Putting the MAN in Manicure.

AT L.A. Vie L'Orange, that vintage iconic symbol of the power business lunch -- the two-martini dine-and-deal-looks ancient. L'Orange isn't the newest executive eatery in town, but a four-month-old foot and hand spa where top corporate guns arrive for a pow-wow and Manicure over a grilled chicken sandwich and sparkling water.

MORE AND MORE MEN ARE PATRONIZING SPAS

Those being buffed and stuffed aren't only women. The Executive Session is increasingly being attended by men. Straight men. With wives or girlfriends. Even kids.

Welcome to the 2000 man. He's secure enough to recognize that a little vanity can be a good thing for business and pleasure. He has a trainer, a masseuse, a dermatologist and, for when the wrinkles multiply, the phone number of a good plastic surgeon. Science has provided Rogaine and Viagra. He sees a stylist, not a barber. Whirring, battery-operated nose clippers don't scare him.

The 2000 man knows that judging a book by its cover is not only human nature, it's wise. Even when appearance is carefully crafted, true character inevitably surfaces -- informed by choices of dress, as well as beauty and health regimens.

More men wearing scents

So how does today's man rate?

American men spent some $3.7 billion and counting on grooming products in 1997, the most recent year tracked by the beauty industry. You men are gorging your medicine cabinets with hair goos and eye treatments. When you hit a beauty counter, 87 percent of your purchases are for cleansers, creams and other potions to preserve that mug, reports NPD BeautyTrends.

Most of you are also buying your own fragrances, adds NPD. Not only is the number of men wearing scent each day on the rise, more are wearing it for their own pleasure.

Facials, waxing and other skin treatments tailored to men are fast accounting for a quarter of all day-spa business, stimulating an already booming industry. It's significant because only five years ago, the men's slice of the spa pie was closer to zero. Services are billed euphemistically, though, like the Fitness Facial or the Executive Massage.

But it's about time, really. Women have long capitalized what discretionary moments they have on themselves.

"Men are now getting to the same point," observes Dr; Kate Altork, a cultural anthropologist and chief knowledge officer for AdviCare, based in Boca Raton, Fla. "Men are finding themselves stressed and crunched for time and they, too, want to be rewarded. For a small investment they've got more energy. Men are using these places as sanctuaries -- like women always have."

Aromatherapeutic orange

L.A. Vie L'Orange is just such a sanctuary. Off a courtyard, behind a Robertson Boulevard antique store, the nail spa first eases the senses with a fresh tang of aromatherapeutic orange. "Part of our concept here is to help men maintain their hands," says owner Kelly Brown. "Corporate men tend to bite their nails. The minute their hands look better they stop biting them."

Oversized rattan cabana chairs allow clients to hide from the world -- and fellow customers -- a plus for many men reluctant to reveal their secret.

Fergus Byrne ended up in a cabana chair at the urging of his girlfriend. "The first time I went, I hoped nobody would see me. This is not the sort of thing most guys would normally do. It's diametrically the opposite of football and beer," says the UCLA molecular biologist. But a manicure and pedicure has since led to a professional massage. "Once you experience such an indulgence, you're likely to go back," he says.

And back again and again, according to Jeff Stein, a film and video director and entertainment-industry consultant, who has been indulging in massages and salon haircuts for years. Reflexology and manicures might become his new addiction. "I'd certainly rather be getting a massage or manicure than be at the Betty Ford Clinic," he laughs. "It's therapeutic, even preventative. You have to look out for yourself physically, spiritually, mentally. This becomes an experience, an escape that's positive."

For other men, yielding to the indulgence urge means going beyond the temporary fix of a manicure or facial.

Botox (as in botulism) injections are hot, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. This FDA-approved treatment intended for eye twitches and ticks has been co-opted to paralyze crow's feet, scowl and surprise lines. Sessions run $325 to $750 a pop and last four to six months.

The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports the top five cosmetic procedures for men are hair transplantation, nose reshaping, liposuction, chemical peels and collagen injections. The number of facelifts and eye lifts among men doubled between 1992 and 1997; liposuction more than tripled.

Youth vs. experience

"We're in an era where the priority is to fix it,' says Altork. "The culture rewards people who look good. There's technology to solve the problem. So society says it's OK. The confluence of a flush economy, an action- and youth-driven marketplace, and growing acceptance about men caring about the way they look means more men are likely not only to do so, but admit it."

Behind the rush on eye lifts and tummy tucks lurks the American premium on youth versus experience. "In the past, employees didn't earn their credibility, didn't reach their peak, until they had gray in their sideburns," adds Altork. "The old construct is collapsing and being replaced by guys in Converse hightops who are multicultural in scope, globe trot for work. They're changing the business paradigm in many arenas."

So is it simply coincidence that the trend also arrives with the continuing ascent of working women and the changing roles at home? Men are no longer the sole breadwinners. Shifting roles means shifting values. Just as women once appropriated men's rules to compete, men are now taking a few cues from women. Concern for appearance, long mostly a woman's prerogative, is now a weapon of the masculine masses.

What's more, women are more vocal about how the men in their lives look. Decades of Calvin Klein underwear models baring chiseled 12-packs have hastened a million gym memberships and endless articles on getting the perfect abs.

Undoubtedly, the increase in glamorous masculine images can heighten a guy's self-consciousness and insecurities. Even so, a number of ad campaigns in recent years have joked about women's objectification of men.

And, let's face it, women are still more forgiving about love handles and thinning hair.

Another reality drives all of this: At the end of that long grind of a day, the expert digits of a good masseuse will always beat the fleeting thrill of Monday Night Football. Go ahead and be man enough to admit it.