Owner of 18|8 Fine Men’s Salon, Lori Bolton knew La Jolla needed a salon geared toward men. Women seemingly have the ability to stroll into just about any salon without hesitation, but for men, it’s not so straight-forward. “Before 18|8 opened, men seeking a high-quality haircut and other grooming services either drove downtown, or took up valuable appointment times in women’s salons, where guys (rightly or wrongly) tend to feel as though they’re ‘tolerated’ rather than welcomed,” Bolton explained. “Men have traditionally had access to barber shops, and those seem to have evolved, in great part, into quick and cheap haircutting mills. That works for a lot of people, and we’re good with that. But men are discovering that by consulting with a highly skilled stylist of the caliber found at 18|8 Fine Men’s Salons of La Jolla, they can literally be transformed… like raw steel is transformed into better-looking and better performing stainless steel when 18 parts of chromium and 8 parts of nickel are added.” And that’s where the name 18|8 comes into play. The salon’s website explains that the salon gets “its name from the original formula for stainless steel, 18% chromium + 8% nickel added to raw steel, 18|8 Fine Men’s Salons offers its clients that same transformative effect – leaving men looking better, feeling better and performing better.” The salon launched in 2002 and established itself as the only men’s salon catering to a discerning clientele with an upscale suite of hair care and salon services. And now with 400 stores operating or in development, clearly the idea is catching on. But Bolton took it a step further and teamed up with Eyes-On-Cancer so her stylists could help detect melanomas on clientele. It was a genius idea; one that makes a lot of sense for stylists who regularly view the skin around the scalp. Bolton explained how the partnership formed. Jeanne Braa Foster, co-founder of Eyes-On-Cancer, is an icon in the beauty industry. “She and her husband, cancer survivor and La Jolla native Dr. Dean Foster, approached 18|8 La Jolla and explained their vision,” said Bolton. We are honored to be the first salon to be certified Eyes-On-Cancer, and our stylists are now each trained on early detection of melanomas on the scalp, neck and shoulders of our guests. These are areas that people cannot see for themselves, and who better to look for signs of skin cancer in those areas than the person who is focused on them every four to six weeks?” In fact, Dr. Dean Foster and Jeanne Braa Foster personally conducted the training at 18|8 La Jolla for the stylists. Bolton hopes more people will get involved with the cause. “Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. There are 3.5 million new cases of skin cancer each year, so the chance of a stylist finding it on a client’s face, head or neck is really quite high,” said Bolton. Indeed, the partnership is an added benefit that customers certainly appreciate. Case in point is 1818 customer, Steve Orenberg. “l was informed about the fact they are trained to detect melanomas the first time I came in here,” said Orenberg. “That’s actually a very comforting feeling knowing someone looking after your hair is also looking after your welfare. If you’re a man, generally you go to someplace with the spinning barber pole or the one man amongst several women in a salon. So it’s a very unique place. I wish this type of place existed 23 years ago,” he added. Clearly Bolton takes great pride in her salon’s philosophy of making a man feel right at home in the salon. All 18|8 stylists receive training in the “American Crew” method of haircutting. There are no guards used on our clippers, it is a far more time consuming process and therefore a bit pricier, but guests seem to know that it is well worth their time fore the modest-to-premium cost. Also, a man is welcome to pop in for just a shave. It’s unlikely, however, that he’ll leave without realizing that there is a great deal more he wants to experience. “When I tell my friends about 18|8 what I say is: ‘All I’m going to tell you is you just have to take my word for it- just go! There’s nothing that’s going to prepare you for it. Just go and I’ll tell you afterwards,’” Orenberg mused. For more information on Eyes on Cancer, including how to become certified or how to donate, visit www.eyesoncancer.org.  18|8 Fine Men’s Salons in La Jolla can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (858) 216-4188.