Here’s the thing about men – they actually care a great deal about their appearance, but they’d never let on just how much. They might not spend as much time in front of the mirror as their lady friends, but you’d better believe that most guys put a good amount of effort into looking good. But even many dudes who want to look their best would not be caught dead in a spa. Unfortunately, they often associate indulgent spa treatments with women and assume that partaking in a treatment or two would bring their masculinity into question.

We’re here to assure our male readers that’s entirely untrue and to help the ladies encourage their boyfriends, brothers and man friends to treat themselves to a luxurious, yet manly, treatment.

Essential Spa Treatments for Your Man

1. Massage

It would be a real tragedy if a man in your life were missing out on the pure magic that is the massage simply because he didn’t want to appear “girly” or some such nonsense. The good news is that once you convince him to go once, you’ll never have to argue about it again.

Just frame it as a wellness thing – his job is stressful and the tension can have serious physical effects. A professional masseuse will massage the built-up muscle tension away and leave him re-energized for the week ahead. Seriously buddy, it’s for your health.

2. Facial

This might be a tough sell, but we’re sure that once a guy sees the results of a facial, he’ll be a true spa convert. Even the manliest man thinks about aging and wants to continue looking as good at 45 as he at 25. When you start talking about maintaining his sexy handsomeness, you’ll definitely have his attention.

The best method here may be scare tactics – you can inform him of the fact that environmental toxins, sweat and dirt that are constantly working away to age his lovely skin. Tell him that the occasional facial is just about keeping skin clean, healthy and good-looking. If that doesn’t work, try gushing about how amazingly relaxing it is.

3. Pedicure

Let’s face it, a lot of men have pretty gnarly feet. They don’t wear open-toed shoes as often as women, so foot maintenance is probably not a big priority. But that’s really not an excuse for having Shrek feet. This is an especially important topic for the women who date the owners of the unattractive feet in question.

Here are a few important tips that will help your cause:

• Reassure him that he will not walk out with bright pink toenails – it’s not about looking pretty, it’s about looking clean.
• Find a place that has a very neutral décor – a super feminine environment will freak him out.
• It’s even OK to ask a salon if they can schedule his appointment at a time when another man is getting a pedicure – safety in numbers.
• Explain that after all is said and done, he won’t be embarrassed to wear sandals or hang out shoeless on the beach.
• Go along with him and be sure to tell him just how much you love the look of his post-pedicure feet.

4. Eyebrows

Let’s be honest, no one looks good with a unibrow. It wasn’t a good look for Frida Khalo and it certainly isn’t doing your man any favors either. While grooming the rest of the hair on his body doesn’t have to be a priority, good-looking brows are a crucial part of a handsome face.

If he hasn’t already addressed his unibrow, you can be almost positive that it’s because he doesn’t know how. That’s where you come in – find a men’s salon that will make him feel at home and go along to help put his mind at ease. Just make sure he knows that getting his brows cleaned up a bit doesn’t have to mean ending up with an overly-groomed metrosexual look.

5. Sauna

We’ve saved the easiest for last. Thanks to TV and movies, most guys shouldn’t be too opposed to a good sweat-out in a sauna or steam room. In fact, the idea might seem downright manly to him. But if he has any reservations at all, a simple explanation of the process should do the trick.

Make sure he knows that there’s no one there pampering him – just him, quiet and alone in a hot room, sweating out all the toxins that are running rampant in his system. It might help to sweeten the deal if you find a co-ed sauna in your area and go along wearing very little.

Modern man is just less limited by the traditional gender constraints of past generations. While our grandfathers never would have considered going to a spa, today’s guys are much more open to the idea. But, you still may have a bit of work to do when it comes to convincing him to try unfamiliar treatments.

As long as your convincing doesn’t make him feel like you think there’s something wrong with the way he looks, you should do just fine. Appeal to his vain streak and let him know that you’ll find him even hotter than you already do after he’s taken the plunge and explored the many delights of the spa.