JEDDAH, 28 July 2004 — Spa treatments and beauty products were until a few years ago considered the exclusive domain of women, but men are now increasingly discovering the pleasures and benefits of serious grooming.

Evidence indicates the “stronger sex” is taking over spas and salons and male beauty products are mushrooming. The situation is no different in the Middle East, where men are traditionally known for their attention to personal appearance.

One of Switzerland’s top medical establishments, Clinique La Prairie in Montreux, has for years attracted a healthy flow of Arab travelers. Situated in Clarens, one of Montreux’s most elegant suburbs, the clinic has for 70 years been at the forefront of medical research to slow down the ageing process.

Although cellular revitalization therapy, a treatment said to boost energy levels and strengthen the immune system, is the clinic’s signature treatment successfully practiced since 1931, an increasing number of visitors are now attracted by the clinic’s expertise in plastic surgery, beauty treatments and dentistry.

The clinic had virtually no male customers three years ago. However, at present around one-third of the clinic’s patients are men, indicating an increase of 30 percent over a period of three years. An increasing number of customers come from the Middle East.

Surprisingly, some treatments popular with only women until recently are beginning to win men’s favor.

Corpotrim, which was originally developed by NASA scientists and used on astronauts in need of physiotherapy, is the treatment most preferred by men. It is designed to tone and firm up muscles through a series of electric impulses and is most often applied to sagging arms, thighs, buttocks and stomach.

Simonin, which involves mild electric stimulation of facial skin, comes next. It is designed to treat facial sagging and wrinkles, improve skin tone and hydrate the skin.

Cellulite and body contouring are no longer concerns for women only. Male visitors are increasingly favoring Cellu M6 — a series of massages designed to help reduce cellulite and reshape the body by stimulating body lymph circulation and the elimination of toxins.

Hydro-massages, facials and face massages, manicures and feet massages are also popular.