demand is there.

Q3. What Wax Is Best for Men?

A3. Lycon offers several options suitable for the male intimate areas. All of our hot wax products are designed with sensitive skin in mind, but the standout choice is Lycon MANifico Hot Wax. This premium formula is specifically designed for coarse, thick hair, a common characteristic of male hair.

Q4. Does Beauty Triangle offer male intimate training?

A4. Yes. The Lycon Male Training is a one-on-one session with a Lycon expert focused on practical learning and techniques for the treatment. To qualify for the course, you need to hold an insurable waxing qualification and must have completed both the Lycon Introduction and Advanced Training courses or the Express training course to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the Lycon waxing system, techniques, and products. Note: Models are required and you must be over 18. Enquire here.

Ahead of the Trend: How Charlee & Karis Built a Men-Only Grooming Barbershop and Spa

From Skincare Counters to Founding Chaps