Club MEN:
Upscale barbershop offers more than standard hair care fare.
By Ron Pazola

Staff Writer of Naperville Sun: If Peter Vitale were a punster, he'd proclaim that his new upscale barbershop is really quite cutting edge.
But Vitale believes that the Gentleman's Barber Club and Spa, which he opened at 2048 Aurora Ave. in Naperville three months ago, will be the next wave of the future.
"Certain men are looking for the luxury hair grooming service that I provide and can't find it anywhere else," Vitale said. "I think I'm filling a real need for this kind of man."
Vitale doesn't skimp on the amenities. There's a putting green by the front window and a cigar lounge in back where men can view a 42-inch flat-screen television while relaxing on a leather couch and sipping lemonade, soft drinks, coffee or cappuccino.
And the six chairs on the cutting room floor each has a satellite television, complete with a remote control that customers can use to switch channels with while having their hair cut.
In another room sits a massage chair, where people can soak their feet in a whirlpool tub. They can receive pedicures, manicures, shampoos and hot lather shaves, or indulge in a hot towel over their faces.
"I have a three-page menu of services that my customers can select from, "Vitale said.
Black-and-white portraits of Jack Nicholson, Humphrey Bogart, Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe and other movie star faces line the walls.
Songs by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis are piped into the rooms.
"You won't hear Celine Dion or Britney Spears in my shop," Vitale said.
Three hair cutters, three nail technicians and one masseuse are employed at the shop. Vitale's wife Shirley works as the shop's receptionist and bookkeeper.
"Over the years, barber shops have stripped themselves of services," Vitale noted. "I'm trying to get back to those services."
Vitale first got the idea for an upscale barber shop when he saw one in New York 10 years ago. He realized that men didn't have many choices to have their hair cut.
"They can either go to low-end barber shops that provide few services or high-end salons that provide services in a female environment," Vitale said.
He remembers the six words for success a customer gave him when he was a young man just out of barber college 22 years ago-find a need and fill it. That has remained Vitale's motto in business.
Vitale doesn't know of many upscale shops like his. The ones that exist are concentrated in New York and California.
His customers-mostly doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, business executives and entrepreneurs between the ages of 25 and 55-don't mind paying $33 for a haircut and the amenities that go with it.
"These are guys who have done well in their jobs and appreciate the finer things in life-a good steak, a glass of nice wine, a fine car, a beautiful home. They expect and deserve good service and a good experience."
James Braun, a finance director with Hewitt and Associates in Lincolnshire, was almost finished having his neck shaved on a recent Friday afternoon as Elizabeth Lizalde wiped away the last traces of shaving lather.
"I guess I come here because I like getting the royal treatment," Braun said.

Meanwhile, Scott Adams-an information systems manager for Bank of America in Chicago-was watching a baseball game in the cigar lounge as he waited for his haircut.
"This is my third time here," Scott said. "I get an excellent haircut in a really nice atmosphere."
Vitale isn't shy about telling people what he's trying to do with his new business. "I'm taking the idea of spa and incorporating it into a barbershop," he said. "My business is not for guys who want to go to Great Clips and other haircutting franchises."
As a child, Vitale got his haircuts from two Italian barbers in Chicago, who routinely provided extras like neck shaves and in-chair massages. They inspired him to become a barber.
"Once I knew that I wasn't going to be a police officer or a baseball player, I decided that cutting hair wasn't a bad way to make a living," Vitale said.
Vitale attended Weedens Barber College at Milwaukee Avenue and Division Street in Chicago, where he had to complete 1,872 hours of classroom work and practical experience to graduate. He said he learned how to be a barber by giving free haircuts and shaves to the homeless who cane to the school.
He then worked as a journeyman barber in various shops in Chicago for three years before passing a state exam that gave him his registered barber's license.
Vitale admits that many beginning barbers have to give a lot of haircuts to turn a profit. The most haircuts that Vitale did in a day was 44, with a daily average of 25 to 30.
And the psychology of barbering, in Vitale's opinion, can make or break a barber.
"I know a lot of good barbers who went out of business because they had the personality of a statue, and a lot of mediocre barbers who did quite well because they had a way with people," Vitale said.
One of the secrets to being a good barber, according to Vitale, is knowing how to read customers, when to carry on a conversation with them and when not to.
The other secret is the ability to make people feel at home.
"You can't underestimate the importance of old-fashioned hospitality," Vitale said. "I grew up in an Italian-American family where my parents were the most hospitable people I knew. They would often open their homes to strangers and treat them like kings."
Vitale's ability to connect with his customers led to his former boss asking Vitale if he wanted to buy his barber shop in Chicago 10 years ago. Vitale agreed to take over the business. Since then, he has purchased barber shops in Lisle and Clarendon Hills.
His desire to take his business to the next level motivated him to open the Gentleman's Barber Club and Spa.
"I think this type of business is the dawn of a new age," Vitale said. "Men are the most overlooked creatures on this planet. They come to a place like this to find a safe haven from the pressures of the world and to be treated special."