American Salon 07/01/2007
South of Downtown in San Francisco's burgeoning SoMa neighborhood, a hip, new salon and spa called the Barber Lounge is attracting a loyal following of men and women with its stylish decor and services that cater to both sexes.
"In my experience in the industry, I've noticed that women want their husbands and boyfriends to get nice haircuts, but men don't necessarily want to pay stylist prices," says the Barber Lounge's owner Greg Griffin, "so I decided to put a barbershop within a salon and spa so that men and women would feel comfortable coming here together."
The Barber Lounge opened in January, offering a Dry Cut, Hot Towel Shave and other men's grooming services in a vintage looking barbershop area with chairs from the 1950s and a checkerboard-patterned floor. In addition, the salon offers stylist cuts, hair color, manicures and pedicures, makeup application and spa treatments.
The 5000-square-foot space, which features skylights and steel casement windows, was designed by John Lum Architecture to feel like a loft apartment, with eclectic "found" furnishings and spa treatment rooms that resemble bedrooms, each printed with a different color scheme. A selection of paintings and photographs, which Griffin plans to rotate every four to six months, includes images of "hair icons" - celebrities and political personalities past and present whose haircuts have influenced style trends. For the retail area, Griffin chose to offer product lines that would appeal to both sexes, such as Goldwell, Davines, Sharps and the Barber Lounge's signature skincare line, Barber Botanicals.
"I definitely veered toward the masculine side with the decor, name and website," says Griffin, "though I still wanted it to have a unisex appeal. I feel like most salons and spas cater to the female demographic, but since I already have many female clients, I wanted to go after more male clientele."
Griffin trained at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis and has worked at a number of salons in San Francisco. Prior to opening his own business, he spent several years cutting hair out of his loft apartment because he couldn't find a salon he was interested in working for. So far, he's thrilled with the response to the Barber Lounge.
"A lot of guys have come in for their first manicure, pedicure or facial," he says, "and I think women get a kick out of the barbershop vibe." - Lotus Abrams
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