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For Don Reinhardt Jr., owner of the Sewickley Cafe, manicures, pedicures and facials have been part of his personal maintenance routine for 10 years. It's not that he enjoys being pampered, he says; it's just that the spa services "make me feel so much better."

"I'm on my feet 12 to 18 hours a day, and I wash my hands at least 40 times or more," he says. "I find the pedicure and manicure treatments very therapeutic. And facials make me look younger."

Reinhardt, 44, is a regular client of the Sewickley Spa, and twice a year he says he treats himself to the services at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa in Farmington, Fayette County.

He is one of a growing number of men who are joining their female counterparts at local spas to experience the health benefits of massages, body therapies and skin care treatments.

A 2003 study by the International Spa Association, a professional organization that is the voice of the spa industry, indicates that men are frequenting spas more now than ever before. The study found that men account for 29 percent of spa-goers in the United States, according to the association's executive director, Lynne Walker McNees.

"Many men see the benefits of combining the spa experience with their exercise regimen to create a proactive and balanced wellness program," McNees says.

The study also reported that more than 60 percent of male spa-goers say they go to spas to relieve stress, while 35 percent use spa services as a way to improve their physical health. Many men are introduced to the spa experience by their spouses, girlfriends or mothers. However, once they experience it, they are likely to return, according to the study's findings.

A handful of men-only spas also are cropping up around the country, including Nickel in New York City, an upscale men's day spa opened in 2001 by Frenchman Philippe Dumont. Spa services at Nickel range from sports massages ($90 for 60 minutes) and deluxe manicures ($30 for 45 minutes) to Touch of Youth facials ($110 for 90 minutes) and Body Builders waxing special ($160).

At Saville Barber, a Gentlemen's Salon and Day Spa in Irvine, Calif., owners Jay and Kimberley Gaskill offer male clients spa treatments and haircuts in a males-only environment that includes a putting green, locker room with showers, complimentary bar, a dozen television sets tuned to business news or sports, and a traditional shoeshine stand.

Jay Gaskill says the idea is catching on in a big way. "We get guys who come in and go, 'Wow, I'm glad someone finally did this,'" he says.

In the Pittsburgh area, several local day spas offer services and packages designed specifically for their male clientele. At The Sewickley Spa, a Gentlemen's Facial ($80 for 50 minutes) includes a deep facial massage and exfoliation and an energizing custom masque.

Nemacolin Woodlands Spa has a "Just for Him" package ($390) that includes a 50-minute sports massage, a 50-minute facial, 50-minute personal training session, Seasons spa lunch and a gift. Spa director Angela Taverner says skin care has become more important to men today.

"Not just young men, but older gentlemen as well," she says. "They ask a lot of really good questions, and they really get into it. They love having their faces touched. They're also doing pedicures and manicures." The least-popular spa services for men are body scrubs and mud and seaweed wraps, according to Taverner.

Golfers staying at Nemacolin often visit her spa after playing a round for a hot stone massage, she says. "The golf swing involves the back and leg muscles. A massage loosens them up for the next day."

At Jacques Dessange European day spa and salon, Shadyside, spa services for men include a popular three-hour Executive Street Relief package ($190), which owner Marty Hall Goldstein calls "the creme de la creme" of spa services for guys. It includes hydrotherapy treatment, a 90-minute luxury massage and purifying emulsion-clay treatment.

"We also have a Quick Pick Me Up ($40), a half-hour massage or hydrotherapy and a foot massage," she says.

Goldstein says more women and men "are starting to view spas not as pampering, but a necessity to keep a healthy lifestyle. We're going too quickly today. Too much stress leads to disease."

At ESSpa Kozmetika Skin Care at the Cross Keys Inn in Indiana Township, several Father's Day packages are geared to guys only. They include Dad's Delight ($231), a half-day package that includes a gentleman's European facial, 60-minute deep-tissue massage, spa manicure and pedicure, spa lunch and gift; and a Father & Daughter ESScape ($702 for 6 1/2 hours), featuring European facials, ESSpa signature manicures and pedicures, 60-minute hot stone massages and traditional body scrubs, eyebrow tinting and shaping for the daughter, and spa lunches with a bottle of wine.

Scott Kerschbaumer, husband of ESSPa owner Eva Sztupka, says men are used to getting massages at athletic clubs, but they need some encouragement to try some of the other spa services.

"Guys are more private than girls," he says. "If we had a back door to sneak them in, we'd have a lot more men." But once they experience such new treatments as facials or waxing, Kerschbaumer says they're likely to return.

"Once they try it, they're hooked," he says.

Sztupka recalls a car salesman who initially "got so upset about coming that he wore sunglasses in the spa. Afterward, he called and said how nice his hands looked after his manicure. He has been coming regularly ever since."

Kerschbaumer says he feels men are becoming more in tune with the need for skin treatments to keep them feeling and looking healthy. ESSpa also offers a line of just-for-men shaving and moisturizing products from Germain de Cappuccini of Spain, he says.

Dorothy Andreas, owner of The Sewickley Spa, says she has noticed a steady increase in male clientele since she opened her business in 1997.

"When we first opened, we never saw men," she says. "Now, at our Sewickley location, 10 percent of our clients are males; in Ligonier, 25 percent are men; and in Deep Creek, Md., at Wisp Ski Resort, 50 percent are males." She attributes the high percentage at her Deep Creek location to its close proximity to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, areas where "men are used to taking care of themselves."

Andreas says her male clientele comprises all ages and income levels, "from mailmen to top-notch executives." Some men visit the spa for the first time with their wife or girlfriend, she says, "and once he sees that it's okay, he'll come in alone on a regular basis." Men often are hesitant to try something they consider an indulgence, she says.

At the Sewickley Spa, Andreas says one of the most popular treatments for men is the Ultimate Body Rejuvenator ($130 for 1 hour, 20 minutes), which includes a full body massage; core muscle stretching; neck, back and shoulder deknotting treatment; and brush and steam back treatment.

After their first spa visit, most men agree "it feels wonderful -- and then they understand why their wives want to come here," Andreas says.

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