Jenny B. Davis

My friend Lisa has spent thousands ridding herself of excess body hair with lasers. Each undesired follicle has been zapped with low-energy light on five separate occasions, and her arms, legs and bikini zone are now soft and seal-like.

The allure of bikini-zone laser hair removal lies in its permanence: You never have to shave again. Lisa freely admits that it hurt--"like shit" is how she described it--but she doesn't miss ingrown hairs, razor burn and itchy stubble. Which can, you know, ruin the mood.

As a reluctant shaver, I was intrigued. But I found it's far from a quick fix. At Gold Coast Medspa, for example, clinic director and nurse Julie Hoff recommends six sessions to achieve best results, with a total (yet arguably onetime) cost of between $860 to $1340, depending on the area to be treated.

Before committing my time and meager resources, I decided to take a temporary walk on the smooth side. For $56 plus tip, I signed up for a two-week reprieve from the blade, via the legendary Brazilian wax.

The treatment room at Siren Salon is swathed in billows of colorful silk. Lying on the table, my bare ass on butcher paper, I tried to focus on the romance of that harem atmosphere as master waxer Terri Wojak ripped my pubic hair right off its anchor.

It hurt. Like shit, in fact. But, 20 minutes later, Terri had created order from chaos--a wee apostrophe on a clean white page. She says it's her most-requested look, and one she prefers to an exclamation mark or nothing at all.

I am now two weeks into my new `do, and I don't miss shaving at all. So I suppose, I'll have to start saving to avoid shaving, one freelance check at a time.

Siren Salon: 3143 North Lincoln, (773)549-0800

(2005-06-09)

Also by Jenny B. Davis

Anarchy in the kitchen
The obvious lack of structure might have brought down lesser events, but here it goes unnoticed. In fact, it might even be encouraged.
(2002-10-30)

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