Gino and Justin at Tuxedo Club
The gay-owned Tuxedo Club celebrates a year of beauty in Oak Cliff
RICH LOPEZ | Staff reporter
rich@dallasvoice.com
Among the dress shops, restaurants and other lively small businesses on Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff is a new-ish medical spa — although “medical spa” may not be your first thought when you first see the place. This gay-owned business belies its mission by straying away from the more usual “clinical” look for such an establishment, opting instead for a luxurious, stylized ambiance.
And at the heart of it all are partners in life and business Justin Cavazos and Gino Iallonardo, who celebrate a year this month of providing an array of services such as Color Concierge permanent makeup, hair restoration treatments, Botox and more.
Outside the corner spot off Bishop and Jefferson, notable for a mural of Dolly Parton, is the Tuxedo Club. Walk in and you find an opulent mix of classic and cool, with just a smidge of kitsch recalling a bygone time.
Tux Club team
“The space is inspired by those vintage Playboy clubs,” Cavazos explained. “Gino and I would look at old Playboy magazines and bring that vibe into this space.”
“This space” is enveloped in black with gold touches, leopard prints and vintage paneling. There’s another large Dolly mural on the inside.
“Gino’s icon is Dolly. Mine is Liza [Minnelli], so you’ll see them both sprinkled about the place,” Cavazos said. (Iallnardo was unable to attend the onsite interview.)
The luxe look is inspiring, but Tuxedo Club is really all about offering the best possible services. With a growing clientele and a neighborhood location, Cavazos said the spa has, in just a short time, steadily built a solid reputation and trust among Oak Cliffers.
“Word of mouth is the best advertising, and the feedback has been great,” he said. “But that isn’t worth anything if we’re not providing great service.”
Cavazos rattled off the spa’s roster of treatments, but he boiled it down to what the place really does in a more existential fashion: “We give transformations that are subtle enough [clients can] still look at themselves, but I think what we’re doing is providing confidence and happiness,” he said.
Tuxedo Club is not the first medspa in Oak Cliff, but it’s a one of a kind on Jefferson Boulevard. As residents of Oak Cliff, the two owners feel quite literally at home.
But Cavazos discovered that there was concern among residents early on, even before they opened the doors. Or maybe it was more confusion than concern.
“Well, a few women would come worrying about a strip club opening right here,” Cavazos said with a laugh. “I think people grew to know that we live here and that it was also half-owned by a Latino. That made locals more comfortable.”
While Iallonardo, whose background is more marketing and corporate, tends to his other endeavors, Cavazos, with his luxury retail and salon experience, oversees the daily operations with a team that includes an injector and a permanent makeup artist.
The customer base sticks close to home, but they have built a strong gay male clientele that come from both The Cliff and beyond.
Cavazos added that drag performers have come in for some touch ups.
A distinct connection, though, to the LGBTQ community is the work they’ve done for trans clients. “We’ve done a lot of facial balancing for clients. We can work to help enhance features that feminize the face or add masculinization,” he said. “Some may go under the knife for that and use these treatments as maintenance. But those who aren’t ready or don’t plan on surgery can use these services in lieu of.”
The space can also help correct previous cosmetic work that may not have yielded the best results.
The idea that Tuxedo Club is a spa is a complete misconception; massages, facials and the like are not on the menu here. The treatments are more medical, and, with a registered nurse as the club’s injector and a medical supervisor to address issues they can’t answer onsite, Cavazos is confident that Tuxedo Club can provide reassurance to potential clients.
Or just go in, surround yourself in the glam and learn all about the Tuxedo Club first-hand.
“If you come in, we’ll offer a glass of champagne and a complimentary consultation,” Cavazos said. “Our team will talk with you about what you want to address, what you don’t like and what you’d want to enhance.
“It’s different for everyone, but like many of our clients already, you’ll leave confident and happy and excited.”
Learn more at TuxedoClub.com.