All is not as it seems at Majesty’s Pleasure.

It’s clear from the moment the elevator doors open into a space that looks like an expansive bar lavishly styled after the scallop from which Venus was born — only it offers beauty services, not meals.

“I like to say we’re a restaurant that serves nails,” said Teri Little, a manicurist and manager at Majesty’s. (They do, however, also provide clients with drinks and snacks.)

Majesty’s Pleasure describes itself as “New York’s first social beauty club.” What looks like a dining room is actually 50 manicure-pedicure stations, served by a grand cocktail bar. “It feels like a more contemporary Wing,” said Katie Van Brunt, a guest at Majesty’s Pleasure opening party on Tuesday evening, referring to the ill-fated co-working space of the “Girl Boss” era. Another guest, the stylist Douglas Wright called it an “urban chic oasis.”

The space, which occupies the second floor of a building just off Park Avenue South, is Majesty’s third location. The first two opened as Her Majesty’s Pleasure in Toronto in 2014, where founders Jeff Armstrong and Sara Kardan, partners in life and business, are based. (They’ve since dropped the “her”, a nod to the British monarchy, from the name.) When looking for their first New York location, the pair put in nearly 15 offers on spaces in lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn before settling in central Flatiron.

“It’s a tough city to get a deal done,” Armstrong, a former investment banker, said.

They’re in good company, as the neighbourhood has become something of a destination for beauty hot spots. Within three blocks of Union Square, one has the choice of longtime local Rescue Spa, which touts Biologique Recherche facials; Remedy Place, which opened in 2022 and provides acupuncture and vitamin IVs; and The Well, which arrived in 2019 and has all of the above.

But as its name suggests, Majesty’s Pleasure wants to be a bit more decadent than its competitors. For one: It’s a social club, not strictly a member’s one, meaning that anyone can come in and pay for its services. About a fourth of clients opt to join the “Leisure Club”, a tiered subscription that grants them between one to unlimited manicures and pedicures per month.

“Eventually, we want to be all members,” said Kardan. “That’s the dream.”

The New York location currently provides a range of manicure-pedicure services, and this fall will also add hair styling, facials, and access to an exclusive corridor known as the Leisure Lounge, where guests can receive simultaneous nail, lash, brow, or skin services without leaving a reclining chair.

“We’re very anti-salon in our design,” explained Kardan, whose background is in interiors and architecture. Guests are first greeted by a concierge, who Armstrong likens to a host or waiter. Used tools are whisked away, sterilised, and replaced. The nail polishes are tucked into walls of milk-white drawers. “Everything is hidden,” she added.

A Polished Model

Spas are a relatively small (around $100 billion) business beneath the greater wellness umbrella (worth 6 trillion dollars, according to the Global Wellness Institute). Most make their money with premium-priced services like massages and facials. The International Spa Association reported that in 2024, revenue-per-visit averaged around $117; Armstrong estimates that the average guest at Majesty’s spends closer to $150. A gel manicure costs $65, more affordable than 60 minutes of bodywork at nearby The Well, which could cost between $200 to $400. It also has an array of bites and cocktails, like the $19 tequila-based Cotton Candy Skies, as well as stackable beauty services help to make the experience more valuable for all parties involved.

Most Majesty’s Pleasure guests belong to one of a few segments: individuals looking to treat themselves and feel connected to something that’s pleasurable,” Armstrong said, as well as “tribes,” who come in celebratory groups — think a 40th birthday or book club outing. About a tenth of their business comes from events, like beauty companies hosting product launches.

Majesty’s Pleasure’s first locations in Toronto were self-funded; Armstrong and Kardan bootstrapped the business by renting their home and cutting back on expenses. When the pandemic arrived in Canada, they pivoted to selling gift baskets of wine and face masks. Then they got an email from a longtime client who happened to be a real estate investor. Armstrong recalls him writing, “‘There’s a reason why you’re not expanding,’” he wrote, according to Armstrong. “‘Is it a capital reason? I can help.’”

The gesture was “the last thing we expected,” said Kardan, but it helped to fuel their entry into the United States. They hope to secure two more leases by year’s end, and break ground on three more Majesty’s Pleasures in 2025, with eyes set toward Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC and Dallas.

Despite the competition in the area, Majesty’s Pleasure believes it has created an entirely new hospitality business model. The initial reaction indicates they could be right.

