The folks @ Aerotech are wonderful people to deal with. I recently bought a pair of these:
http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/bigsi...bikeunderliner
I used them today for the first time and thought they were great.
Your friend could maybe wear them under his usual shorts and enjoy the padding.
My first 'not standard' saddle was a Brooks w/springs which I still use on my Trek 4300, I really like it.