MEN'S CORNER

Allow us to play to stereotypes here. Women like to shop more than men and are happier to explore our whole website to research and pick and choose from the full range of pampering available at Alchemy. Men want the quick and dirty (information and good recommendations). Have you ever noticed that if you're not in a men's store, the stuff that guys want is immediately inside the door and to the right? There's some psychology in the right hand side thing too, so next time you take your date to the movies, turn left instead of right when you enter the theatre and you'll find that you'll have a greater selection of seats.

Ok, back to topic. All spa and hair services are available to men and women at Alchemy. All of our services are based on product cost plus time in the chair (or in the spa). More qualified employees charge more per hour. The hierarchy is Master Stylist, Elite Stylist, Premier Stylist, and Apprentice. If you need a question answered, don't be shy, just drop us a line here.

HAIR CUTS - A good men's hair cut (the kind we do) will last from 4 to 6 weeks. Longer hair gives you more time between cuts and shorter hair requires more frequent maintenance. Your stylist will be able to recommend when your next cut should be and book it in for you before you leave. If you have a shorter style, a quick neck trim is free for our clients; just drop in. If your hair is thinning or balding, it doesn't excuse you from seeing us. A good cut and professional advice should be even more important to you if you feel you have less to work with. A good hair cut and the right hair product for your style will save you time coming from the gym and in the morning too, so you'll look good with less effort. $40. Take home some styling product too. I recommend bumble SumoTech ~$38.

HAIR COLOUR - We've all seen the bad dye job; "is that real, is it a helmet, is it a squirrel?" Most of those disasters came from a drug-store box, whether self inflicted or the result of your date's idea of fun. If she wants to try colouring your hair, go out and buy her flowers and apologize for whatever it was that you did wrong. The ads you see for blending grey hair away in the shower are for products that add colour pigment to your hair each time you use it. You'll have less colour near the scalp, with the colour becoming darker as you approach the other end of the hair shaft. This can work on short hair, but if it doesn't, you'll be looking for a professional to fix it, probably on a busy weekend. If you're considering colour, you can book in for a free 15 minute consultation and we'll come up with a plan, a maintenance schedule and an estimate for you. We can do the professional version of the colour blend for you (semi-permanent colour), we can give you your old hair colour back or bring you several shades darker or lighter with a permanent colour. For depth of colour we can subtly add lighter and/or darker tones with foil highlights (some strands of hair are isolated from the rest of the colour with tinfoil or thin plastic or foam sheets and given a complimentary colour). If shock is your schlock, we can send you away with anything from fire red to navy blue to platinum blonde and the full spectrum between. 4-8 weeks between applications is usual. Permanent and Semi-permanent colour $45-$65, Foil highlights $5ea.

HAIR PRODUCTS - Polished, casual, or I haven't slept bed-head, we have products to help you maintain your look. If you've never tried hair product, it will make your life easier. If you've found something that works for you, keep at it. If you need a recommendation, we'll be happy to help. Dry, oily or dandruff scalp, we have shampoos and conditioners to help. One pomade for work and a remoldable fiber wax for weekends and going out should round out your dopp kit. We have hair products from Bumble & bumble; shampoos conditioners and styling products that do the job, last a long time and won't leave you smelling like the latest drug store fad.

Think about men's skin care products too while you're considering your morning ablutions here. There'll be a section further on for skin care, and spa services. From back wax, to pedicure, to massage and facials, we can set you up for in-spa services and give you great advice for skin care products for home from our selection of Laboratoire Dr. Renaud products.

More later,

Tim