Men Are Booking Facials Now. Salons That Noticed Are Cashing In.

A guy sat in my chair last Tuesday for a gel manicure. Clean, short, natural finish. He said his girlfriend dragged him in the first time. Now he rebooks every three weeks on his own. When I asked if any of his friends get manicures, he said “a few, but they won’t admit it.” Then he asked if I knew anyone who does men’s facials.

I’ve had some version of that conversation four times this year. Two years ago, zero.

Something shifted. Men are spending more on grooming services, booking treatments they never would have considered five years ago, and walking into salons instead of just barbershops. The data backs up what I’m seeing at my table.

The spending is real

NielsenIQ reported that men’s grooming sales in the United States topped $7.1 billion in 2025, up 6.9% year over year. Globally, the men’s grooming market was valued at $64.63 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $90.63 billion by 2034.

That 9.9% growth rate nearly doubled the rate of women’s beauty spending at 5.8%. Men aren’t catching up to women’s spending levels, but the gap is narrowing faster than anyone expected.

The engine behind this: younger men. NielsenIQ’s Gen Z grooming report found that 42% of Gen Z men say they devote a larger share of their income to grooming than older generations. In the U.S., 68% of Gen Z men ages 18 to 27 used facial skincare products in 2024, up from 42% just two years earlier. That is not a gradual shift. That is a market doubling in 24 months. This tracks with the broader ways Gen Z clients are rewriting the rules of the salon chair, including what services they expect and how they find their providers.

Beyond the haircut

The traditional barbershop visit, a cut and maybe a beard trim, is no longer the ceiling for what men will book. Barbershops and salons adding skincare, scalp treatments, and grooming add-ons report 20 to 25% revenue increases. Shops that go further into premium services, like facials and conditioning treatments, are seeing average ticket increases of 40 to 60%.

Here’s where the money is going:

Grey blending alone tells a story. A few years ago, most men covered their grey or ignored it. Now they’re asking for it to be blended, which requires a colorist, not just a barber. The men’s hair color market is growing at 5.1% annually, with the professional salon segment growing fastest at 7.2% CAGR. Men are paying for expertise, in a salon chair.

Who is this client?

The chart shows the percentage of men in each generation who say they spend a larger share of income on grooming, per NielsenIQ data. Gen Z men are the entry point, but millennials represent the highest absolute spend because they’re further along in their careers.

In practice, the male grooming client at a salon looks like this: He’s 22 to 40. He found you on Instagram or Google, not through a friend. He wants a specific result, not “whatever you think.” He’s more likely to rebook consistently once he trusts someone. And he’s less likely to haggle on price.

CNBC reported that Gen Z and social media are helping men’s grooming go mainstream, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram normalizing everything from skincare routines to manicures. The stigma that kept men out of salons is dissolving, and it’s dissolving fastest among the age group that will be your clients for the next two decades.

The salon opportunity

Most barbershops are not set up to offer facials, skin treatments, or nail services. Most salons are. That’s the gap.

About 35% of U.S. hair salons now offer specialized services for men, up from 20% five years ago. The ones that made the shift early are pulling in clients who outgrew the barbershop experience but didn’t know where else to go.

The product margins help too. Seventy percent of men now include skincare in their regular routine, and they’re buying from whoever they trust. If you’re the person who just gave them a facial, they’ll buy the cleanser you recommend. Retail add-on revenue from male clients can run $15 to $30 per visit once they’re comfortable, which fits the playbook for turning your retail shelf into revenue.

What the smart salons are doing

The salons capturing this market are making small, specific moves:

Adding a “Men’s” category to their booking page. Sounds obvious. Most still don’t do it. Men searching “men’s facial near me” or “men’s manicure [city]” need to see themselves on your site before they’ll book. This is also a local SEO opportunity that goes beyond Google reviews.

Offering grey blending as a standalone service. A 30-minute grey blend at $50 to $75 is high-margin, quick, and repeatable every 4 to 6 weeks. It requires basic color skills most salon professionals already have.

Training for men’s skincare consultations. A five-minute skin assessment before a facial builds trust, drives product sales, and differentiates you from the barbershop that added “express facials” to a menu board.

Creating a comfortable environment. This one matters more than people think. Many men feel out of place in heavily feminine salon spaces. Neutral decor, clear service descriptions, and a stylist or tech who doesn’t make assumptions goes a long way.

The risk of waiting

The men’s grooming market is projected to exceed $97 billion globally and salons are competing with barbershops that are upgrading their menus fast. Luxury barbershops are already adding LED light therapy, microdermabrasion, aromatherapy, and conditioning treatments. The line between barbershop and salon is blurring from both sides.

If you wait until men’s grooming feels like an established category, the barbershop down the street will already own those clients. The window is now. The data says the demand is here. The question is whether your booking page says you’re ready for it.

I told my gel manicure client I’d find him a facial referral. What I should have done is offered one myself.