IT’S A New Year and time for a fresh new look – at least in the Young household. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of manscaping, a fresh hair-cut, an old-fashioned shave and a facial…right? – I don’t know if the credit goes the always perfectly-groomed David Beckham or the Metrosexual trend, but beauty for men is getting more and more popular. Ladies stand back, because the guys are taking over your chairs and your appointments!
However I’ve happened upon a few men-only boutiques where us guys don’t have to feel embarrassed getting our nails clipped and our feet scraped. Add a hot towel on the face and a cold beer to hand and you’ve got a recipe for a nice little escape….
First up my new favourite barbers is BOLT BARBERS (8209 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. Tel: 213/ 596-9110). You can’t miss it – look for the neon ‘mancave’ sign inviting you in. BOLT offer a membership where you get complimentary beer after 7pm, a pool table and a shoe shine. A haircut is very affordable at $30 and a close razor shave starts at $15 for a beard trim. If you’v e a son under 15 they do a father & son special for $55. Other similar places are BAXTERS, RUDY’S AND FLOYD’S …and all take walk-ins.
I recently happened upon a nail salon just for guys called HAMMER & NAILS (masculine right? Located at 8257 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. (323) 302-5435) This place looks like an old workshop garage when you walk in, but not when you kick back in a king-size black leather chair, throw on your supplied BOSE headset and flick through the channels on you own personal flatscreen TV. The girls working here are extremely pretty and friendly and will be happy to bring you a complimentary whiskey or beer (We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto). In fact if FHM magazine were a place…this would be it. If you are looking for a place to chit-chat, watch a game in peace, or catch up with your friends, this could be it. It’s almost as if these treatments are an afterthought! However this place is somewhat pricier than your average strip-mall spa. Expect to pay $25 for a manicure and $60 for a mani-pedi all the way up to a paraffin-soaked repair treatment with massages etc, which will set you back $110….But the perks make it worth the splurge.
And finally I’ll share one last gem with you – Brooks Massage (7619 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles. (323) 937-8781) This is a little hole in the wall so don’t expect Burke-Williams, complimentary booze and headsets. What you get instead is a real massage. If you like a good pummeling, this is the place. After a hard week when your back is tied in knots there is nothing like getting manhandled by a 350-lb Russian (oo-er missus!). The massage therapists at Brooks are mainly Eastern European men who don’t mess about. After one hour you will feel like jelly with all your knots gone. Ask for Sergei, Andre or Sebastian. The cost for a one-hour massage is $105 although they also offer 30 minute sessions if you’re pressed for time. They also have a dry sauna and a natural rock steam for afterwards to heat away all the pains.
People often say LA has no good theatre. This simply isn’t true. It has a bad rap, mainly I think because there are so many terrible, run-down places and LA tends to be much more of a movie-going crowd than say New York, London or Chicago. But I’ve seen some wonderful productions and there are so many good things on right now. I recommend The Book Of Mormon by Trey Stone and Matt Parker (the South Park guys) at the Pantages. It is pee-your-pants funny and although I think it’s sold out but you can always check at the box office for returns.
Last week I saw a marvelous performance by Barry McGovern in “I’ll Go On” by Samuel Beckett – McGovern delivers a tour de force performance and if you love acting this is a master class, – he is perfection. I was riveted and hung on to every word.
Which brings us neatly to the Toscars. We’ve mentioned this several times in these pages so here is the lowdown: Is it a film competition? Is it an award-show? Is it an excuse for celebrities to let their hair down during a very serious awards week? Well it’s all three and much, much more. Brits in LA members gather on the evening the Oscar nominations are announced and individuals are chosen randomly to be a part of a team to make a spoof movie of one of the films up for best picture. When these movies are made we have a huge night to celebrate these wonderful achievements where a panel of celebrity judges decide on a myriad of crazy categories including Best Whactors, Best Choons and Best Hair to name a few. Our awards are quite controversial due to the fact they are shaped like fists. However I can tell you, I’ve never seen so many people fighting over a giant golden fist. Remarkable really! But seriously, it’s all about fun, team building, allowing your creative juices to flow and who knows what might happen after you’ve wrapped your mini-masterpieces? The winning film last year – Miserable Lesbians – was turned into a stage show and traveled the world including New York and London’s West End. Ahoy for the Toscars! We do make tickets available to the general public and I hope you will join us for a night of lights, camera….whaction! Watch this space!
Cheers
Craig
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