Well, I did it. I decided to treat myself to the Kennedy's Experience. But before I explain what that is all about, let me share the backstory.
I am not one to pamper myself, at least not when it comes to personal grooming. When I was single, back in the 1980s, I used to shave in the shower, give myself haircuts and buy wash and wear suits. Need I say more? Over the years, I have adapted and adopted some new behaviors that I hope make me a little less suspect when I meet new people. I credit my wife with this transformation. Why she undertook the challenge at all, given my previous distressed and wrinkled appearance I'll never know.
But some things never change. I still shave in the shower, something that could be dangerous and is definitely not very accurate, when it comes to the matching left and right sides of my mustache. (Once while vacationing in Portugal, I accidentally cut too much off one side and decided to shave the whole thing off, causing my wife to scream. She had never seen me without one.)
Kennedy's Products and Menu of Services
Today, though, I am treating myself. I actually got dressed up to go for a Signature Haircut and Shave at Kennedy's All-American Barber Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Billed as The Authentic Barbershop Experience, and operating on a membership business model, I couldn't resist the temptation to be pampered like a gentleman's gentleman. In fact, the term "Kennedy" is a synonym for "The Ultimate Gentleman", according to the company website.
The Greenwich club is run by Emely Serrano (ESerrano@KennedysBarberClub.com), who greeted me from behind the bar where she checked me in and offered me something to drink. Coffee, espresso, soda or water were the choices. We met last week when I brought my grandson Matthew for his haircut. According to Danny Davi, the stylist who attended to Matthew last week and me today, Saturday mornings are usually the most popular day for the young gentlemen.
Danny Davi
The place is designed like no other barber shop or hair salon I know, with a touch of the old world in style, class and level of service. I have to admit I had mixed feelings about all this. Not only am I not accustomed to pampering, but a men's club? Isn't that politically incorrect? And what about Sal, who usually does my hair?
Once I sat in the chair, crooned by the likes of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, I began to think I might actually enjoy this, even if I couldn't bring myself to believe I deserved it. Danny explained the process involved in the Signature Haircut and Shave package. We would begin with the cut, followed by the shave and ending with a rinse. It sounded simple, but it was far more involved than it sounded.
My standard haircut typically takes less time than one quarter on the meter. For those of you old enough to remember the old song, that's two bits or what a shave and haircut once cost. Today's full experience clocked in just over an hour, and my scalp and face are thanking me for the treat. I won't spoil the experience for you or for the male in your life you intend to treat, but I will say that at the end, I did feel I deserved it, and I probably will deserve it again in about a month or so.
What I couldn't get over was the idea that I could become a member. How posh is that? I mean, do I have time to get a shave every day at "The Club"? It is relaxing, though. (I think I snored once or twice.)
The concept is rather ingenious. In an age when businesses are struggling to compete on all fronts, here is a staple (everyone needs a haircut, right?) that has gone over the top with a focus on service. There is a lesson in strategic marketing and business design here. If you do something well and pay attention to detail, you may make it in this world. However, if you focus on the customer and do everything you can to make him or her happy, they will come back and bring friends. And that's what I intend to do at Kennedy's.