Salons and spas make us think of feSmale spaces decorated with pink and bling, where things not remotely related to men take place. But beauty is no longer synonymous with girls. In unisex salons and spas, we often find male hairdressers and makeup artists taking the lead.
Is it really an offbeat profession for guys? “No, it is in fact more of a guy thing. It needs a sense of beauty, which men are always good at,” says Abhineet Jain, MD, Vinita’s Salon and Day Spa Pvt. Ltd. Little did this Computer Science graduate think of becoming what he is today—one of the very few qualified hair stylists in Madurai.
“It is probably one of the oldest salons in the city that catered exclusively to women,” he says about the shop his mother Vinita Jain started in the ground floor of their home in the 1980s. “I used to watch my mom working on her clients and subconsciously it was getting registered in me. But then, standing and setting right someone’s hair for hours didn’t appeal to me much.”
Abhineet changed his mind when he got inspired by fashion hairstylist Jawed Habib during one of Habib’s visits to the city.
Prabhu, senior hairdresser at the Naturals family salon and spa, says, “I wasn’t reluctant to take up the job. I got inspired by a stylist friend during my stay in Abu Dhabi.” While conventional parents might not have liked their son’s workplace to be a salon, Prabhu’s parents understood the scope of the beauty industry and were more than happy to put their son through the Naturals academy. “I worked for four years in Chennai and now in Madurai,” says Prabhu. “We get in-house training periodically to update skills.”
Abhineet’s cosmetologist father and stylist mother sent him to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries for beauty courses. “I did the course from Pivot point, a Los Angeles–based firm in Chennai. I worked with Dominic Cruz, who does the styling for Miss World contests, and Andrews, a well-known stylist from France,” he says.
Abhineet started a men’s salon called AJ’s in just 100 square feet and offered free haircuts for six months. “I took all liberty to experiment with styles and looks. Collegians were more for unconventional cuts.” He admits to having nicked a few ears while learning, but two years later, all the city women head to the mother and their hubbies go to the son.
Today, Abhineet attends to 10 to 15 customers a day and has around 400 regular customers, while Prabhu is busy all through except in the off seasons. “Small towns are easy to survive in as there is less competition and a loyal clientele,” feels Abhineet. “I have even given Mohawks, spikes and curls to young locals.”
Both Abhineet and Prabhu style men and women. Pointing out that hair styling techniques for men and women are completely different, Vinita Jain says, “Abhineet started servicing my long-known customers and friends, but now he is in demand among our women clients.”
Prabhu is also sought after. “He is known as ‘Prabhu anna’ among the girls,” says M. Rathina Priya, Franchisee, Naturals salon. She says many women were reluctant at first to be styled by a man, but gradually they began to like his work. “I feel a man knows better to style a woman and women too have confidence in a man’s suggestions on looks.”
“Most of my women clients are above 35 years and surely they don’t mind a man styling their hair,” says Abhineet. “People are coming out of taboos and our city is no exception. Styling in fact involves a lot of creativity and aesthetics, which is not foreign to men,” he adds.
Young Abhineet plans to expand more under the parent brand Katri. Hair colour, conditioners, shampoos and makeup will soon be hitting the shelves under the name Abnature. For both Abhineet and Prabhu, passion and good business sense have overcome social conventions.
