Interview: Suzie Gillespie, wedding planner

Wandering around the city, she was drawn off the street into an altogether more macho environment when she walked past a gentleman’s grooming salon and ventured inside.

“There were pool tables, beer, men relaxing. It was a whole guy den, and I just thought it was amazing and it got me thinking,” she says. “This was in 2006 and there were places like it in England, but nothing in Edinburgh. Here it was either old-fashioned barbers with a clipper or unisex salons.

“What if men wanted a decent haircut with a pair of scissors? What if they wanted to cover a little grey without the mortification of sitting in an open salon with a headful of foils?”

Having spotted a gap in the market, 42-year-old Gillespie hot-footed it home to East Lothian and set about working out how to launch her own version of a one-stop shop for male grooming in a bid to tidy up the whiskers and barnets of Edinburgh’s hirsute he-men. “I’d always wanted to do hairdressing when I was young but my parents weren’t sure and encouraged me to study business. They were right, as it has come in useful. I don’t regret the route I took, but this is my dream job now,” she says.

Gillespie’s business degree led to work in the travel industry and events, which in turn took her up the aisle to wedding planning. “When the children were small the wedding business was great, but when they went to school, being at home all the time didn’t suit me,” she says.

To realise her dream, the first step was to train as a hairdresser, which meant travelling to London and juggling block release with looking after Olivia and Alastair, now 14 and 11. “I was the oldest as the rest were 18 to 20-year-olds but it was great fun. Hard work too, but I loved it. Then I did work experience to learn about how a salon works.”

Gillespie also had to practice with a cut-throat razor, which is where husband Scott came in handy. “People use balloons but it’s not the same. He’s used to being used for training now. And we don’t let anyone loose on a client for a long time.”

A year on from the New York trip, The Players Lounge launched, offering cutting-edge styling, hair colour, hot shaves with a cut-throat razor and hot towels, facials and manicures. “Men get a proper consultation, shampoo and head massage. They don’t get that at a barber, and we tell them how to use the products and maintain their hair and beard. Other people do a hot shave, but they don’t combine it with a facial, exfoliation, oil and hot towels. Guys often fall asleep, which is fine unless they start twitching, as we use an open razor,” she says.

“We want them to come in and have the full experience of coffee, magazines and PlayStations in the waiting area, where there is also a fridge. It’s all dark wood and taupe walls, and a male environment. We also have a TV screen with each seat as men often don’t like to look at themselves in the mirror. And if we’re doing colour, we do it in private through the back. There are no fluffy robes for our treatments.”

Gillespie’s grooming business has hit the zeitgeist with men increasingly interested in their appearance, and she now has a total of five staff working with her. “Grooming is everywhere in the press, and in a recession men are keen to keep their jobs so it’s important to look good. It’s the job of a hairdresser to make people feel good about themselves and encourage them to look the best they can,” she says.

Gillespie currently has the enviable task of sifting through entries in a competition to win a year’s worth of free haircuts at the Player’s Lounge. “We wanted to celebrate our fifth anniversary, and it’s a good way to find new models. We don’t like to use professionals because that’s just intimidating,” she says.

And as for the future, expansion to Glasgow and Newcastle may be on the cards. “We still have room to expand. We’re really lucky because people always need their hair cut,” she says. “I knew it would work. I am determined and have blind faith. I was never going to let it fail. Plus, you never get tired of male company.” n

The Players Lounge, 161A Rose Street, Edinburgh (0131-225 3188, www.the-players-lounge.com)

JANET CHRISTIE