The Gents Place
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn American ultra-premium, membership-based men's grooming and lifestyle club.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Gents Place is an American men's grooming and lifestyle brand built around an ultra-premium, membership-based barbershop and club concept. Founded by Benjamin Davis in 2008, the business began in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Its model combines traditional barbering with salon, spa, and personal-care services in an environment designed to feel more like a private club, upscale steakhouse, or country club than a conventional barbershop. The brand's core services include men's haircuts, styling, coloring, hot-towel shaves, waxing, hand and foot care, and shoe-shine services. Locations have also offered complementary hospitality features such as bars, lounge seating, pool tables, and cigar-smoking patios. The experience is organized around dark wood interiors, leather barber chairs, and a relaxed social atmosphere. Customers can purchase individual services or join through monthly and annual memberships that bundle grooming treatments and club privileges. Davis has said that the concept originated in his dissatisfaction with ordinary haircut experiences. Rather than treating grooming as a quick transactional service, he sought to create a more consistent and elevated customer experience. Early development therefore emphasized recruiting, training, and retaining staff to high service standards. The company also used social media to build an initial customer base, reportedly signing more than 5,000 clients during its early growth period. The first major expansion occurred in 2011, when Davis acquired an existing men's salon in Leawood, Kansas, and converted it into a second Gents Place location. A third club opened in Dallas's Preston Hollow neighborhood in 2012. The brand subsequently expanded through Texas and into Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, and Nevada. By July 2019, published descriptions listed 13 locations: eight in Texas, one in Kansas, one in Bentonville, two in Chicago, and one in Las Vegas. The company pursued outside capital and franchising as it sought to scale beyond its company-operated clubs. In March 2016, Elevated Brands, a holding company established by the San Antonio-based Massage Heights business, made an undisclosed investment intended to support national franchise growth. In May of that year, former NFL running back Emmitt Smith became a co-owner alongside Davis. Smith had been a customer and had worked with the company since its early years; his investment was presented as support for franchise development and broader brand awareness. Davis subsequently announced a national franchise program with a stated five-year goal of 150 franchise locations, in addition to further corporate-owned clubs. In September 2016, the company announced plans to develop as many as 10 clubs in the Houston area. The Gents Place occupied a premium niche within the expanding men's grooming market. Its differentiation came less from a single grooming product than from the combination of recurring memberships, hospitality, multiple personal-care services, and an explicitly masculine social setting. The brand received local and national attention, including a Dallas A-List barbering recognition, coverage in men's lifestyle publications, and a 2015 OnDeck Barbara Corcoran Seal of Approval award. Publicly available reference material documents its expansion through 2019, but does not establish the brand's current location count, ownership structure, financial performance, or operating status.
History
The Gents Place was established in 2008 by Benjamin Davis in Frisco, Texas. Davis developed the concept from a personal frustration with ordinary haircut appointments and aimed to create a more complete, comfortable, and service-oriented experience for men. The initial business was conceived as a combination barbershop, salon, spa, and lifestyle club rather than as a conventional walk-in barber. Its early operating priorities included building a highly trained team, maintaining service consistency, and creating an atmosphere that encouraged customers to spend time at the club. The brand used social media as an early customer-acquisition tool and reportedly attracted more than 5,000 clients during its initial development. Its clubs were designed with dark wood, leather barber chairs, large lounge chairs, and, in at least one location, a red-felt pool table. Hospitality elements included complimentary bars and cigar patios. These features helped position the business as a masculine social space with grooming at its center. Expansion began in 2011, when Davis acquired an existing men's salon in Leawood, Kansas, and converted it into a second Gents Place. A third location opened in 2012 in Dallas's Preston Hollow neighborhood. The company expanded during a period when men's grooming was receiving increased attention as a growth segment of the beauty and personal-care market. Its service range developed beyond haircuts and shaves to include coloring, waxing, hand and foot care, and shoe shines. Memberships, offered on monthly and annual terms, became an important part of the model and bundled services into recurring packages. By July 2019, reference material identified 13 locations across the United States. Eight were in Texas, one was in Kansas, one was in Bentonville, Arkansas, two were in Chicago, and one was in Las Vegas. The company also sought to accelerate growth through external investment and franchising. In March 2016, Elevated Brands invested an undisclosed amount in The Gents Place. Elevated Brands had been established by Massage Heights, a San Antonio-based massage-therapy company, and the investment was intended to help turn The Gents Place into a national franchise brand. In May 2016, Emmitt Smith became a co-owner. Smith had been associated with the company as a member and collaborator since its founding period. His investment was described as a response to the opportunity he saw in premium men's grooming and was intended to support franchise growth and brand recognition. During the same month, Davis announced a national franchise program with a five-year objective of opening 150 franchise locations, in addition to further corporate-owned stores. In September, the company disclosed plans to expand in Houston, with a development target of up to 10 clubs. The Gents Place also gained recognition from lifestyle and local media. It was named the top barber on the WFAA Dallas A-List in 2009, was included by Haute Living among notable Dallas barbershops, and appeared in Men's Health coverage of distinctive American barbershops. Esquire described its shave experience as among the most luxurious in the United States in 2014. In December 2015, the company won one of three OnDeck Barbara Corcoran Seal of Approval awards and received a $10,000 cash prize. The available historical record documents the brand's growth and strategic plans through 2019, but does not provide reliable current information about its ownership, leadership, financial results, website, or whether all reported locations remain open.
