A couple of decades ago, it was not uncommon to see a local singles ad reading something like: "Voluptuous woman seeks nice guy. I love long walks by the lake, yoga and French films. NO BALDIES!!!"

Those chrome-dome-bashing days appear to be behind us, at least locally.

At Edina-based dating service Great Expectations, requests by female clients to eliminate shiny-headed potential mates "are very few and far between," spokeswoman Lori Barth said.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis was ranked the nation's No. 4 "Hotspot for Bald, Single Boomers" in recent research by OurTime.com, the largest online dating service for 50-plus singles.

Examining the cities where its bald members got the most messages and "flirts," OurTime.com found that only Fort Lauderdale, New York and Phoenix had higher rates than Minneapolis.

Given that half of all men have some hair loss by age 50, it's not shocking that women take a shine to men of a certain age with those characteristics. But Barth said that's true for even Great Expectations' 19-and-over clientele.

"I think it's people here being more open-minded," Barth said. "And it's also a sign of the times. Shaving heads as a look and a style has taken hold."

Indeed, younger men who used to opt for comb-overs or never took off their ball caps are now proudly shaving their remaining hair when it starts to thin out. Having music stars such as Moby and Seal and actors such as Jason Statham embrace the look hasn't hurt, either.

Perhaps the best evidence that baldness is not only acceptable, but sexy: Compare the number of ads for Rogaine to those for Viagra.