N.J. Brazilian wax ban is dropped

Put away the sarongs and bust out the thongs, because the Brazilian wax is back in the Garden State.

Consumer Affairs Director David Szuchman, reacting to disgruntled salon and spa owners, may have rescued genital waxing by rejecting Friday a state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling proposal to ban the painful procedure.

“Thank the Lord. I can’t wait to run out there and tell the girls,” said Linda Orsuto, owner of 800 West Salon and Spa in Cherry Hill. “They’re going to be so happy.”

Last week, the Daily News reported that the board had introduced a proposal to ban genital waxing in New Jersey’s spas and salons, something the board claimed was already illegal but never spelled out in the regulations.

The board cited public safety as a main issue, saying that two women injured by Brazilian waxes had come forward with complaints. One of them filed a lawsuit.

Salon owners, including Orsuto, felt that the ban would strip women of a popular, albeit painful, procedure and only contribute to unsafe conditions. Many women, the owners claimed, would try to wax themselves or visit unlicensed spas to maintain hair-free.

A fax campaign was started to inform the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office that Brazilian waxes could be done safely with the proper training.

The state apparently listened.

Szuchman, in a letter written Friday, ordered the board to “re-examine” the issue.

“Many commenters have noted that the procedure can be safely performed,” Szuchman wrote. “I therefore believe that there are alternate means to address any public health issues identified by the board.”

Schuzman also encouraged the board “to begin an immediate review of the training necessary to safely provide this service, and to establish appropriate protocols and safeguards.”

New Jersey statutes permit waxing of the neck, abdomen, legs and arms, but regulators never enforced the omissions and most salons in the state offered genital waxing under many different names for $50 to $80 a session.

Orsuto said news of the ban made for a bumpy week in her busy Route 70 salon.

“It’s been chaos,” she said. “I’m not kidding. The girls have been in a state of panic.”

Rosemary Weiner, chairman of the Association of Salon and Spa Professionals in New Jersey, was cautious about Szchuman’s letter, noting that it was more of a recommendation than an order.

“This is very big news. It’s a very positive step,” she said. “Nobody else bans this in the entire country.”

Szuchman’s office oversees the board, however, likely meaning that a ban would never be approved. *

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Spas urge clients to fight for right to wax

Pubic hair may be natural, but a New Jersey salon- and spa-owners group say women should fight for their right to wax it off.

Yesterday the Daily News reported that the state’s Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling planned to ban “genital waxing,” often known as a “Brazilian wax” from salon and spa menus.

The practice has never been technically legal, but spas and salons up and down the state have long offered customers the chance to go bare . . . down there.

The Association of Salon and Spa Professionals has unsuccessfully lobbied the board to legalize genital waxing and is now urging women to sign and send a petition to Robert Gilson, director of the division of law at the state Attorney General’s Office.

“This is not a third-world country, but you’re telling a woman what she can or can not do to their bodies,” said Feuza Reis, marketing director at Jaira’s Salon in Middlesex County. “There is a huge demand for this service.”

New Jersey statutes allow waxing of the face, neck, arms, legs and abdomen, but officials say that genital waxing has always been illegal, although not spelled out. That will change when the cosmetology board passes the proposal, a state spokesman said.

Reis, a member of the ASSP in New Jersey, said state statutes don’t spell out whether it’s legal to wax backs or chests either.

“You know how many men get their backs waxed?” she asked.

Regardless of the procedure’s legal status, most salons in New Jersey offer Brazilian waxes, often under different names. The state does not investigate infractions unless they receive complaints from consumers. A spokesman said two women reported injuries from having the procedure.

The ASSP, which Reis said has 200 members in the state, sent the board a position paper on the subject recently, highlighting the demand for genital waxing for women and men, the socio-economic factors of banning it, and even suggesting how statutes should be tweaked to include the procedure along with back and chest waxing.

The board read the paper in closed session at their meeting on Tuesday night, Reis said.

“They voted to keep it out,” she said. “How come we’re going to be the only people in the world banning this kind of stuff?”

The Attorney General’s Office did return requests for comment.

To sign the petition, visit www.brazilianbikiniwax.org. *

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In these penny-pinching times, it’s hard to believe that San Diego ladies are still dishing out the dough every month to remove unwanted hair through the painful process of waxing — but they are.

