Not so long ago, most men would view the prospect of visiting a beauty parlour as a serious threat to their masculinity.

Now beauty is a serious business and blokes are queuing up for facials, pedicures, body waxes and scalp massages.

The owners of Pink Pamper recognised this when they moved their grooming parlour to larger premises in September.

Since then, they have achieved a £120,000 turnover - way ahead of expectations - and seen a huge shift in their customer base.

When it opened in 2000, Pink Pamper catered solely for gay men.

Now 60 per cent of customers are women and, according to managing director Andrew Hansford, most of the men who visit are straight.

Mr Hansford and Lavia Taylor bought a stake in the Pink Pamper name from co-founders Jane Reeves and Lorenzo Bonoldi.

The parlour began operating from a small building in St James's Street, Brighton, and offered a basic range of beauty and hair treatments.

Mr Hansford and Ms Taylor were determined to take the business upmarket and expand. Now it occupies every floor of a five-storey building and offers treatments from hydrotherapy to Botox.

Italian slate treatment rooms, white leather couches and Venetian mirrors mean the opulence still borders on the camp. But beneath the sumptuous decor, a careful business plan is being executed to attract as wide a customer base as possible.

Mr Hansford, 37, said: "We wanted to cut out the fluff. So many beauty parlours promise to take ten years off people and it is all a load of bull.

"We are a more serious operation now. There are absolutely no links to the old Pink Pamper. It's totally different.

"We make sure each client has an individual consultation so we can tailor-make the treatment to their needs.

"We are up-front with people and don't just tell them what they want to hear. If I heard one of my staff lying to someone, I would go ballistic."

Pink Pamper has recently joined the Hub 100, a group of businesses across Sussex with high growth potential.

Thursday May 27, 2004