Homme Improvement
Martial Vivot raised the bar for men’s grooming when he opened Salon Pour Hommes in New York City.
Salon Pour Hommes is a private men’s salon with a service menu just like a traditional salon’s. Since opening the barbershop in 2008, owner Martial Vivot has received attention from GQ, Vogue Hommes and New York Magazine for his straight razor shaves and has become a grooming guru for many of Wall Street’s most powerful.
Vivot noticed men were looking for the same quality of hair services as women, but that there was a difference: men like privacy. When designing the salon, Vivot put partitions between the chairs and installed sinks at each station so that clients can receive all services in one area. He also kept the decor simple so that guests come for the talent, not the big TVs or bars common in many barbershops.
Along with a basic grooming menu, Vivot and his team offer less common barbershop services like hair straightening and smoothing, face bronzing, manicures, brow shaping, eye masks and scalp massages. “In the past, men had to go to a women’s salon to have skincare or makeup touch-ups,” says Vivot. He even built a green room in his salon to get makeup just right for clients before they go on camera.
What’s key when climbing the success ladder is remembering that you are working in a service industry, Vivot says. “No matter how talented you are,” he says, “you have to keep saying, ‘Hello,’ ‘Thank you,’ ‘How can I make your experience better,’ and always ‘Goodbye.’” —D.C.