Check it out here.  Then, make sure to come back and buy a bunch of quality stuff from www.groominglounge.com. Don't worry, we know you're not a toolbag.

On a recent visit to a local Mexican-themed restaurant in the DC-area, one of the Grooming Guys ordered a Honey-Lime Burrito (really good considering he doesn't usually go for burritos -- but this one has no cheese and Grooming Guy is not so good with the dairy).  Yeah... too much information.  In any case, after the order was placed, the spunky cashier behind the desk energetically asked this Grooming Guy if he was interested in challenging her to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.  If he won she stated, he'd get a free side order of tortilla chips and cheese (once again, the cheese wasn't in play due to the lactose deal, but let's move on).  Grooming Guy said "sure" and immediately proceed to crush said cashier's scissors with a rock.  It was an annihilation. She never had a chance.  The Spunky Cashier took it well, added on the free chips and related her stellar record for the day -- she said she was 9-5 vs. previous patrons.

So why was this marketing so great in our opinion?  Because it was memorable, fun and talk-worthy.  In fact, in addition to writing about it on a men's grooming blog (yeah, we don't see the connection either), the Grooming Guy in question has also relayed the story to more than 10 other people. It cost the restaurant close to nothing and made the experience fantastic. They took thier service, but not themselves, seriously. 

We'll take something away from this to enhance the experience at the GL.  Not sure what yet, but rumor has it you might be able to snag a FREE SHAVE CREAM if you know what number, between 1-100, I'm thinking of right now.

In all honesty, we don't think that's the case as they were very nice people and it looks pretty positive.  But, just to be sure, we need some translation help on this one.  So, if you're interested, we're offering a $25 Groominglounge.com gift card to the first person who accurately translates this segment into English for us and e.mails the findings to info@groominglounge.com.  Guess we probably won't know if it's translated accurately, but we're relying on your honesty here.

View the clip on Youtube.com by clicking anywhere on this line.

In the spirit of this weekend’s celebration of all things American, the Grooming Guys feel it our civic duty to give back to the gentlemen who have done so much to improve the image of our great country. To that end, we are proud to offer up the official Grooming Lounge Bill of Rights, a document that clearly outlines every bloke’s unalienable right to look extremely handsome. Beneath each right we've also listed some products that can facilitate ensuring said rights aren't violated.

All Men Have The Right To……………

DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST CRUEL AND UNUSAL SUNBURN

(Malin+Goetz) Sunscreen SPF 30

Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturizer

Anthony Logistics Sun Kit

A DUE SKINCARE PROCESS IN AN EFFORT TO FIGHT AGING, FINE LINES AND WRINKLES

Cellex-C Hydra 5 B-Complex

Cellex-C High Potency Serum

Cellex-C Sea Silk Moisturizer

BARE ARMS… BACKS AND UNI-BROWS

The Mangroomer

Lycon Wax Kit

Ace Dual Action Tweezer

NOT BE SUBJECT TO SEARCH AND SEIZURE BY AN AIRPORT TSA AGENT

Baxter Travel Kit

(Malin + Goetz) Essentials Kit

Anthony Grab & Go Kit

Your Grooming Forefathers thank you for visiting groominglounge.com.

That was the thinking behind the accompanying ad we recently ran in a upscale cigar magazine (truth be told we didn't even really pay for the ad as the guy who runs the magazine wanted us included). After creating it, we quickly grew attached and have since proclaimed it our favorite piece of marketing.

Enjoy and let us know if this hurts your feelings fellas. We guess it won't and look forward to helping you look less ugly.

Thanks.

The Grooming Guys were driving to an event recently, listening to the ole' satellite radio and overheard a radio ad for a "product offering" that just might signal the end of civilization as we know it. It's a service so wrong , it's really hard to fathom that someone had/has the balls to start and promote such a company.  What is it you ask?

It's an online dating service for married folks who want to have affairs.  Think match.com for the adulterer sect. Oh yeah... it's out there

Now, you say we've just done a disservice by promoting it -- you're right.  You can see the site by clicking here. But when someone has the stones to do something this in your face and out there, you have to shun them publicly and morally, but give them at least an ounce of credit pursuing a venture even their own mother wouldn't brag to her friends about.

"Little Steven... he's all grown up and an attorney in Boston now.  And what's your little Jimmy up to? Wasn't he doing something online?"

Thanks for listening and for visiting www.groominglounge.com. And oh yeah, on a much-less salacious note, after a long, long wait our Grooming Lounge Hair Stuff is in.

We hop into this as we've just added some new, luxury and cult-like fragrances to groominglounge.com.  You may ask, why given the above statements we would do so? That's a fair question.  To be honest, we're still trying to determine exactly how much "scents" it makes at an online destination (our stores are a different story obviously as guys can spritz and sniff as much as they want).

