As the beautician yanks the hairs from my nether region, soft lounge music plays in the windowless room. I push for constant chatter with her, to distract myself from the pain of body hairs being torn away by sticky strips.
I am a man who cultivated a bush for many years. Last year I decided it was time for deforestation, but shaving didn’t last long and I couldn’t deal with the amount of clean-up it created.
A female friend suggested we go for a wax together, but I soon learnt most beauty parlours don’t do intimate male waxing. I was referred to Glasshouse in Green Point, Cape Town.
The first time I took my friend along, thinking she would hold my hand. She didn’t even enter the room with me. I was signed up for a Gold Wax – crack, sack and bikini. That’s a lot of hair in my case.
Getting naked in front of a stranger was daunting. But the beautician assured me she had seen them all, even a man who left with the wax and strips still attached.
It’s a 45-minute procedure, and one I now really look forward to having done. Besides warm wax and strips, stubborn hair is tweezed out, eina! Don’t ever be fooled into thinking it gets any less painful, I’ve just got better at being distracted.
A good beautician will talk to you about options too. At first I used to leave a top strip above my genitals as some sort of fashion statement.
Now, the waxing junkie in me takes it all off and I’m considering getting rid of some bum fluff too.
An important tip shared with me was to exfoliate. Use a regular shower scrub when you get home to get rid of excess wax.
After my first visit I felt like a baby – soft and free. I could see the entire shape of my penis. I even thought it looked bigger.
And the improved appearance has made me feel more confident.