When Rick Sander told me he was opening a Hammer and Nails Grooming Shop for Guys franchise in Naples, I knew he'd done his homework. Still, thirty-five years in the investment business taught me to be skeptical of “trends.”
A crusty, old, retired ex-marine like myself had to wonder if “real men“ would actually go to the trouble of taking care of themselves. For decades we've been getting along with a bar of soap and a disposable razor. What do we need to know about head-to-toe grooming?
The next words out of Rick’s mouth convinced me that he knew a whole lot more about his business than I did.
"That may be true for your generation, Bud. However, there are a couple of generations of younger men out there unthinking the do-it-yourself mentality. They are embracing grooming as 'not-just-a-haircut.‘ Surveys show that men are now seeing total grooming as a responsibility not just to their significant others, but to their employees, clients, and most importantly, to themselves. Personal appearance has become part of their brand. Hammer and Nails is providing luxury man care in a grooming nirvana. Men deserve to look and feel their best.”
Well! He may not have intended to hurt my feelings but he got me thinking. Now I was determined to not only shed my lizard-like Florida-baked, flaky skin but “unthink“ my own personal branding.
My unthinking began to kick in on the drive home. I glanced in the rearview mirror at my bushy eyebrows and what looked like a potato patch growing out of my ears. Somehow, in this new light, I no longer seemed casually masculine.
The next day I phoned my best buddy, Dan, to join me in a unique men's spa experience with a glass of wine or beer and our choice of music, sports programming, or fun conversation at 2500 Tamiami Trail North. He, too, was a greenhorn at being pampered and was totally in the dark, but quickly agreed.
We arrived and sat at the bar in the member’s lounge with an ice-cold beer after Rick gave us a quick tour. Dan wanted a haircut and an ear wax. I was talked into something called "The Big Daddy" which I found out was a premium mani-pedi complete with a paraffin treatment to hydrate my hands and feet.
I laid back in a cool, darkened, private room in comfortable leather chairs for 90 minutes of conversation, energizing music, and Motor Trend on the big screen TVs. I looked down as the nail artist removed the paraffin wax. I barely recognized my own feet. She then brought me a sparkling Pellegrino and started on my manicure.
I received a hot towel to cover my feet while my hands soaked in warm paraffin wax—all part of the Big Daddy experience. So this is how 60-year-old Tom Cruise prepared for playing beach football with 24-year-olds in the new Top Gun movie. Branding indeed!
Upon leaving, I could see that Rick was spot-on with his demographic assessment as more men were arriving for their appointments. Most seemed half my age. Rick said they had already signed up over 300 members. Feeling and looking our best, we said, “Sign us up!”
Membership at Hammer and Nails is going to be a fun reward that we will earn many times over. Who knows, maybe we’ll be ready for an off-camera, bare-chested game of football on Naples beach. Or not.
Hammer & Nails is a premium destination for haircuts, shaves, hand and foot care. We’ve built a grooming club and it‘s everything you would expect and more. A place where you can kick back and relax. Your comfort is priority number one. For more information, please visit hammerandnailsgrooming.com/location/naples-fl/ or call 239.316.0008.