Last week, when my husband Bill returned home from work he probably wanted to turn himself right around and go back to his office. That’s because he knew he was in trouble. On his lunch hour he had decided to go into a random salon and get his hair cut without even so much as a discussion with me. No phone call. Nothing.

As he happily walked up our driveway, carrying the mail, he looked like he had just escaped from an insane asylum. And that was just the view from the front. When he turned around it looked as if the stylist had given him a haircut right after she received those horrible eye drops from the ophthalmologist.

I wondered if Bill had forgotten he’s not supposed to get anything altered on himself without my consent first. I mean, how about the family portrait we were supposed to take next week? Do I really want to be reminded of that hairdo (or hair-don’t) every time I glance at the photo? And we will most definitely be the talk of the “table pictures” at cousin Avi’s bar mitzvah.

Of course, Bill thought the haircut was great. “I told them to cut it real short since it’s been so hot outside lately,” he said. “I also told them I don’t want to have to come back too soon for another cut. I was in and out of there in seven minutes flat.”

I told Bill that our four-year-old son, Andrew, could have done a better job. I just don’t understand why Bill can’t just go to a nice salon and relax a little. Is that just not a manly thing to do? I even told Bill he should get a pedicure- not with polish or anything, just a pampering treatment for his feet. “For me?” he chuckled. “I don’t think I really need one.”

“Well, what if you were to go to a nice salon and get a pedicure while watching sports on TV and enjoying a beer-tasting at the same time?” I inquired. “Plus, you’d also get a barber shop shave.”

“Oh, well, that might be really good then,” Bill replied.

The reason I asked Bill that question was because literally two days after his horror-movie haircut I spoke with Buffalo Grove resident Marilyn Wagner, owner of The Best Salon and Spa (also in Buffalo Grove). Marilyn had just come up with the most incredible idea: On Monday, October 9, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, The Best Salon and Spa will be hosting its very first “Men’s Spa Night.”

“I wanted to do a night of ‘guys-only’ to make the men feel more comfortable,” says Wagner. “Men can come in anytime and they do, but this time they’ll know only guys will be there. Men’s spas are actually opening all over the place. It’s the trend in the industry right now.”

One of the most exciting parts of Men’s Spa Night includes a barber-style, old-fashioned shave. Marilyn brought in a family of barbers to come and teach her estheticians how to do a proper shave for a man. (Included in this family happens to be 91-year-old Aldo, from Aldo’s in Cicero, who has been doing professional shaves since the age of 12.)

“Aldo and his son, Norm, did an incredible job teaching the estheticians what to do,” Marilyn says. “They showed the girls how to use a safety razor instead of a straight razor and worked with them as they did barber-shaves on our models. The men who come on Spa Night will experience the entire ritual of the shave accompanied by a men’s skin treatment. This includes cleansing, exfoliating, extracting, steaming, massaging, toning and moisturizing.”

Also included in Men’s Spa Night will be a “Sports Pedicure” which concentrates on calluses and rough areas. “Guys need those pedicures,” Marilyn says. In addition, men can choose a “Sports/Deep Tissue” massage or a “Hot Stone” massage. “All of our basic services (like a haircut and style) will be available or they can get packages.”

Men can also sample the various products of The Best’s new men’s line. And remember, there will be a beer tasting, sports shows on the TV’s, and more.

“I think men are thinking about their skin and many don’t know where to go or what to do about it,” Wagner says. “Men’s Spa Night should be very informative as well as being a completely relaxing experience.”

Well, I guess I know where I’ll be sending Bill on Monday, October 9!

To register for Men’s Spa Night at The Best Salon and Spa or for more information, please call 847-541-1206. You can also check out their website at www.thebestsalonandspa.com.

If you know a really cool person or a fabulous group of people who should be featured in this column, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thanks! Hope to see you all at BG Days!

© 2006 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois