I was recently asked to join up with a herd of gentlemen whom I have never met before for a stag party (sound familiar?) organised by Red7 who are an events management company based in Brighton, United Kingdom. Red7 is group activity expert which can organize a good old shindig for just about anything ranging from stag dos, lad dos or weekend birthday benders.
On this occasion I was invited to experience Red7’s all new Deluxe Gentlemen’s Pamper Experience which entailed a multitude of treatments designed for the “modern gent”. Personally I think it is a great idea especially if you have been far too busy to keep on top of your grooming regime before the big away day to spend one last time partying hard with the soon-to-be-married stag.
The order of the day was just how a gentleman would want it – simple and stress free. Anyone who knows Brighton well enough will know that you will almost certainly meet people from all walks of life and you are always guaranteed to meet the nicest people ever.
The first stop was a beer tasting experience at a small bottleshop called Bison Beer which stocks a wide range of beers from around the world. They also stock their own homebrew which uses a state of the art counter-pressure filling system to ensure the beer remains fresh and carbonated. The samples on offer for the day were a selection from their homebrew and each named according to their taste. “Fierce” was an easy shift session pale beer which was lighter in colour and mild on the taste buds. “Vibrant Forrest”, a mosaic pale beer which was bitter on the tip of your tongue yet somehow refreshing at the same time – I’d say this was my personal favourite. “Brew By Numbers” was quite a strong tasting blonde beer that was not too dissimilar to the well-established Leffe Beer. The final taster on the list for the day and the most bizarre was “Alphabet” which was a cola weisse beer and as the detail suggests it tasted much like beer and cola mixed together. Quite an interesting concoction if I don’t say so myself.
Lipstick & Gunpowder
On arrival at the boutique hair salon, Lipstick & Gunpowder, we were met with a welcome beer (yes more beer!) by the friendly and enthusiastic staff just to set the tone going forward. Lipstick & Gunpowder is based in the South Lanes of Brighton where all the hustle and bustle is. The salon is owned and run by the technicians who work there so you can safely bet that you are in good hands. As you enter the salon you are faced with a row of chairs and mirrors to your left and enough work space for the technicians to do their thing. The basement area downstairs is where you’ll go to get your manly locks of hair washed. The decor inside the salon reminded me of a classic 80’s style chic whilst still being able to pull off with a modern feel. With the music blaring and the beers on hand it’s a sure fire way to get you in the mood for partying.
My first treatment was a hair wash followed by a scalp massage in the basement area by a lovely young person by the name of Harley. Harley was very attentive and thorough when washing my hair and then followed up with an immensely relaxing ten minute scalp massage. Literally my eyeballs were rolling so far in to the back of my head!
After my hair wash and incredible scalp massage I made my way back upstairs in a trance like state and was seated in the salon area and plied with another beer by another lovely staff member by the name of Rhian, the resident make-up guru, who also kept me company and chatted with me till the hair technician was ready to work some magic.
My hair technician was an immaculately presented lady by the name of Maria, who is the owner of Lipstick & Gunpowder with over 27 years of experience in her profession. Maria made sure to ask me how I usually liked to have my hair cut but I could tell straight away by her confidence that she knew her profession inside-out so I was that instantly put at ease. “I want you to cut my hair how you think it should look” I blurted out as I imagined when you say something like that to a technician they appreciate the trust you put in them to just do their own thing. Maria explained in her most diplomatic manner that I should have my hair shorter at the front to help reduce the appearance of my high hair line – I call it that as I cannot admit to myself that my hair line might be receding. By the end of the cut Maria’s expertise, experience and recommendations did me every bit of justice and even made me look slightly younger with illusion.
After the hair cut we all made our way across the road to the Pitcher & Piano bar where there was a much needed healthy supply of fruity cocktails and food platters with just about everything a man would need. By now I had a fresh hair do, a full stomach and I was roaring to go and hit the clubs courtesy of Red7, VIP style of course!
Conclusion
For a company that has been in the industry for 32 years and have arranged over 300,000 parties and 100 other activities to choose from you are left in no doubt that Red7 can pull of their Deluxe Gentlemen’s Pamper Experience. I will definitely be looking these guys up should I ever have be granted the prestigious title of Best Man. For more information please check out the Red7 website.
