Macho manis and powerful pedis: Mankind men’s salon opens

Macho manis and powerful pedis: Mankind men’s salon opens

Well manicured: Jason Culala and Noel Naguiat of Mankind (Photo by Karon Liu)

Wearing pink, shopping for clothes and getting highlights—the male sex has come a long way, but there are still a few milestones to hit, namely, having mani-pedis.

Noel Naguiat, who opened Mankind Grooming Studio for Men on Monday, remembers being laughed at when he went to a strip mall nail salon to have his nails cleaned. “It’s common for men to get manicures and pedicures in Europe and in parts of Asia, but here, a lot of guys feel embarrassed,” says Naguiat. “It shouldn’t be like that.” To create a masculine environment where men can get grooming advice without being gawked at, Naguiat, who is also an art director at an advertising agency, teamed up with his wife’s stylist, Jason Culala, to open Mankind.

The Spadina and Adelaide space is reminiscent of those old episodes of Home Improvement in which Tim Taylor would create the ultimate guy’s kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The waiting area has a PlayStation 3 hooked up to a 65-inch LCD TV, and each grooming chair has its own TV—the client controls the channel. In the back, a giant moose head is perched above an old-school barber’s chair for pedicures. There is also a skin care bar stocked with Dermalogica products; it also serves as the manicure station (there was a queue when we arrived).

The salon offers such services as hairstyling, razor shaves, massages, waxing, facials and, yes, manicures and pedicures. The Alpha Male ($45) includes a shampoo, cut, scalp and hand massages and a hot towel face wrap that’s perfect for dry winter days. Waxing (including manscaping south of the border) ranges from $15 to $40, and a hot stone massage is $55. And for the high roller, there’s the $10,000 Man of the Year package, which offers unlimited services of any kind for 365 days. As for women accompanying their boyfriends and husbands, sorry, but this is a boys’ club.

Mankind Grooming Studio for Men, 477 Richmond St. W., Ste. 103, 416-551-1113, mankindgrooming.com.