Despite his suave style and sleek haircut, Ravens placekicker Justin Tucker isn’t one to linger during his morning routine.
“When I get ready for something it takes me about 10 minutes. I just like to make sure I’m not walking out the door looking like a total ragamuffin,” Tucker told us last night at the re-opening of 18|8 Fine Men’s Salon in the Shops at Quarry Lake. “At the same time, though, I do like to pay a little more attention to detail, and get every hair combed into place.”
Tucker stopped by the grand re-opening (the space debuted last March but recently solidified a newly trained group of stylists) to sign autographs and snap photos with fans. Guests filed into the event decked out in black and purple, and clients were pampered with custom cuts and complimentary beer and wine.
Owner Dawn Koslowski says that her new Baltimore County spot fills a hole in an area seriously lacking male spa retreats.
“The only other places where you see full men’s salons are downtown,” she says. “Men have been left out of the industry for a long time and the choices they have right now are very minimal, even for just a haircut. Guys are comfortable coming here to get things like a manicure, pedicure, or facial.”
In addition to facials and “mani-pedis” for men, the salon—part of a national chain named after the formula for stainless steel—offers custom hairstyling, grooming and waxing services, scalp treatments, and hair coloring. All treatments range from $5-$80.
“What our [stainless steel] philosophy is saying is that when a guy comes in here he’s a little rusty, but we polish him up and make him look and feel better,” Koslowski says. “Honestly, our biggest cheerleaders are the wives or the girlfriends that come in and say it’s the best haircut experience they’ve seen their guys get.”
18|8’s “cool and confident” mantra also carries over in its interior design, which boasts crimson and gold accents, vintage barber shop photographs, and nine stations with built-in shampoo sinks. 
Koslowski notes that the “manscaping” trend is particularly popular with millennials.
“With all of the ‘selfies’ and the ‘manscaping,’ the generation that is up and coming right now is very into taking care of themselves,” she says. “But you’d be surprised—a lot of the older folks are drawn to us as well because it’s such a new experience for them.”
Tucker is a prime example of this trend, as he likes to keep up with personal grooming habits, such as routinely waxing his eyebrows. Although his classic haircut defines his look now, he’s quick to point out that the sleek style wasn’t always his thing.
“During my rookie year in the league, I just had a lot of hair,” he says. “It was just this thick mop type of situation and I got to a point where I saw what I looked like in photos and on TV and I said, ‘Man I gotta clean that up.’”
Tucker advises guys to be adventurous when it comes to trying out a new cut, and stresses the importance of choosing a look that elicits confidence.
“Try something out, and, if you like it, great. Have no fear,” he says. “Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. I’ll make a comparison to the football world. When you’ve got sick sock swag, you’ve got a sick face mask, your jersey and your uniform look sweet, and everything looks locked in, that’s that whole look-good-feel-good-play-good principle.”
Koslowski says that she plans on opening two more salons in the Baltimore area, and that her newest store will debut in Hunt Valley in 2016.