THE KINDEST CUT

five years ago, Forbes got a shampoo, trim and (aaahhh) hottowel treatment at the gents place, a luxe barbershop heavy on the pampering, with two franchises (in Texas and Kansas) and $2 million in annual revenue. Today, thousands of lathered mugs later, both those figures have doubled, and—as with a hipster’s beard—further growth is on the agenda. The san antonio-based gents place, which calls itself a “grooming and lifestyle club,” plans to open another 10 locations within a year and 150 by 2022. clubs now offer shoeshines, massages and handand-foot care; clients include dallas cowboys hall of fame running backs Tony dorsett and emmitt smith. (smith is also a gents investor.) “We’re capitalizing on a trend in men thinking about grooming not as an expense,” says founder and president ben davis (above),

“but an investment in themselves.”