I May Have Found My Lane With Hair Transplant Field Trips To Turkey

The Wonton Don11/05/2024 4:15 PM

I don’t recall exactly how the idea came about. I took White Sox Dave out of the country for his first time to watch the Dominican World Series a couple years ago and despite Dave immediately getting food poisoning, getting hammered while on anti-biotics, and then immediately getting Covid, I had a lot of fun and the content delivered.

So I was open to going abroad with him again, and with disastrous photos of his hair “leaking” on the internet every few months,

it soon became clear that taking him to Istanbul, the hair transplant capital of the planet, would be the logical next trip.

And once word got out around the office that I was considering bringing Dave to Turkey, my other scalp-deficient co-workers started flocking to me like geese. First to want in was “Mickey Smokes”

Then Kenjack (who would like a full head of hair in time for his wedding next Fall)

Then Eddie

And then Rudy (who didn’t even know he was balding until an unfortunate drone accident at Camp Barstool)

Then it dawned on me that Barstool's main demographic, balding 25-35 yr old males, might want in too. I’ve always wanted to organize group excursions for stoolies and figured bringing a crew to Turkey, where they can explore the most historically fascinating city in the world AND receive a life changing medical procedure, would be the perfect trial run.

Anton Aleksenko. Getty Images.

However first I had to work out a deal with a clinic that could accommodate all of us. Joey Camasta put me in touch with one that had reached out to him before and I DM’ed a couple others on my own, but didn’t feel like any fully realized how big of an opportunity this was for them given our fanbase (honestly wouldn't be surprised if 50% of male stoolies are struggling in the hair department). Then one day I was having lunch with an old college buddy I hadn’t talked to in years and he mentioned that one of the clients his PR firm works with is Este Nove, a reputable hair transplant clinic based in Istanbul. I hopped on a call with them and they were very interested in working with Barstool, but the clock was ticking! My pregnant wife (due in February), had vetoed any abroad trips after New Years, and we had to find dates where none of the other Barstool employees would miss already sponsored events (Rat Race, Bears Watch Parties, etc.) After a bunch of back and forth, we finally figured out some dates that would work for both us and the clinic: Fly to Turkey the Friday night after Thanksgiving, touch back down in the U.S. December 7th. BOOM! We were in business baby! (shoutout Barstool sales legend Nick Addison for getting the deal across the finish line)

Now I just needed to find some fans who wanted to join, and hand up, I could've done this in a much more organized manner. First, I fired off this tweet with very few details besides the dates:

and must’ve had 400+ stoolies hit me up (with more still coming in daily). I probably should've included the price in the initial tweet to narrow the playing field but hindsight is 20/20, so I spent the next few days reaching out to everyone and letting them know the costs. From there I was able to get a list 25 stoolies who were still on board, then handed that over to the clinic to schedule their consultations to ensure they were all eligible for the procedure. That brings us to today, where I still can't tell you how many fans are coming. All I know is that Este Nove is in touch with 14 of them

and I'm already in touch with 7 fans that I know for sure are coming:

When I first had the idea of bringing fans I envisioned finding 10 people that wanted to come, having them each send in a video explaining how a hair transplant would change their life, and then choosing 3-4 of them. Figured starting small was a good idea for the trial run. But with our departure approaching so fast, there just wasn't any time for a "vetting" process, and my mindset became that if they can afford it and the clinic can accomodate them, the more the merrier.

However, now it's all on me to organize a fun week in Turkey for 19 Americans and with only 3 weeks to go, the pressure is on! I know the clinic will handle all the medical stuff but I want to make sure everyone gets to see more of Istanbul than just the inside of a doctor's office. Thankfully, I spent a couple weeks in Turkey back in 2022 so I (kinda) know my way around (i think).

I also know a couple Americans who have been living in Istanbul for a few years who are willing to help which will be clutch. My only concern is that I don't think the doctor advises drinking the week before or after a hair transplant and, shocker, most of my ideas for fun involve drinking. I'll figure something out though and I really appreciate all the fans (and co-workers) who are willing to be a guinea pigs on this first trip.

But now let's talk about the future! As if I can pull off this first excursion without any serious incidents, I think guiding group medical tourism trips for stoolies might be my new lane. Riggs and Foreplay have the Barstool Classic. Spittin' Chiclets has the Chiclets Cup, Wonton Don leads his annual field trip to Turkey!

I fully intend on making these trips a yearly occurrence (Chef Donny is already signed on for season 2) and here are just a few ways I think the concept can be improved upon down the line.

Contest where 1-2 stoolies have a chance to win a free hair transplant (flights included)
Work out a deal with Turkish airlines for discount flights
Travel in a warmer month when we can rent a yacht and cruise the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia for a day

Plan the trip around the best football or Euroleague basketball match-ups. Istanbul is a BIG TIME sports town.

Organize a longer trip where we first to do other touristy stuff around Turkey first like hot air balloon rides in Capaddocia or hippo mode in Bodrum

yagmradam. Getty Images.

If females want to get on board I hear Turkey also does a great job with breast implants!

Turkeyana, situated in the vibrant city of Istanbul, is the premier destination for international patients seeking high-quality breast implant surgery. Turkeyana ensures patients receive the best care and results with a spotless reputation for excellence and a team of expert, board-certified surgeons. (TURKEYANA)

Or I could take a group of gals to Brazil to get BBLs!