- 2019
Reported footprint reaches 13 locations
[1]Published reference material listed 13 locations across Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, and Nevada.
- 2016
Receives Elevated Brands investment
[1]An undisclosed investment was made to support the brand's planned national franchise expansion.
- 2016
Emmitt Smith becomes co-owner
[1]Emmitt Smith invested in the company and joined Benjamin Davis as a co-owner.
- 2015
Wins OnDeck Barbara Corcoran Seal of Approval
[1]The Gents Place won one of three awards in the contest and received a $10,000 cash prize.
- 2014
Receives luxury-shave recognition from Esquire
[1]Esquire identified the brand's shave service among the most luxurious in America.
- 2012
Third location opens in Preston Hollow
[1]The company opened a third club in Dallas's Preston Hollow neighborhood.
- 2011
Second location opens in Leawood
[1]Davis purchased an existing men's salon in Leawood, Kansas, and converted it into a second Gents Place location.
- 2009
Named top barber on the Dallas A-List
[1]The brand was recognized as the number-one barber on the WFAA Dallas A-List.
- 2008
First club opens in Frisco
[1]Benjamin Davis founded The Gents Place and opened its first men's grooming club in Frisco, Texas.
Products and positioning
Ultra-premium, membership-based men's grooming and lifestyle club
Grooming service · 2008
Haircut and styling services
The brand's core offering is premium men's haircutting and styling delivered in a club-like setting. The service is supported by trained staff and is commonly included in recurring membership packages.
Grooming service · 2008
Hot-towel shaves
Traditional hot-towel shaving is presented as a signature luxury service. The treatment contributes to the brand's positioning around relaxation, ritual, and elevated barbering rather than a basic haircut transaction.
Personal-care service
Spa and personal-care services
The Gents Place extends beyond barbering with coloring, waxing, hand and foot care, and related salon services. This broader menu allows members to consolidate several grooming needs within one club.
Lifestyle service
Shoe-shine services
Shoe shining is part of the brand's lifestyle-oriented service mix and reinforces its focus on complete personal presentation for male customers.
Membership program
Membership packages
Monthly and annual memberships bundle grooming services and encourage repeat visits. The membership structure is central to the brand's club model and distinguishes it from purely transactional barbershops.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Early social-media customer acquisition
United States
The company used a social media campaign during its early development to build awareness and reportedly sign up more than 5,000 clients.
Outcome. The campaign helped establish an initial customer base for the Frisco club.
Brand decisions
2016
Accept investment from Elevated BrandsM&ABackground
The company wanted capital and operating support to develop a national franchise platform.
Action taken
Elevated Brands made an undisclosed investment in The Gents Place.
Aftermath
The investment was associated with plans to expand the brand through franchising.
2016
Launch a national franchise programStrategyBackground
The company viewed franchising as a way to increase its footprint beyond corporate-operated clubs.
Action taken
Benjamin Davis announced a national franchise program with a stated five-year target of 150 franchise locations, alongside additional corporate stores.
Aftermath
The strategy was followed by announced plans for expansion in Houston and contributed to the brand's reported multi-state footprint.
2011
Convert an existing salon into a second clubStrategyBackground
The brand sought to expand beyond its original Frisco location while preserving its men's-club operating concept.
Action taken
Benjamin Davis purchased an existing men's salon in Leawood, Kansas, and converted it into a Gents Place location.
Aftermath
The move established the brand's second location and marked an early step toward geographic expansion.
Sources1 sources
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