Chicago body waxing for men that won't break the bank?

June 29, 2009 6:51 AM

What is the high quality, economical solution for a male in Chicago needing full-body waxing? Failing that, where's the right place to look?

I'm preparing for my first job as a male exotic dancer, which clashes with my Italian-inspired body hair. So pretty much everything below the ears has to go, and shaving just won't cut it. The absolute cheapest I've found this service for was $250, and that was just a hodge-podge of parts that will probably neglect some area (arms, chest, legs, booty).

So where should I go? Or if you don't know where I should go, where should I look? I was told to check Devon St, but other than driving up and down the street asking at each salon what their prices are, I have no way of comparing vendors. I checked Yelp, but the information seemed all over the board and they didn't list prices. My future customers that don't have to deal with my prickly stubble thank you in advance.

posted by ggypsy to clothing, beauty, & fashion (4 answers total)

Try finding a spa school and have students do it.
posted by dasheekeejones at 6:53 AM on June 29, 2009

Call up the cheapest place and ask for a volume discount rather than pricing it up bit by bit if that's what you had been doing?

Also, you can use an epilady (the new ones don't hurt like the old ones used to - at least not as badly!) on your legs and arms and any other less sensitive places, leaving fewer places that you need to pay to have waxed.
posted by hazyjane at 10:24 AM on June 29, 2009

if you're going to need to have your body hair removed a lot, you might as well start saving up and have laser hair removal.
posted by lia at 10:42 AM on June 29, 2009

Take a class on waxing and find a few classmates to trade with- you can easily do your own legs, lower arms, and chest and abs. A little practice and you'll be a pro!

You can buy good wax at Sally's Beauty Supply - for the tough kind of hair that you're going to be dealing with, don't skimp on supplies- get Gigi wax that either heats up in the microwave or in a warmer. Anticipate paying ~$40 for muslin strips, enough wax to get started with, etc.

For the volume you'll be doing (e.g., every square inch of your body) you should buy a warmer and the wax that comes in the metal tins, it is much cheaper per ounce than the wax that comes in the plastic cylinders that you heat up in the microwave.

If you feel like practicing without taking a class, look up instructions online, but here are a few tips:

Make sure you lay down a layer of newspaper. Wax is hard to get off. Also have a few towels you don't mind destroying. Flat, taut parts of your body are easiest to practice on. Trim your longer body fur before waxing it. Test the heat of the wax on the back of your hand before applying it to your body. In my experience, waxing is most effective when you have it as hot as you can stand so it spreads thinly and easily. Tongue depressors are the easiest thing to use for wax application. Spread as thinly as possible, thick wax application leads to the wax pulling or separating from the muslin and pain ensues. Firmly smooth the fabric onto the wax, hold the skin taut and pull cleanly in the opposite direction of hair growth. You can often reuse a muslin strip 2-3x before needing the next strip.

After you finish, climb into the shower with some baby oil and massage the baby oil into your skin to remove any lingering bits of wax. Exfoliate regularly with a loofah to prevent ingrown hairs but invest in a good pair of tweezers and anticipate getting ingrown hairs if you haven't ever waxed before.

And the most important tip if you're getting the gigi wax, is it is very easy to get it messy. Do everything within your power to make sure you don't get wax all over the waxing cylinders or the heater-upper device. Store it after letting it cool to room temperature, UPRIGHT and inside a plastic bag, otherwise WAX WILL GET OUT OF THE CONTAINER.

Good luck.
posted by arnicae at 12:19 PM on June 29, 2009