The Velvet Masculine: Why Gentle Men Sip Rooibos

Sensuality, Stillness & the New Era of Self-Tending for Him

I. The Rise of the Velvet Masculine

There’s a quiet revolution steeping beneath the surface of our overstimulated world. You won’t hear it over the clang of hustle culture. It doesn’t broadcast itself in viral reels or six-pack timelines. No — this movement is gentler, deeper, more deliberate.

It smells faintly of sandalwood and rooibos.

The Velvet Masculine isn’t a trend. He’s a return. A remembering. Of the man who tends to his mornings as sacred, who chooses stillness as strategy, who knows that a soft robe and a full breath are more potent than a power tie and caffeine jitters.

He doesn’t perform masculinity — he inhabits it. Sipped slowly.

II. My Father Switched to Rooibos

Let me take you to a Sunday afternoon not too long ago. My father — Southern to the core, man of bourbon and jazz vinyls — reached for a glass of Rooibos Old-Fashioned and said, “Son, this feels... like breathing.”

I laughed. But I knew what he meant.

He'd had a health scare. High blood pressure. Sleepless nights. Restless mind. He'd tried meditation but couldn't sit still. So I brewed him a pot of my “Western Cape Rooibos” — deep red, naturally sweet, with a finish like a hug. No caffeine. No sharp edges.

That pot turned into a nightly ritual. A low light. A jazz record. A tea he didn’t need to explain. He started calling it his “nightcap for the soul.”

III. The Stillness Suite: A Rooibos Ritual for Gentle Men

Here’s how the modern velvet man steeps his way into balance:

Time:

9:30 PM

Environment:

Dim light. A clean space. A candle — preferably Upland’s “Stillness & Stories” in Cashmere Musk.

Sound:

Soulful lo-fi jazz, with vocals that feel like silk (playlist below).

Action:

1. Steep Western Cape Rooibos for 5–7 minutes.

2. Pour into a handmade ceramic mug. No rushing. No screens.

3. Sip while seated on a floor cushion or standing barefoot by a window.

4. Take 3 slow breaths before your first sip. One to release. One to receive. One to just be.

Bonus: Let the mug warm your palms. The heat is part of the medicine.

IV. Rooibos Old-Fashioned: A Velvet Nightcap (Mocktail Recipe)

• 2 oz double-strength Western Cape Rooibos (chilled)

• 1 tsp raw honey (or orange blossom syrup)

• 2 dashes orange bitters

• Splash of sparkling water

• Garnish: orange twist + cinnamon stick

Stir gently over ice in a rocks glass. Sip slowly while reading something that doesn’t require your ego.

Optional: Add a dash of cayenne if you need to feel alive again.

V. Soundtrack to the Velvet Masculine

Curated by yours truly, this playlist features soul vocals, lo-fi jazz instrumentals, and the occasional spoken word musing — designed for journaling, sipping, or seducing (your peace).

🪄 Listen: “Steeped in Soul: Velvet Masculine Vol. 1”

Featuring:

• Leon Bridges – “Beyond” (acoustic)

• Tom Misch – “It Runs Through Me”

• José James – “Turn Me Up”

• Miles Davis – “Blue in Green”

• Lo-fi remix of Sade’s “Cherish the Day”

VI. Closing Pour

The Velvet Masculine doesn’t try to be soft. He simply stops pretending that being hard all the time is sustainable.

He gathers his strength from his rituals. From his ability to savor. From his courage to be quiet in a world that demands noise.

So here’s to him — the linen-wrapped, candle-versed, rooibos-sipping man — who knows the most radical thing he can do is take care of his soul.

And maybe — just maybe — teach his father to do the same.

- Oliver Hooty, Creative Wellness Officer, Upland Tea House