business

Used to be, guys who wanted to hide a little gray bought some Grecian Formula at the drug store and sneaked quietly into their bathrooms at home, hoping they could tone down the white without anyone knowing about it.

No more. Now they're strolling openly into women's salons to get the job done right, and maybe to catch a facial in the bargain.

Hair-care giant Regis Corp. has taken note, with men now making up more than a quarter of its customers.

On Friday, the Edina-based company will open the doors to Raze, an upscale new salon designed solely for the kind of man who considers a good haircut as important as a pair of Ecco loafers.

For Regis, it's a rare launch of a new concept and a bold move into the fast-growing market for men's hair care.

"Raze is in a totally uncrowded field," said Regis CEO Paul Finkelstein, who noted that the bulk of his company's 13,400 salons in Europe and North America are aimed at women and operate in the competitive and highly fragmented mid-price market.

"There are a whole lot of men who don't want to be butchered in a barbershop," Finkelstein said.

Raze, located on Shady Oak Road and Hwy. 62 in Minnetonka, is a far cry from the corner barber shop. A basic haircut starts at $25. Add five bucks and you'll get a scalp massage, plus a scent-infused hot towel for your face. Brow waxing is $12 and color and highlights start at $35.

Hair and skin care products range from $8 to $28, with a top-of-the-line English hairbrush going for $50.

"We're not going to have the guy who's paying nine or 13 bucks go for a $25 hair cut," said Gordon Nelson, Regis' executive vice-president of fashion, education and marketing. "We're looking at guys who already are going in and using salon services who want to come to an environment that's specifically put together for guys."

Starting a new concept from the ground up is fairly unusual for Regis, which has grown mostly by acquiring existing salon chains. Raze is the company's first completely new venture since it launched Mia & Maxx in early 2001.

About 6 percent of the estimated 700,000 hair care salons in the United States are barber shops, according to industry research from IBISWorld. Last year, combined annual sales in hair care were around $48.5 billion.

It's a highly fragmented industry, with the 50 largest companies holding just 15 percent of the market. Among franchised hair salons, about 36 percent cater to men, according to FRANdata, which provides research to the International Franchise Association.

A host of male-focused franchises have been cropping up nationwide under such names as the Boardroom, American Male, Big League Barbers and Roosters.

Sports Clips, a men's haircut chain, has opened four locations in the Twin Cities since February. The Georgetown, Texas-based company said it plans to open 70 nationwide in the next seven years. It offers basic cuts form $12 to $16 with massage and hot towel treatment for $21.

Raze takes different approach, with its dark wooden cabinets, a fieldstone room divider and walls the color of yellow ochre and moss green. The brown leather styling chairs look like they'd be right at home in a den. Shoe shines are complimentary, and plasma TV screens are tuned to ESPN and CNN. Customers also can get free Internet access and up-to-the-minute weather and traffic information.

Existing Regis franchisees already are asking about adding a Raze salon, said Mark Kartarik, an executive vice president who heads Regis' franchise division. He said Regis aims to open 500 Raze salons nationwide in the next five years.

Locally, Regis sees Raze salons as a good fit for Edina's 50th and France business district, as well in Linden Hills, Uptown and downtown Minneapolis. Finkelstein said the company opted to launch the concept at a strip mall in the Opus 2 office complex as a test.

"This is a laboratory," he said. "If it's going to work as a franchise, it's got to work in that location," he said.

Jackie Crosby • 612-673-7335