“It feels like you’re in a hotel,” said Jannely Espinal, a writer for NBC’s Shop Today. “I love nails.” Hers were modified French manicure with black tips, which she clinked against her wine glass. “And I love a drink!”

Anyone who has had even a quick scroll on TikTok over the last few months has likely encountered the “looking for a man in finance” song, one of this summer’s top-trending sounds on the app.

The original earworm was created by comedian and TikTok creator Megan Boni, who sang about searching for an eligible partner who has a trust fund, a secure finance job, and ideally, is 6′5 with blue eyes. Now, L’Oréal-owned Skinceuticals is tapping into the viral craze by partnering with Boni for a remix of the song, launching Aug. 1.

In the new version, Boni instead sings that she has had a change of heart, and now wants to be in charge of her own financial destiny and prosperity. The team-up will promote Skinceuticals’ new $148 P-Tiox Wrinkle-Modulating Peptide Serum, asserting that investing in skincare products and treatments in one’s youth pay dividends in the future, both by preserving skin health and minimising the need for corrective products. The brand says the serum works both as a compliment to wrinkle-smoothing injections such as Botox, and as a standalone.

Angela Hildebrand, general manager of Skinceuticals US said the campaign is designed to reach those who are “injectable-obsessed”, as well as those who are undecided or uninterested.

“There has been an exponential increase in consumer interest for holistic self-care in beauty, health and wellness, and even financial wellbeing,” said Hildebrand in an email to The Business of Beauty, adding that the brand noted investment as a trending topic in beauty, and sought to align the new launch with it.

To build out the campaign, created by advertising behemoth WPP, Skinceuticals has also partnered with the likes of personal finance content creators Vivian Tu, Simran Kaur and Rachel Wiseman, as well as dermatologists Dr. Daniel Sugai and Dr. Mamina Turegano, which it calls the “skinvestors”.

Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day’s most important beauty and wellness news and analysis.

Learn more:

Lashes, Brows, Botox: How Much is Too Much?

No longer the domain of the elite, lash extensions, brow treatments, injectables and more have become part of mainstream consumers’ beauty maintenance routines. But online backlash is brewing against growing pressure for elaborate upkeep.

Next Plc raised its guidance for the year after the British fashion and homewares company said shoppers ordered more of its products from abroad.

The shares rose almost 9 percent in early London trading, after the retailer said full-year pretax profit is now expected to reach £980 million ($1.3 billion), up from previous guidance of £960 million. It maintained that annual group sales will rise 6 percent.

Next said full price sales rose 3.2 percent in the 13 weeks to July 27, having previously told investors to anticipate a fall in sales after warm weather last summer. Overseas online sales were much better than expected, the company said, soaring 22 percent.

The upgrade comes as other British retailers struggle to recover from shoppers spending less during the cost-of-living crisis. While inflation has hit the Bank of England’s target, most consumers are still cutting back on spending.

Chief executive officer Simon Wolfson is known for his bearish forecasts and often beats expectations, with Next’s share price now up 20 percent this year. Next has hundreds of stores and a large online operation, making its performance a closely watched indicator of broader retail conditions.

The company has been on an acquisitive streak in recent years, buying brands including Fat Face, Joules, Cath Kidston, and Made.com. The company also has control over UK fashion house Reiss.

Next’s overseas performance “is a helpful reminder of the improving quality of investment proposition given a broad push across brands and geographies,” said James Grzinic, an analyst at Jefferies. Investors will anticipate further upgrades in the coming months, he added.

By Jennifer Creery

Learn more:

Next Sales Rise as Inflation Pressures Ease, Maintains Forecast

The British fashion and homewares company said Wednesday that full price sales climbed 5.7 percent in the first quarter, which was slightly ahead of an expected 5 percent rise.

Tourists are flocking to Japan to scoop up high-end clothes and handbags at a discount thanks to the weak yen currency. Luxury goods companies like Louis Vuitton parent LVMH would rather they stayed home and shopped.

The yen’s sell-off — it hit a 38-year low against the dollar last month before recovering ground — has sparked an unprecedented tourist boom, drawing savvy shoppers from Asia and elsewhere.

Global luxury brands aren’t cheering, because their goods, ranging from designer sneakers to whisky, now tend to be cheaper in dollar terms in Japan than elsewhere, denting profits.

Some tourists, especially Chinese, are holding off on buying designer goods at home and splurging in Japan. The yen’s volatility means companies can’t easily hike prices to accurately reflect the currency, leaving them stuck with lower margins in Japan — at least while the yen stays weak.

