Originally published on 2004-09-16 in the Life category.

By Lisa Snedeker - Staff writer

Men including Gary Boggs, James Kirk and Marc Ingram are taking more care with their appearance, and it shows.
Over the past decade, Boggs has progressed from getting his hair styled to having it colored to having his body hair removed.
‘‘I just wanted to look the best that I possibly could,” he said.

Kirk, a Spring Lake dentist, has been getting chemical peels and microdermabrasion treatments at the Mane Issue Spa-Lon on Bragg Boulevard.

‘‘I’m very conscientious about my health and well-being,” Kirk said.

After suffering from bad skin as a teen and later incurring sun damage, Kirk said he wanted to get professional advice.

‘‘I’m really pleased with the results,” he said.

Marc Ingram is a captain in the Army who is preparing to deploy to Kuwait on Oct. 5. Part of his preparations include getting a manicure, pedicure, facial and a massage at the Mane Issue.

‘‘I do it for relaxation,” he said. ‘‘You want to spend as much time getting to know yourself again before going away somewhere like that.”

When he comes back from Kuwait, Ingram is planning a full day at the spa.

‘‘There’ll be a massage, a body wrap, manicure, pedicure,” he said. ‘‘I can’t wait for that day next year.”

Ingram, who is 29, said he gets a little ribbing from some of the guys about going to the spa, but, he said, taking care of his skin is important to him.

‘‘Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you don’t want your skin to stay nice,” he said.

The International Spa Association reports that 29 percent of the nearly 45 million people going to spas in the United States each year are men.

‘‘Men are going to spas now more than ever before,” said Lynne Walker McNees, ISPA executive director. ‘‘Men continue to make up nearly a third of spa clients and spas for men only are being built around the world.”

Men are frequently exposed to the benefits of spas by their wives, girlfriends or mothers, McNees said.

‘‘Once they have that first spa experience, they are hooked,” she said. ‘‘People no longer see spas as pampering, but instead as a requisite to staying healthy.”

The Kentucky-based industry group has 2,400 members, who monitor the grooming routines of male executives in 64 countries. McNees studies the habits of the 160 million people who her group estimates spent $10.7 billion on spa treatments last year. This includes everything from ‘‘rainshower massages” in Thailand to having their bodies slathered in Mexican chili pepper sauce.

‘‘Guys have always gone to spas,” McNees said. ‘‘They are just shy about it.”

More spas are offering special treatments for men, McNees said. The spas in Fayetteville are no exception.

The Renaissance European Day Spa and the Mane Issue have men’s nights.

In the past three years, the male clientele at Renaissance has grown, said Allison Schafer, day spa coordinator.

‘‘I think more and more men are starting to see it as a necessity,” she said. ‘‘The majority of our male clientele come in for massages. We have one gentleman who comes in three times a week.”

Renaissance changed the names of some of the services it offers to men, Schafer said. For example, the spa offers sports manicures, sports pedicures and executive facials.

‘‘Generally around Father’s Day we come out with packages geared toward men,” she said.
Renaissance offers a men’s night quarterly, Schafer said.

‘‘We had one in July, and we were completely booked,” she said. ‘‘We close the entire back end of the spa to men. It’s a great way for men to try our services without being around women, and we’ve got hot wings, beer and chips and salsa.”
Kimberley Wright, a licensed aesthetician at the Mane Issue, said she is seeing more men getting their hair dyed, their nails manicured and their feet pampered with pedicures.

Herby Fryer, who is 53, had his first manicure and pedicure last month. The treatments along with a full body massage were a gift from his wife for their wedding anniversary.

‘‘The pedicure was my favorite thing. I really enjoyed that she soaked my feet and massaged my feet and put creams on them,” he said. ‘‘It’s something I want to do again.”

Fryer, who retired from the Army in 1990, is a mail processor, so he is on his feet all day.

‘‘When I got my pedicure, she educated me about my feet,” he said. ‘‘She mentioned the two parts of our body we abuse the most are our feet.”

Fryer said his only regret was he wished that he had tried some spa offerings sooner.

‘‘Men think it’s a woman’s thing,” he said. ‘‘But if they would get out there and try it, they would actually enjoy it.” Men are also getting their brows waxed and having facials.

‘‘Once they come in and get something done, once they get past that initial stigma, they say, ‘I’m here, what else can I get done?’” she said. ‘‘ Just like the women, they don’t want to show their age.”

Others come in for professional reasons, Wright said.

‘‘I have a couple of doctors who speak on panels and feel like they have to look good because they are in the public eye everyday,” she said. ‘‘They want to look tidy and well-kept, polished.”

Kirk is a youthful looking 54. He is careful about his diet and exercises regularly. In addition to microdermabrasion, he gets chemical peels for his face and massages for his back.

‘‘You have to put a little effort into looking good,” he said.

The effort is worth the results, say Kirk and others.

‘‘If you feel good about yourself, it makes your life better,” he said. ‘‘And that’s what it’s all about.”

Boggs said he first turned to back waxing in 1999.

‘‘I’m a hairy dude. The older I got, I was being overcome by hair. I had lots and lots of thick hair, and it bothered me when I worked. It was very irritating and uncomfortable.”

Boggs, who drives an 18-wheeler, said the more times he has his back waxed, the less hair comes back. He said removing the hair from his arms and legs came next.

‘‘It just got uncomfortable for me. The hair on my back pulled, and the hair on my legs broke off and got infected,” he said.
Boggs said he doesn’t worry about what other people think.

‘‘I’m past that point,” he said. ‘‘This makes me happy. I’m still getting it done because I like it. ”

The 40-year-old said he hears a lot of women complain about their husbands’ hair styles and clothing.

‘‘I am willing to try something new,” he said.

Boggs has been a client of Noelyne Langston, co-owner and operator of Noelyne Ltd., for the past 10 years. He started letting the salon color his hair about six months ago after a friend suggested he get rid of some of the gray.

Boggs decided to try full body-hair removal at the suggestion of a female friend.

‘‘It was embarrassing, and it hurt,” he said. ‘‘But I thought it was worth it if it makes me look better.”
Boggs continues to have the hair removed from his chest and his arms ‘‘to calm it down.” He has his back done about once a month.

‘‘Sometimes it’s every two months, because the more you snatch the follicle out, the longer it takes to come back,” he said.
He spends about $45 to have the hair removed from his chest and back.

‘‘I don’t mind spending money to look good,” he said.

Boggs, who is divorced, said he believes the procedures have knocked 10 years off his appearance.

‘‘I’ve slowed down my aging process by the things I’ve done,” he said. ‘‘A lot of people think I’m 30. I’ve tried to take care of myself.”

Boggs, who grew up in Hope Mills, has been driving trucks for 18 years and working for Southeastern Freight for 10. His job keeps him in shape.

‘‘I have a physical job unloading that truck,” he said. ‘‘You’ve got to be rough and tough. I work, like, 60 hours in five days. I feel like I deserve to do the things I do for myself.”

Staff photos by Steve Aldridge
Photo: James Kirk