158. Masks Off with Alyssa Vingan

Use code DEWYDUDES at greatmany.com for $150 off your next PRP treatment.This week, we chat with Michael Pollak and Steve Klebanow of Great Many, the NoHo studio offering personalized hair loss treatments with PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections at its core.Michael and Steve explain how PRP actually works, who it’s for, and why taking early action on hair loss leads to better results. We also talk about the shifting stigma around baldness, the low-grade obsession with hairlines, the limits of DTC telehealth fixes, the soft rebrand of the toupee (sorry, hair system), and how today’s dome maintenance should focus on long-term upkeep.

This week, we break down Magazine Dreams (2023), the unsettling and often frustrating indie drama about a troubled Black bodybuilder chasing aesthetic greatness while unraveling under mounting internal and external pressures. We explore the film’s take on masculinity, wellness, and image-obsessed culture, as well as how Jonathan Majors’ real-life domestic violence case—he was found guilty on two misdemeanor charges—reframes his performance. We also examine the film’s quiet, complicated rollout and how Majors’ off-screen scandal complicates its reception and legacy.We also dig into the film’s portrayal of performance culture, the physical extremes of bodybuilding, and its place in a long line of psychologically dark character studies, questioning whether it adds anything new to the genre.Also: gym alienation, performance-enhancing identity, and what happens when self-improvement turns into self-erasure.

Subscribe to Dewy Dudes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at dewydudes.com to hear this full hour-long episode. We chat about Bathhouse’s alleged UTI problem, fresas in NYC, acid reflux, swaggy ENT doctors, allowing yourself an “hour in the yard,” nasal saline spray, avoiding microplastics, “regulars” etiquette in the hospitality industry, Austin Abrams going full frat demon in The Line (2023) and much more. This episode was recorded March 31. We know more updates have come out about Bathhouse since then.

Subscribe to Dewy Dudes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at dewydudes.com to hear this full hour-long episode. This week, we dive deep into ice bowls of Saratoga, giving our two cents on the hostage-taped wellness influencer who became last week’s character of the week with his viral video of his five-hour morning routine. We also talk PRP hair regrowth, gym strength humiliation, Channing Tatum’s body transformation, gray hair patches and how a Sofie Pavitt facial momentarily restored Emilio’s will to live.Plus: how to Photoshop your way into signing a NYC lease (parody), trimming your eyelashes to look more masculine, death chat via White Lotus, Bryan Johnson’s alleged naked office antics, Big Dumb Baby and much more.

This week, we chat with writers Sophia June and Layla Halabian, co-founders of Language Arts, a Substack spotlighting indie and emerging literature, about the potential for Project X-inspired literary keggers, the masochism of Biologique Recherche’s Masque Vivant and the beauty of looking a little sleepy.We also get into anti-Kindle arguments, men reading Sally Rooney in public, Great Jones Spa, P50 1970 nostalgia, eating your skincare via Jell-O, Boston Rob, acupuncture-induced existential clarity, the misunderstood brilliance of pigeons, tretinoin purges, sauna etiquette and much, much more.

This week, we chat with writer and Substack luminary Delia Cai, creator of Deez Links and managing editor at Magasin, about the balancing act of freelancing, the ritual of journaling and the illusion of control in modern life.We also get into TMJ struggles, buccal massages, Charles Melton, Gen Z fumbling with old-school tech, Eucerin sunscreen from Berlin, Sunday Riley’s Good Genes, the millennial pause, mobility work in your 30s, the quiet confidence of lifting weights, men awkwardly infiltrating Pilates classes and much, much more.

Subscribe to Dewy Dudes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at dewydudes.com to hear this full hour-long episode. This week, we get into crashing out with your lover Romeo and Juliet style, de-stigmatizing men getting botox, Jax Taylor’s cosmetic work, Jon Hamm’s Bravo obsession, Sofie Pavitt’s Omega Rich Moisturizer, Haruharu’s sunscreen, Margin’s body wash, the Activist Manuka Honey Mask, David Protein Bars, Evan’s muscle-up progress, weighted vests, Pocari at Akari, William Banks, the bartender and barback hierarchy, retiring meme-making, urinating on a Cybertruck, and much more.

Subscribe to Dewy Dudes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ at dewydudes.com to hear this full hour-long episode. This week, we get into three-hour gym sessions, swapping nighttime doomscrolling for Zillow, Evan’s impending Catskills exodus, and receiving push notifications from God about a potential XRP publishing advance.We also talk Dieux’s Baptism, FilterBaby’s shower filter, WYNK Seltzer, PCA’s Skin Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum, and the realities of creatine bloat. Plus, France’s male body standards, tech normies discussing AI at coffee shops, the complications of meeting daily protein goals, struggling to form a proper sentence, and the lost art of making eye contact. We also touch on Emilio’s THC-induced panic attack while podcasting (he was drinking Wynk), healing the Millennial-Gen Z divide, the unexpected Billboard resurgence of Fetty Wap, the rise of Egyptian footballer Omar Marmoush, Dave Asprey’s biohacking extremes, Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here), and the surprising effectiveness of spot-treating furniture with a Salux.

This week, we chat with journalist, editor, and Muay Thai practitioner Chris Gayomali, founder of Heavies, a progressive newsletter on health, wellness, and fitness, about leg-lengthening surgery, barefoot fitness, and why "gentle transitions" might be the antidote to modern burnout.We also get into the brain-boosting magic of creatine, the political wellness divide, the allure of self-optimization, ear seeds, energy healing in Chinatown, Aesop, Carmex, Bloom greens, Pulse PEMF therapy, Adidas Taekwondo shoes, farmer-strength workouts, and Zyrtec. Plus, Chris introduces us to Payton Talbott, the progressive UFC fighter with Björk on his Spotify Wrapped.Read his latest story on Protein Mania for NYMag:https://www.grubstreet.com/article/high-protein-diet-food-grocery-stores.htmlSubscribe to Heavies:https://heavies.substack.com/

We chop it up with renowned esthetician Sofie Pavitt, founder of Sofie Pavitt Face and owner of Sofie Pavitt Skincare Studio in Chinatown, to talk salmon sperm facials, microneedling, and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatments. Sofie breaks down the science behind salmon DNA for skin rejuvenation, its role in microneedling, and how FDA restrictions shape treatments in the U.S. compared to South Korea’s cutting-edge beauty scene.Elsewhere in the episode, we unpack podcast criticism, New York Magazine’s take on adult allowances, the politics of men and backpacks, unwanted bar encounters, the lost art of flossing, silent sauna competitions, and the ultimate flex—disappearing from IG and re-emerging with a baby. All that, and much, much more.Subscribe to DewyDudesSubstack for more.