I stop by GINZA SIX any time I happen to be in Ginza. I’ll have a lunch meeting at GRAND CRU CAFÉ GINZA, which offers a luxurious, relaxing atmosphere, or purchase a gift on the first belowground floor. I make the most of what it offers. For men interested in beauty and style, GINZA SIX offers many, many spots to enjoy.

GINZA SIX is useful for men, too, both on the job or off. It offers beauty and grooming experiences, refreshment with something sweet during downtime at work, and a place to purchase a beauty gift for a woman.

I head first to Shiseido on the Beauty Floor, the first belowground floor. It’s not widely known, but they offer grooming lessons here for men. The instructor gives detailed step-by-step lessons on how to select the right skin care products for your skin type, how to draw eyebrows, and even how to hide the circles under your eyes.

Speaking of which—for business men, I’d like to recommend a product for erasing those circles under your eyes. Concealer, a type of foundation applied with a pen, lets you instantly eliminate these blemishes (In the photo below, the top item: Sheer Eye Zone Corrector 3,600 yen; the middle item: White Lucent OnMakeup Spot Correcting Serum 4,200 yen; *all prices listed before tax). Do your colleagues express concern about you? Are they always asking if you’re tired? If you’re a man in this situation, I can recommend concealer as a great solution.

Eyebrow Styling Duo (the bottom item: 3,000 yen), a set for drawing and shading your eyebrows, is convenient. There are two male staff members at the Shiseido here. I recommend learning from them.

I next go to SUQQU, a brand known for its facial muscle massage. The skills of Yuuki Yoshizawa, the boutique’s lead masseur, are such that making an appointment means putting your name on a three-month waiting list!

He also has a great eye for beauty and knows, simply by eyeing your expressions, the state of balance of your facial and mimetic muscles. On my visit today, he takes a look and diagnoses the symptoms. “Your face gets a little puffy, doesn’t it, when the seasons change…?” Much to my initial chagrin and eventual amusement, he’s right on the money. He tells me about a technique for eliminating puffiness.

The SUQQU Musculate Massage & Mask Cream (200 g, 10,000 yen), which causes no excessive skin friction, is an essential.

After enjoying my time on the Beauty Floor, I move to the second floor. I head to Jo Malone London to buy a beauty gift for a friend. As you enter at the front of the space, you’ll see the Rare Teas collection, inspired by rare teas, displayed on the wall in the back.

The smooth, delicate fragrance seems to hover just above the skin, casting an enchanting spell of refinement. I love the collection’s Silver Needle Tea Cologne and use it regularly. The fragrance combines sage and musk with a faint floral aroma for an exquisite balance of clarity and seductiveness. It’s wonderful.

While enjoying this fresh aroma, as a gift for my female friend, I choose the Lime Basil & Mandarin Bath Oil (200 ml, 12,000 yen), bottled in a glass decanter. The fresh citrusy, herbal, and mandarin aromas fill your bathroom with a rich fragrance that inspires one to take deep spontaneous breaths, and the scents transport you to a hotel spa setting.

I have the product wrapped as a “Just Because” gift. It’s an idea from Jo Malone London, to give gifts for no particular reason, not just on special occasions. While I’m waiting for the gift to be wrapped, I receive a free hand and arm massage from a staff member, who also knows all about the boutique’s products. It’s something I can heartily recommend. My arms and hands are laved in the Body & Hand Wash. This is followed by a massage with the Body Crème. The third step involves applying a fragrance via cologne. It’s the ultimate experience for a luxury fragrance brand.

On the Food Floor on the second belowground floor, which offers many gift options, I wander to Betjeman & Barton, a flavored tea shop from Paris. I’m looking for a limited-edition seasonal tea to give as a gift to a friend who loves black tea.

I buy the perfect tea for summer: the refreshingly smooth Pouchkine Vert (70 g, 1,900 yen), which combines Chinese green tea and citrus flavors. For myself, I go with Earl Grey Finest. Of the black teas, I most like Earl Grey. I like drinking it so much, I often buy a number of tea brands online direct from London. But Earl Grey Finest is blended with white tips—new buds—and the aroma and flavor are brilliant. It’s a flavor that’s earned the sobriquet “King of Earl Grey.” I can hardly wait to brew it in my iron kettle.

The last thing I order on this beauty outing is an ice cream cone (463 yen) made with the store’s most popular flavored tea, Eden Rose.

I take a bite. The vanilla, bergamot, and lavender flavors delight the nose. It’s a blissful moment. The excitement stays with me as today’s beauty hunt comes to an end. With the gift for my friend in hand, I head into the hustle-and-bustle of the main street.

Text：Tomoichi Kato　Photos：Hidehiro Yamada　Edit：Yuka Okada