Zhang Lei, a 29-year-old DJ from the southern province of Hunan, was visiting Japan for the first time but said he already wanted to come again.

“It’s cheaper,” said Zhang, who carried two Louis Vuitton shopping bags and one from sportswear brand Onitsuka Tiger on a recent Saturday in Tokyo’s high-end Ginza district.

Nearby, some 15 people queued up to enter the Louis Vuitton boutique, fanning themselves in the sweltering heat.

Zhang said his purchases so far included shoes and a bag. He planned to pick up a watch next, he said, pointing to his wrist as he repeated “Rolex.”

The trend has taken French luxury giant LVMH, which also owns Dior and Fendi, by surprise.

“We really have a big shift of business from Asia into Japan,” chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony told a recent earnings call. It was having a “deflationary” impact on LVMH’s China business as customers held off on shopping at home, putting significant pressure on margins, he said.

He also mentioned the difficulty posed by currency volatility, as currencies can undo moves “pretty quickly”. That was put in sharp relief this week as the yen surged after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates on Wednesday.

Dior, Chanel, Mount Fuji

Louis Vuitton’s popular Alma BB handbag goes for 14,800 yuan in China, the equivalent of $2,050. In Japan it sells for 279,400 yen, or $1,875. Last month it would have been available for as low as $1,725 when the yen was at its weakest.

The yen would have to strengthen to around 136 to the dollar to put the bag’s Japanese price at parity with China. The currency was at 149.30 on Thursday, not far off its strongest in 4-1/2 months.

Chinese tourists were also helping fuel Japanese sales of luxury spirits, drinks maker Remy Cointreau said.

Japan generated strong sales growth, boosted by tourism and the weak yen, Remy Cointreau CFO Luca Marotta said on the company’s first-quarter sales call, adding the sales were lower margin.

Swiss luxury group Richemont, which owns the Cartier brand, saw Japan sales increase almost 60% in the first quarter, helped by Chinese, Southeast Asian and American tourists, it said.

“Shopping, shopping, shopping,” said Fumiko Annisa, who was visiting from Indonesia, about her itinerary.

“High-end brands are cheap here,” she said. “We are going to buy Dior but we are going to Chanel first.”

She also planned to visit the western city of Osaka and Gotemba near Mount Fuji, home to a sprawling outlet mall that sells brands from outdoor clothing maker Arc’teryx to Italian fashion house Zegna.

Japan had a record 3.1 million foreign visitors in June, official data showed last month, putting it on track to beat an annual record of almost 32 million foreign arrivals set in 2019, before the pandemic brought global travel to a standstill.

Spending by tourists is expected to reach 8 trillion yen ($54.74 billion) this year, according to the government, which sees tourism as a rare growth driver in an economy long hobbled by an ageing population.

New Yorker Yadwinder Singh said he hadn’t expected to do much shopping until he saw prices in fast-fashion retailer Zara and other stores that were much cheaper than at home.

The 26-year-old said he was buying plenty.

“Clothes, jewellery, shoes - the whole outfit.”

By David Dolan, Sophie Yu, Dominique Patton and Emma Rumney; Editor: Sonali Paul

Hugo Boss confirmed the 42 percent drop in its second-quarter operating profit on Thursday, two weeks after the German fashion house slashed its annual forecasts and reported preliminary numbers, as economic and geopolitical challenges dampen global consumer demand.

The luxury sector is grappling with weaker sales and margin pressures as inflation-hit shoppers cut back spending on designer fashion. A property slump and job insecurity in China has exacerbated the problem.

“The weakening consumer sentiment in most markets led to a rapid slowdown in growth across the entire industry, which we could not completely escape from,” CEO Daniel Grieder said in a statement.

Hugo Boss said its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) fell to €70 million ($75.8 million) in the second quarter, from €121 million a year earlier, as reported last month.

Its quarterly net income slumped 50 percent year-on-year to €39 million.

Earnings from luxury companies this quarter have demonstrated the strain that the sector is under, with both LVMH and rival Kering falling short of forecasts.

By Ozan Ergenay, Tristan Veyet and Linda Pasquini; Editor: Milla Nissi

Learn more:

Hugo Boss Plunges After Slashing Outlook on China, UK Demand

The German high-end fashion brand now expects operating profit of around €350 million ($381 million) to €430 million in 2024. The shares slid as much as 11 percent on Tuesday.