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| PUNCH ME, TRIM ME, CUT ME, BILL ME: Hot mamas say knock you out. photography courtesy of Knockouts |
Breasts and hair, in that order. that’s pretty much the business model of Irving-based Knockouts, the men’s salon staffed by female stylists in short shorts and sinful shirts. It’s Hooters with scissors. “It’s a classier version of Hooters,” says Cooper Smith, Knockouts spokesman, without a trace of irony or, really, a substantial claim to back his assertion. Then again, he doesn’t need one. Knockouts is big time. The first one opened in 2003 in Addison, and the business has since sold 122 franchises in 10 states. Boobs + proximity to men = empire. It really is that simple.
The duo that rehashed the formula is Karin and Tom Friday of Irving, the president and CEO of Knockouts, respectively. That Knockouts has competition is testament to either its success or the ease of duplicating the formula—or, more likely, both. In North Texas alone, men can choose from The Boardroom Salon, or Face for Men, or Knockouts’ more direct competitor, Sports Clips. Knockouts is a tawdrier version of Sports Clips—Jenna Jameson to Sports Clips’ Britney Spears—and perhaps the reason it has expanded so quickly. At Knockouts, you enter a boxing-themed environment (get it?) and sit in an extra-large, recliner-type chair, all the better to accommodate your super masculine shoulders. Your station is fitted with a flat-screen television tuned to a sports channel. From there you are offered a beer. The services range from head massages and haircuts to waxes, manicures, and—oh, c’mon. You’re not there for any of that. Just look at the picture above.
