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Review: Men's Services at Emerge
With the growing number of Boston “metrosexuals,” there’s a proportionally-increasing demand for spa and salon services for men. Opening with four floors (as well as a dedicated men’s club), Emerge on Newbury Street hopes to accommodate those needs for years to come. Last week I encountered a personal need to “clean up my ‘act’ ”; that need, of course, being Mother’s Day … and honoring a mother who would be mortified if I showed up in anything less than a grooming “state of perfection.” As a result, I decided to try two of the men’s services at Emerge. While Emerge successfully presents a cachét of luxury, does the cachét meet reality? Both services which I wanted to try are two that most (if not all) men need. Strangely, one of those services are hard to find in Boston; in fact, this hard-to-find service is one I haven’t had since I was in London in 1992. The first service I decided to try at Emerge was their men’s haircut. And what’s this mysterious, second service that men do every day, but I haven’t done in 14 years? Simple: a shave. But not the daily ritual with an electric razor; or one of those razors which, in a few years, will have 12 blades. Just one blade: a straight-edge razor shave. Complete with hot towels, lather applied with a brush, all culminating with a dusting of Clubman talc. The Entrée Normally I don’t waste space to narrate how I enter an establishment. I have to make an exception now, because entering Emerge set the tone for the morning’s pampering. Emerge positions itself as a world-class, luxury spa. Of course, their positioning is pointless if the patron doesn’t think of it as such. What I found is that Emerge’s efforts begin when you arrive. I was greeted by a host named Shannon. I was shocked – and impressed – by Shannon. She had impeccably formal perfect manners and etiquette; in other words, the traits of any Oxford graduate. However, Shannon’s propriety was tempered with friendliness without familiarity. She inisisted on escorting me to my first appointment (the haircut), even if was just one floor above. The best way to term Shannon’s hosting abilities is to say this: she’s the “Captain Peacock” of Emerge, without the attitude. Yes, that one gesture of Shannon’s, along with her etiquette, did set the tone of a morning of luxury and first-class service at Emerge. The Hair Salon For years I’ve tried different salons (and stylists) in a search for “the perfect head of hair.” And along with that cohort of different salons and different stylists, I’ve also tried different “strategies”; ranging from a razor cut all the way to a partial perm.
The very first thing that struck me about Emerge’s hair salon is the “complete” environment. Unlike virtually all the salons I’ve patronized over the years, the salon at Emerge conveys an atmosphere of relaxation and comfort. Visually, the salon is well-appointed with pastels, wood furnishings, even flowers at each station. At most other salons on Newbury Street, they take a minimalist approach to the décor; if you’re lucky, the mirror is big enough to see your entire head. But the background music contributes more than 75 percent of the ambience. At other salons, the music harkens you to a “Euro Night” at some nightclub. At Emerge, you hear a great mix of jazz, big band, and blues. In fact, I think this is the first time I’ve heard a song, at a salon, whose lyrics employed the word “cat” to mean a “cool guy”, rather than a house pet. While high-energy music is in style now, I prefer jazz as relaxation … something I need especially when someone’s wielding sharp objects inches from my head! Since I needed a coif for Mother’s Day anyway, I decided to try the services of Alanna at Emerge’s hair salon. I was quite pleased with her work – for now (but I’ll elaborate on that later). Overall, how I’d like my hair to look is rather straightforward: I like it clean, neat, and short. Nothing radical in the style. The problem is that my hair is very straight; a factor which “limits” what a stylist can do … using “normal”, simple cutting techniques. Alanna’s artistry took a bit longer than “usual” for a Newbury Street salon. However it seemed to me that along with that extra time, she devoted extra attention to detail; bordering on “intense concentration.” While most high-end salons provide a scalp massage during the wash process (a service more therapeutic for the head than recreational for the recipient), Emerge’s scalp massage lasted at least three times as long as others I’ve received at other salons. In the process of shortening the back, Alanna employed a few hundred precision snips of the scissors; it almost appeared as if she trimmed each hair individually! Now, to explain my “take” on the cut and style: as I said previously, I was extremely pleased with Alanna’s work – for now. Did my hair look good after I stepped out of the chair? No … it looked great! Two weeks later, does it still look great? Actually, it looks even better, now that my hair’s grown out a bit; I’ve found that, for me, a cut looks its best 1-2 weeks after the cut itself. Despite my pleasure at Alanna’s “creation”, I’m reserving final judgment at the suggestion of Alanna herself. She explained that her approach and techniques to cutting my hair has just started. My hair has grown in the past as a result of how previous stylists have cut it. So to achieve the “final” result, Alanna said that it will take another 3-4 months for her work to be completely realized. In other words, she needs to “undo” what previous stylists have done. And hopefully, my hair will grow as a result of how Alanna has cut and styled it. So far, I’m very happy, even after just the first visit. However, I will heed Alanna’s advice, and reserve “final” judgment. Stay tuned for intervening and the final infallible opinion! The Straight-Edge Shave As I said earlier, thousands of men in Boston start their day with a shave. My guess is that 99 percent of these men probably use either an electric razor, or one of those manual razors which have three, four, or more blades on them. But if you have the half hour of time, nothing beats a traditional, straight-edge shave.
