SUMMER IS HERE, the mercury is spiking. While everyone else is reaching for the cheapest tube of SPF and complaining about the humidity, the savvy man knows that this is the time to activate a strategic grooming offensive. This isn’t about quick fixes, it’s about optimising your entire system — from your cellular health to your mental clarity — so you look and feel sharper. If you want to own the beach, the BBQ, and the boardroom this summer, here are the essential upgrades for your head-to-toe regime.
Looking better from the inside out
Summer is the ultimate stress test. The sun, the heat, the extra socialising — it all takes a toll. The future of elite grooming starts not on your shelf, but in a clinic that treats your body like a high-performance machine. Everlab is the preventative health pioneer focused on a rapid system prep. Everlab’s approach is entirely data-driven, using cutting-edge tests—far beyond a standard check-up—to assess biomarkers, inflammation, bone density, and genetic predispositions. This provides the blueprint to fix underlying issues sabotaging your energy, sleep, and appearance.
“Your skin, your energy, and your physique are direct reflections of your internal biology,” says Dr Steven Lu, Chief Medical Officer at Everlab. “Most men wait until a problem arises. Our philosophy is to identify the risk factors decades before they manifest as symptoms.”
Summer requires immediate tactical action: optimise micronutrient levels to combat sun damage and dial in sleep for maximum recovery. As Dr. Lu notes, “It’s the time when people notice issues they’ve been ignoring—low energy, stress, poor skin quality—because they’re more active and paying closer attention.” A full assessment now lets Everlab pinpoint what’s holding you back—whether it’s hormones or nutrient gaps—and deliver a plan that works with the season, not against it.
Men avoid the doctor, but Everlab changes the game. “Our entire healthcare system is built around being reactive. Everlab gives men a clear, structured way to stay ahead of problems,” Dr Lu explains. See your numbers, understand your risks, and prioritise health before failure.
The aesthetic payoff is immediate. Your skin and hair are the first places internal deficiencies surface. “When we test for imbalances, we’re identifying the biological reasons someone might look tired or inflamed,” Dr Lu adds. Better collagen production, stronger hair growth, reduced inflammation, and improved skin texture are the natural external changes when the system is corrected.
Finally, consider the stealth attacker: stress. Cortisol is a major enemy of collagen. “Chronic stress shows up physically long before you feel stressed,” continues Dr Lu. “Cortisol quietly disrupts collagen, increases inflammation, and compromises recovery. Men only see the fatigue in the mirror.” Everlab gives objective visibility into stress physiology. “When you lower internal stress load, collagen breakdown slows, inflammation settles, and men often notice they look sharper, more rested, and less worn down. It’s a very real aesthetic benefit that starts with getting the biology right.”
Recovery on tap
Your physique and your face pay the price after a brutal session or a long day in the sun. The fastest recovery hack? Hot and cold contrast therapy. It’s a non-negotiable system designed to force cellular cleanup. Hit the Infrared Sauna’s deeper heat first—the radiant energy penetrates beneath the skin to flush toxins and impurities. This boost drives circulation for a clearer, radiant complexion. Then, immediately transition to the Ice Bath or Cold Plunge. The sustained cold shock slashes deep-tissue inflammation instantly. This delivers visible aesthetic benefits: less facial puffiness, tighter pores, and a sharper, more defined look. The psychological boost is a bonus—cold therapy drives mental clarity, translating directly to confident bearing.
This level of recovery is no longer restricted to elite athletes. Xtra Clubs, located in prime Bondi, is the essential go-to for these temperature extremes. They have built an arsenal of extremes, offering world-class luxury facilities—including the Southern Hemisphere’s largest Finnish sauna, infrared saunas, and multiple dedicated cold plunges—made genuinely accessible via flexible membership structures. This is tech-enhanced, non-negotiable recovery for the man who demands results. New clubs are set to launch in Marrickville and Manly, cementing XtraClubs as the undisputed champion of recovery hubs.
Blending in to stand out
By now we’re all familiar with the seemingly omnipresent adage ‘you are what you eat’ but how many of us actually pay close attention to what we’re putting onto our plates and into our stomachs? We all know that what we eat directly correlates to our health, but did you know that it also has an impact on our appearance too?
The best grooming starts on the inside and nothing beats a power-packed smoothie for high-speed nutrition. Enter the new Nutribullet Ultra Plus+ and Nutribullet Turbo are the speed demons of the category, designed for maximum absorption in minimum time.
Summer heat quickly depletes essential nutrients. These new models are engineered to break down ingredients into their most absorbable state, ensuring direct injection of antioxidants, collagen-boosting Vitamin C, and skin-repairing Zinc. Better absorption equals resilient skin and the energy reserves to tackle those endless summer nights.
Stress-free swagger
The greatest grooming tool you possess is your mental state. Stress, anxiety, and poor sleep register instantly on your face — cue the tired eyes, inflammation, and fine lines.
The Frequency Lab is the innovative Sydney studio offering the most immersive sound bathing experience available. Forget quiet chanting; this is a systemic nervous system reset. You lie down on a heated, zero-gravity water bed while the session leader guides you through a sonic journey. Their sessions utilise live sound—often involving crystal singing bowls and tuning forks—to create resonant frequencies that are felt as much as they are heard, profoundly relaxing the nervous system. The sessions are typically 60 minutes long, and while a single session provides immediate relief, committing to three to five sessions a week is how you lock in a long-term cortisol reduction. When you regulate your stress response, you instantly crush cortisol, the hormone notorious for destroying collagen. This is the ultimate confidence hack. By tackling internal stress in this zero-gravity state, you project undeniable calm and control. The result? A natural, effortless sharper, more rested bearing that no product can replicate.