Well, when it comes to online fragrances, you really have two options for generating sales (and we don't think we're revealing any trade secrets by letting people know we're interested in selling stuff -- as long as it's quality):

1. Carry high-profile, well-known fragrances that are uber-established.  Ones that everyone knows what they smell like and you don't need to test before you buy.  Think Polo, Drakkar (you know you wore it to your prom), etc.  Good stuff, but probably not what the Grooming Lounge stands for.
2. Carry brands that offer you up a crap-load of samples so you can send them out to existing customers with the hope that they'll spray, love the scent and come back and buy some.

Well, what we've done is none of the above.  We'll see how this works we guess.  We've formed fragrance partnerships with brands that while first-rate, aren't the ones you'll see with full page ads in GQ. They aren't the ones being knocked off by Designer Imposters (you know the knock-offs available in the drug store) and they aren't real mainstream. 

These  fragrances are ones that have a niche, stand out, offer something different, but at the same time are tried and true.  Basically, our crew thinks these products have style and smell great.  You didn't wear them to your Sadie Hawkins dance, but some well-groomed stud is definitely wearing them on his personal Gulfstream right now.

Here are our new ones and based on some sales moving forward, we'll see just how much "scents" it makes to expand our fragrance lineup.  Feel free to scratch and sniff the products on your personal computer if you have the new version of Windows:

Kiton EDT

Kiton Black EDT

Michael Kors EDT

But there is one particular magazine we get that falls somewhere in between these two categories.  It's a magazine that as guys, we can't deny an interest in, but as men and business owners, we also can't show an interest in in the workplace or even read.  It's Playboy and while a staple at standard barbershops around the world, we don't have it out at our shops as it's not really appropriate for us.  No, there's nothing wrong with Playboy, it's just that most barbershops are all male affairs, while Grooming Lounge employs a staff of both men and women.  We wouldn't want anyone to be made to feel uncomfortable by the pics.

Anyway, giving you waaaayyyy too much info here to just arrive at the following point.  The Grooming Lounge's products are featured in this month's issue of Playboy.  And this whole thought process about reading Playboy at work came up when our complimentary issue arrived on the Grooming Guys' desks today.  Sure, we wanted to see our great products in there, but how do you flip through those pages at the office without potentially attracting a passerby who sees what you're reading and I.D.'s you as a first-rate creep.

The solution?  Bring the magazine to the center of the office and announce to all:

"HEY, WE"RE IN THIS ISSUE OF PLAYBOY AND NOW WE"RE GOING TO FLIP THROUGH IT TO FIND JUST WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT US"

That's what we did and here is what Heff's crew had to say about us:

"We’ll take well executed simplicity over snobby complexity any day.  Grooming Lounge (groominglounge.com) has made a name for itself over the past few years with products that dispense with lapidary jargon. Try The Best Shampoo ($20), Mug Cleaner Face Wash ($18), Some Hair Goop ($18), Some Hair Stuff ($18) and Beard Master Shave Oil ($25) and enjoy the peace that comes from thinking less about your grooming options."

The Grooming Lounge crew is excited to announce that Lab Seriesis now part of our portfolio of high-end products offered in both our stores and online.  What's the fuss about you ask?  Well, Lab Series is kind of the "Godfather" of men's grooming brands and to be completely honest, just isn't available in many places.  We're proud and pumped they allowed us to carry such a first-rate brand. We're even more pumped to offer it to you.  More info to come on the real launch (next week), but take a peek at what they offer and what Lab Series is all about.

See our other great brands by clicking here.

And on a Grooming Guys personal note, we already have one favorite Lab Series product.  It's the Anti-Perspirent Deodorant Stick.  First-rate item.

You see, for men who suffer from razor bumps, which are a result of ingrown hairs (hairs that curl back into the skin and cause a bump), sometimes getting a nice pluck is a good last resort to keep their face in check.  Here's how it can work.

Once you've used a scrub (to up root those ingrowns), shaved properly (to reduce irritation) and applied a post-shave balm (to soothe and heal), you just might notice a few stubborn ingrowns that refuse to leave.  They probably aren't a razor bump just yet, but trust us, they're heading in that direction.  Cut them off at the pass with a nice session of plucking.

All a man needs to do is grab a steady pair of tweezers, I.D. those pesky ingrowns and start a pluck-fest.  Just like playing the childhood game Operation, use a steady hand to grab the guilty hairs in the middle and remove them.  Repeat as necessary to the other predators starting to set up camp on your skin. But, be sure not to start digging into actual skin -- that's bad.  You're only thier for hair removal.

The results should really help and skin should show less irritation. Of course, if you've got massive irritation and bumps on your mug, this just isn't a time or health-conscious option. In that case, get into a quality skin care professional and get an assessment right away.

Thanks for listening.  Now pluck off.