Mens Waxing their Legs
Ah, spring. ‘Tis the season—for violently ripping out the hair from your nether regions. And though this is a practice so common in our culture we mostly know what to expect (spread eagle, heat, some pain, repeat) there are still some questions that should be answered directly. So we went to the experts: Eileen Cornell, former waxer and current president of New York’s MaxWax and Natalia Laragione, waxer at the Upper East Side location of Uni K. Read and learn, folks.
What’s the best way to prepare for a bikini wax?
Come clean, be prepared to work with the waxer in terms of holding your skin taut and/or adjusting your body. And make sure that your hair is not too long or too short. A quarter to half inch is the ideal length — this way we will be able to grab all the hair. If the hair is too short, we won’t be able to remove it. If it’s too long, the hair may break. -Eileen
Nothing special is needed before you come in for a wax, but it is always a good idea to take a shower before! -Natalia
Do you ever judge our vaginas? What do you notice about them?
We see too many vaginas to judge any of them. -Eileen
I’ve been in the industry 15 years, so at this point have gotten used to it! At the beginning, I was very surprised to see how different vaginas can be. -Natalia
What about if they’re really hairy? Or smelly?
Really hairy is okay. Removing hair is our job after, all. Really smelly is not so great. If somebody is odorous, we use powder and hold our breath while we are in the smelly zone. -Eileen
When waxing, I recommend for customers not to trim before coming for a wax if they are really hairy. Sometimes they trim too short which will impact the waxing so I rather do this [myself] and cut to the ideal length. It is ideal to shower at least that morning, although we do provide customers with an individual wet-wipe for extra freshness before we clean the area to be waxed, just in case you chose the snooze button over the shower that morning. -Natalia
What about periods?
Periods are not a problem as long as you are using a tampon and not visibly bleeding. –Eileen
It’s not ideal but you can wax during your period, and if you have a bikini wax during your period, a tampon is the way to go. But—if you are sensitive during your menstrual cycle, you might want to avoid a bikini wax during those days. -Natalia
What about pimples down there?
Pimples in the vaginal area are not that common. What we mainly see are in-grown hairs and moles, but only after we’ve removed the hair. If you have a mole, please let your waxer know before she starts removing the hair. The last thing she wants to do is rip a mole off your body. That’s really a terrible thing. In terms of in-growns, we will advise you on how to get rid of them. –Eileen
I’ve never come across acne down there but some customers have ingrown hairs that can seem like a pimple. You can still wax if you have bumps from ingrowns. I recommend exfoliating a few days prior to your wax for the best results. -Natalia
How does interacting with vaginas all day impact your personal life? Your sex life?
We view the act of hair removal from a clinical perspective. It does not affect our personal lives at all and there is nothing sexual about it. That said, there is something vulnerable and personal about being waxed and we do make a connection with many of our clients on a personal level; similar to a relationship with a hairdresser. When we don’t see or hear from them, we wonder if they are okay. It is not uncommon for us to meet somebody when they are single and then watch them date, get married and have children. We’ve seen our clients fight cancer, go through a divorce, lose their job, go through gender reassignment, have kids…all of it. And they know about our lives as well. –Eileen
Well, my sex life is non-existent right now [laughs]. -Natalia
How do people respond when you tell them you’re a waxer?
Some people feel sorry for us because we have to deal with other people’s private parts. But we don’t view waxing that way at all. If we could have chosen another professional 20 years ago, we would have still chosen waxing. We make people feel clean, presentable and beautiful. Vacation-ready. Skirt-ready. Date ready. My-family-is-a-nightmare ready. Everything. –Eileen
Men and women respond differently. Women are generally curious, often wondering what kind of vaginas are out there, and ask about the types of services I perform and often ask for suggestions. For men, let’s just say I’ve stopped saying “I’m a waxer, ” on dates because right away their imagination and fantasies run wild! -Natalia
What do you think about when you’re performing a wax? Are you playing Rihanna’s “Work” in your head?
There’s typically a lot of chatting with the client so we don’t zone off. When we do have a quiet client, we think about the usual things — what we’re going to have for lunch, our kids, things we have to do… –Eileen
Usually I try to start a conversation with the customer to distract them so they feel more comfortable. But if the customer is not interested in chatting then yes, many tunes, including “Work” run through my head. -Natalia
Try to describe the experience of waxing someone.
When you are beginning a career in waxing, part of the experience is feeling uncomfortable, probably even more so than your customer feels, because you are truly up close and personal with them. But with experience I’ve learned to keep in mind that I’m really helping people feel and look better. Especially pregnant women who cannot get all the way down there to take care of their vaginas! -Natalia
What’s the trendy ‘do down there right now?
Nothing. Thank you waxing gods. We think trendy things like attaching feathers and rhinestones to your vagina are a waste of time and money. –Eileen
