Sexy female hairstylists and sexy lingerie-inspired attire

Barbershop offers titillating alternative for heterosexual men afraid of conventional salons

Meagan Garrity is one of the staffers at The Scandalous Barber, a salon in Winnipeg catering specifically to heterosexual men. Cindy Titus

The Scandalous Barber, located at 1174A Pembina Hwy, is a hair salon catering specifically to the male population. What makes a barber scandalous? Sexy female hairstylists dressed in lingerie-inspired attire, of course.

Tara Kardash and her husband came up with the idea to create a barbershop and hair salon that men could feel comfortable in, particularly heterosexual men.

“(My husband) always commented on not feeling comfortable in a regular salon and that men needed a place to be comfortable while getting pampered,” explained Kardash in an email. “We decided we wanted to open a risqué yet classy place for men to come and get their hair cut.”

The Scandalous Barber, which opened in February, aims to create a full-out pampering experience for men to feel good about themselves and have a good time.

Rather than awkwardly flipping through style magazines and reading about 30 new ways to please your man, The Scandalous Barber provides men’s magazines like Men’s Health and Maxim for more masculine reading pleasure in the waiting room.

Some of the other ways The Scandalous Barber will try to make men feel more at home in what has traditionally been a female-dominated setting are to adjust the music to their client’s tastes and to possibly televise sports games in the future.

Dustin Sanderson is one of the scandalous and scantily clad barbers in Kardash’s salon.

Dressed in a satin corset peeking out from behind her suit and some killer heels, Sanderson observed that, “For guys it often seems more like a task to get their hair cut. It’s not pampering for them but we’re trying to change that.”

Sanderson is one of the shop’s two stylists and has been receiving quite a lot of support and positive feedback from her clients.

(My husband) always commented on not feeling comfortable in a regular salon and that men needed a place to be comfortable while getting pampered.

Tara Kardash, owner, The Scandalous Barber

“They appreciate what we wear and I think they really like the fact that it’s a guy’s salon,” she said.

“We’re told to have fun with what we wear, but also to be comfortable. Sexy, not skanky,” she added.

Having fun with their “uniform” is something the stylists will be able to do a lot more of in the coming summer months.

A couple possible ideas are wearing sports outfits when the salon has games on or having a school-girl-themed day.

“It’s a very unique market because there aren’t a lot of (salons) for men,” commented Sanderson on the differences between The Scandalous Barber and other salons she has worked for in her five years as a hairstylist.

“Guys are pretty easy going, too. They don’t ask for celebrity haircuts as much as women do,” she laughed.

Although the salon caters primarily to the male population, The Scandalous Barber offers their services to the ladies, as well.

Sanderson admitted that many of the reactions she has received from women about the salon haven’t been nearly as enthusiastic as those from men.

She says that some of the negative reactions that people have about the salon might be due to some misconceptions about what the salon does.

“We are just a hair salon,” she said.

In the future, Kardash would like to expand the salon into a full spa, offering manicures, pedicures and various other spa treatments specifically for the fellas.

Although some salons cater to women more than men, many Winnipeg salons aim to please both genders.

Charles Garinger, co-owner and stylist at The Hive Hair Company on Osborne, believes that clientele and stylists in the hair industry are generally equally male and female nowadays.

He said that although he understands the appeal for some guys to go see an attractive hairstylist, he thinks that an 18+ hair salon would be targeting a very specific kind of guy, and that most of his male clients aren’t intimidated by the idea of going to a salon.

“For that kind of salon, it’s probably more about the experience than the actual service,” said Garinger.

Published in Volume 65, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 10, 2011)

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