1. 110 SCRATCH
or most of my career I’ve been
involved in the beauty industry,
either on the agency side or,
in my current position, in-house
for a manufacturer.
I’m grateful for all the opportunities and the
mentors along the way that have contributed
to my growing, expanding and overall journey.
The older I get…I mean, the more experienced
I become, I understand that it’s all about the
journey and not the destination.
During the early part of that said journey, I
worked for a very well known PR agency with a
specific focus on beauty. This was my first
exposure to things (dare I say, I thought were for
women only) previously unknown to me such as
skincare, haircare, manicures and pedicures.
Now, one of my clients, a day spa in the Los
Angeles area, told me that I would better
understand her business if I came in for a day of
treatments. Treatments? It almost sounded like I
was going to be subjected to goodness knows
what kind of things.
Bravely, I arrived for my day of treatments, and
what was to be an eye-opening experience.
This was my first experience receiving a
pedicure. To say my ‘first time’ was transformative
would be a bit much, but I vividly remember
commenting to my therapist upon the service
completion, ‘Wow, I had no idea that my feet
could look so good!’ Thus began my journey
down the road of better grooming.
OK guys, I count my blessings when it comes to
warm weather. I may be rubbing it in, but you
have to love the warm Southern California climate
and the opportunity to don summer togs a little
earlier and a lot longer than others…but more
about this later. This is my long-winded way of
saying that it’s time to start promoting pedicures to
the gents. Beyond just the good grooming aspect
CAVECAVE
MANiMANi
Orly International’s director of communications, JOHN GALEA,
offers a male view on the salon scene
RAMBLINGS FROM THE
of a pedicure and the compliments that are so
richly deserved, there are many more angles to
sell this service in all seasons.
• Regular pedicures are ideal in helping keep
fungal infections at bay and to ensure they are
addressed quickly. Closed shoes and heavy socks
help contribute to a fungal breeding ground.
• For the more athletic among us, incorporate
more of a sports massage in the service. One of
SpaRitual’s signature scents is Indonesian Ginger.This
particular multisensory group of bodycare products
is known as Instinctual. Instinctual has a spicy, sharp
scent with notes of lemon and pepper and is ideal
for incorporating into an energising foot and leg
massage and relieving muscular aches and
pains. I also love Orly’s Italian Mandarin range.
• No matter how I try, or how often I study my nail
technician’s nail clipping technique, I just can’t
get it right myself. Proper toenail grooming will
reduce the occurrence of ingrown toenails and
is an important selling point on pedicures.
• Last, but by no means least, for the hipster,
metro-sexual, lumber-sexual (I just heard that
term at a recent trade show; these are beard
obsessed guys of late), or just the guy who
throws caution to the wind, a little colour never
killed anyone. If you don’t offer, you’ll never
know. I’ll bet you’d be surprised how many guys
would sport a cool colour, or a clear gel shine
to extend the life of their pedicure.
My journey brought me from my hometown of
San Francisco to Los Angeles. I’m grateful for the
experience and impression both San Francisco and
my adopted home of Los Angeles have imparted
on me. Here’s hoping wherever your path takes you,
that your journey is engaging, inspiring and fun!
SCRATCHCOLUMNIST
www.orly.com / www.graftons.co.uk
/ORLYBeautyUK @ORLYBeautyUK
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao-tzu
Make that first step a well-groomed one!
F