Everything inside the four walls. An opening keynote, then a men's facial filmed start to finish on a male model — the protocol, the devices, the filming. Sessions on reading the beard area and the consultation that earns the next visit. The day closes with a specialized guest session. The hands.
A workshop for the modern esthetician.
GRAIN
Against the grain.
The Idea
A lot of skincare talks down to you. The advice is too soft, the marketing is too pink, and somewhere along the way the work itself got lost in the noise.
This isn't that.
Grain is for the estheticians who do real work in real rooms — the ones who chose this craft on purpose and got tired of being talked down to.
A guild. A studio. A magazine. A movement.
The First Chapter
No. 01
New York.
Two days. Twelve estheticians. One conversation we haven't had yet — about men's skincare, content, and the room you build for both.
Dates
September 27–28, 2026
Sunday & Monday · 10–6 both days
Location
New York City
Venue shared with cohort
Cohort Size
12 estheticians
Application only
Price
$2,500
Payable upon acceptance
Day 01 — The Room
Day 02 — The Audience
Everything outside the four walls. The avatar workbook, the partnerships, the content workflow filmed and edited in front of you, and the changes to your menu, space, and site that signal you can sit down here. The voice.
Who it's for
Licensed estheticians — solo operators, salon owners, anyone who wants more male clients and is tired of waiting for the industry to catch up. Beginners welcome if the appetite is there.
What We're Building
Four values.
Every decision laddered up to one.
/ 01
Craft
The trade-first mindset. Estheticians as professionals. Skin as a material to be read, understood, and worked with.
/ 02
Interior
The room. The atmosphere. The sixty seconds before the treatment. The space as part of the work.
/ 03
Texture
The editorial, sensory, cinematic eye. How things look, sound, and feel. Lived-in and elevated at once.
/ 04
Counterculture
Against the grain. Anti-industry-BS. The voice in the room that says the quiet thing out loud.
The Founder
Jeff Mendoza.
As featured in
TODAY · NBC News · Les Nouvelles Esthétiques
Thirteen years in. 70% of my clients are men. I built that on purpose.
I started Grain because there isn't a school for what we actually do. Not the textbook version. Not the lecture series. The real version — the room, the consultation, the content, the conversation. The work.
No. 01 is twelve seats. Two days. Built for the estheticians the industry has been quietly underestimating for too long.
Not Ready Yet?
Get word of No. 02
before anyone else.
If No. 01 isn't the right city or the right month, leave your email. We'll let you know when the next one opens — and send the occasional letter on what we're building in the meantime.