Seeing the light
While lotions and potions are all well and good, the next grooming frontier is at-home LED therapy. This isn’t a gadget — it’s a systemic biological trigger for skin rejuvenation. And leading the charge is Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Face Mask (https://nanoleaf.me). A clinically-proven, skin-first solution designed to transform your complexion. This device is a powerhouse: it’s the most advanced mask in its price range, boasting three times the amount of medical-grade LEDs compared to competitors. This means dramatically more light energy is delivered to the dermis. LED Light Therapy uses different wavelengths to trigger healing—utilising 7 different colour treatment modes. Red Light targets collagen production to crush fine lines and wrinkles; Yellow Light calms inflammation. Critically, this mask delivers deep penetration with Near Infrared Light (NIR) for concentrated cellular healing, a bio-stimulant that repairs damage beneath the surface. The device is sleek, wearable, and guarantees noticeable results in less than six weeks.
Banish the bush
While body hair on the body is an undeniable outward expression of masculinity — and is definitely en vogue at the moment — there is a point when it needs to be tamed. And while every bloke in the Western world is pretty much across manscaping with even the most Alpha male trimming and shaving, for beach body confidence that comes from banishing unwanted body hair, there’s only one viable longterm solution: laser hair removal.
“For men who are over the constant cycle of shaving and the discomfort of waxing laser hair removal is the only truly practical long-term solution,” explains head of education at SILK Laser Clinics, Alana Van Der Schouw. “It targets the hair at the follicle, reducing regrowth significantly over time, so you can enjoy smoother skin without the upkeep. This means no more last-minute shaving before beach days, fewer ingrown hairs, and long-lasting results that keep you confident all summer.”
The largest laser hair removal brand in Australia, SILK Laser Clinics cater to a raft of men across the country, tackling everything from the common chest and back areas, to the more intimate ‘male Brazilian’. And while the treatment is efficient and much more cost effective in the long run, the idea of painful lasers has been prohibitive to many punters — until now that is.
“The Candela GentleLASE Pro delivers laser energy with precision and is paired with a cooling system, which releases cool air throughout the treatments,” continues Alana. “The result? Fast, effective sessions that are virtually pain free.”
Beyond the back and shoulders, subtle grooming is key. Beard sculpting is popular and therapists can achieve precise, well-defined lines on cheeks and neck. Ears and nose are also common for men to treat. SILK have also seen an increase in men opting for hair removal on their legs, buttocks, and groin areas, both to increase day-to-day comfort and to reduce ingrown hairs.
Unlike waxing or shaving, which require constant upkeep, laser hair removal works to reduce the need for maintenance altogether. By the end of your course, most clients can achieve smooth, long-lasting results they can enjoy without the hassle of traditional hair removal methods.”
“A typical plan spans around 4 to 6 months, with sessions scheduled 4 to 6 weeks apart, aligning with the natural hair growth cycle to target every follicle optimally,” says Alana. “Results can appear far sooner than most people expect. By the time you’ve completed your second or third appointment, the changes can be significant — thinner, slower-growing hair, and in some areas, no regrowth at all.”
Find your seasonal signature
Unfortunately, like an awkward teen experimenting with his first bottle of Brut, many men still don’t know how to apply fragrance properly — or that fragrances should be changed with the seasons. Heat accelerates fragrance molecules, which means that the heavier, smoky scents of winter can become overpowering in the heat. Summer demands a switch to fresh, crisp, dynamic accords that are energising. For elegant all-day wear, Eight & Bob’s FOUQUET Collection provides excellent choices. Egypt is a refined option with Lavender, Lemon, and Sandalwood. Or, try the perfect sun-kissed scent, Giardino dell’Anima (The Garden of The Soul), which opens with bright Mandarin and Bergamot before settling into a unique base note of Pistachio Spread Cream, evocative of a warm Italian evening.
Deploy your daily shield
Let’s not overthink this: you live in Australia. Sunscreen is not a choice — it is your ultimate anti-ageing tool. Full stop. On average, men spend more time outdoors than women, the sun breaks down the skin’s scaffolding, or collagen, and that’s why a sun-lover’s skin appears to age faster. High heat and humidity demand a lightweight, non-greasy, broad-spectrum formula that shields against ageing UVA and burning UVB rays. Many sunscreens and sunblocks only protect against UVB rays. Both UVA and UVB radiation contribute to sunburn, skin ageing, eye damage, melanoma and other skin cancers, so it’s important to use a product that will shield against both.
High performance top picks start with La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid and Anthelios XL Anti-Shine Dry Touch SPF 50+. They are medically recommended for superior, non-greasy protection due to their patented Mexoryl SX/XL filter system, which provides exceptionally comprehensive, stable UV protection. The Anti-Shine formula is essential in humidity, as it uses Airlicium technology to mattify the skin and eliminate the typical sunscreen sheen. For bridging protection and dedicated skincare, the MECCA COSMETICA To Save Face SPF50+ Matte Sun Serum uses White Willow Bark to crush shine and prevent congestion while feeling like a serum, not a sunblock.
Finally, for the active man, Airyday’s Tough Luxe SPF50 Dreamscreen excels by being 4-hour water-resistant and includes powerful internal defence in the form of Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamins C, E, and F to actively neutralise free radicals.
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