The Pretty Kitty, a wax and skin care service specializing in the Brazilian bikini wax in Pacific Beach and Chula Vista, sees 30 to 50 women a day at its P.B. salon and upwards of 60 to 70 at the combined locations, says owner Tricia Hetherington.

“A Brazilian is such a popular way of life,” said Hetherington. “We see everyone from college girls to grandmothers.”

Individual waxing services at The Pretty Kitty range in price from $10 to $60, with the Brazilian costing $45. Other services offered include eyelash and eyebrow tinting, and facials, which are only offered at the Chula Vista location.

A key to the salon’s success: Keeping prices low compared to day spas and other multiservice salons to attract regular monthly clients.

“A high price tag means they don’t do a lot of them,” said Hetherington. “If our price tag was $50 or $60 (for a Brazilian) it would make it very difficult for a person to come in every month.”

A Boost In Business

Sarah Hetzler, owner of Le Wax Boutique in North Park, which opened last October, retained clientele from her previous salon, but typically sees three new clients a day. With St. Valentine’s Day approaching, her customer numbers have about tripled.

“I just started advertising with Yelp and it’s unbelievable,” Hetzler said. “With that and the San Diego Reader I do really, really well.”

At Le Wax, a Brazilian is $40 and prices for individual waxing services range from an $8 lip wax to a $65 male Brazilian; facials are $50 to $160.

In contrast, business at The Undercarriage in Bankers Hill, which owners Malinda Turner and Kirsten Prunty opened in January 2006, is fluctuating due to the downturn.

“Definitely the economy has hit us, but we are still staying afloat because of our regulars,” said Turner. “And we still continue to get new business because we advertise.”

February is the beginning of the seven-month waxing season, which slows down with the start of school in September. But in these two weeks prior to Valentine’s Day the salon typically sees a 25 percent to 35 percent increase in clientele. The Undercarriage’s most popular service, the $50 Brazilian, amounts to 90 percent of its business.

The Pretty Kitty

Hetherington, an aesthetician for six years, originally focused on skin care and facials before realizing that the profit return was in the removal of unwanted hair. She thanks Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie, on television’s “Sex and the City” for getting a Brazilian wax on the show and influencing American women to do the same.

In June 2006, only three months after deciding to open her own business, Hetherington and her partner opened The Pretty Kitty in Pacific Beach and broke even in the first month.

They had put their own money into the business, without the help of outside investors, and did the renovation themselves. The result is a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”-inspired, 430-square-foot boutique salon with two waxing rooms and a staff of four aestheticians and two receptionists.

After securing a trademark and patent for The Pretty Kitty logo in 2007, Hetherington opened the 750-square-foot Chula Vista salon in August 2008 and works there five days a week with one other woman.

“We bring in people as needed,” said Hetherington. “It requires a lot of work on our part, but it’s really the most economical way to do it. I’ve seen a lot of other businesses hire a lot of people before they have the customers, but that’s so much money out the door.”

Hetherington chose Chula Vista because she was seeing a lot of her clients commuting from the South Bay and, despite the area’s growing population, other wax salons were scarce.

“We have no competition for 10 miles in any direction,” said Hetherington.

Despite the rough economy, in its first month of operation the Chula Vista salon brought in twice the revenue the Pacific Beach salon did in its first month, in large part due to more advertising and an already established name brand.

But there are other factors, adds Hetherington.

“We attribute our success to being good at what we do and being nice to people,” she said.

The Pretty Kitty is already looking to expand to another untapped locale — Las Vegas.

“There’s quite a demand there for what we do,” said Hetherington. “Surprisingly, this area hasn’t really been tapped into yet.”

Spa Profits, Waxing

 

 

New waxing service at Hair by Wendy

Aesthetician Danielle Dubuque has brought her waxing services to Hair by Wendy in Fairhaven.
Wax On by Danielle will offer brow, bikini, lip and Brazilian waxing at the salon. Dubuque learned her craft at the Euro Institute and has spent two years working at Escape Day Spa. She will continue to work with Escape Day Spa at its new Birch Bay location, while working at Hair by Wendy on Sunday and Mondays by appointment.

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