To get a perfect straight-edge shave, you need to find a place to have it done; which is difficult. Other than Emerge (which started offering this service only a few weeks ago), I can think of only one other barber shop, in the entire city, which offers straight-edge shaves. And as I said, my last straight-edge was in London in 1992. So after my haircut, I was excited to follow that with a visit to Carl, who is licensed to perform straight-edge shaves. The interesting thing about a straight-edge shave is this: unlike a haircut, you’re completely oblivious to how it’s proceeding until it’s all over. During a haircut, you’re contantly staring at yourself in the mirror, carefully inspecting every snip of the stylist. During a shave, you’re almost completely flat on your back – sometimes with your face covered with a wet towel – and can’t see a thing. But from what I could see, and certainly after viewing and feeling the end result – Carl’s shave was, in fact, almost “performance”. The shave begins with the requisite hot towel, which is wrapped around the face, the ends covering your forehead. For those of you who are worried … the hot towels are not scalding hot; they’re a bit hotter than “warm”, but not uncomfortable at all. The hot towel is intended to open up the skin pores. After a few minutes, Carl applies a “pre-shave” balm, which has a oily consistency. This part of process I could see; Carl seemed to apply the balm with almost a “flair” of a performing artist. The balm itself feels as if the skin is almost being tightened. After the balm, then the shaving cream is applied. After application of the shaving cream, then out comes the straight-edge blade. Contrary to what you may think, being shaved with a straight-edge razor isn’t at all uncomfortable. In fact, for me it was less uncomfortable than when I shave myself using a blade. Perhaps that’s a result of the pre-shave balm, or the quality of the cream. Regardless, no nicks – and no discomfort – from this shave. After the shave, a second round. Another hot towel, another application of both pre-shave balm and cream, and another shave. But this second shave was performed using a double-edge razor blade. Carl told me that he decided to use a double-edge, because my face is used to my electric razor. The shave ends with a cold towel (to close up the pores). And to my “excitement” … a refreshing application of “Clubman” talc, which I fondly remember from the old-time barber shops when I was a kid! What was the result? Two, actually. First: this was the closest shave I’ve had in over 10 years. The second result is surprising: I felt totally relaxed after the shave (which is interesting, remembering that you’re in a chair with a sharp blade at your face!) I was so relaxed, I stumbled out of the chair, and was in fact a bit weak in the legs. Carl made an interesting statement, pointing out that a straight-edge shave is perhaps the sole occasion of pampering which is uniquely for men. I tend to agree with that point, given the relaxation I felt afterward. Carl also told me that he has several clients who have a straight-edge shave twice a week. Would I recommend the straight-edge shave at Emerge? Yes … at least once, if only to experience the pampering of the process, and the relaxation at the end of it. And I’d also recommend it if you have an important occasion or important date. As I said, nothing beats a straight-edge shave for closeness. Over the next several weeks I’ll keep you updated on Emerge, specifically on how Alanna’s hair stying services fare; and if she does, indeed, undo years of different stylists!
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