Is Waxing Waning?

Not Even a Recession Can Keep Women from Waxing

Alisa Bowman, who pens the marriage blog ProjectHappilyEverAfter.com, first got waxed two years ago as a surprise for her husband. "But I got completely hooked," she said. "It's just incredibly sexy to look at — and no amount of feminism can bring me to say that about my former woolliness. It's also a lot more sensitive. It has completely changed my sex life."

There's a lot of loyalty between women and their waxers. It's a fact: Where there's pain, and privates, there's bonding.

"I have relationships with these women," said S.B. waxer Nina Lafuente, who's been offering discounts to longtime clients faced with financial cutbacks. "Women, we're cool with each other. We like to take care of one another."

S.B. esthetician Jamie Sprovieri said the recession hasn't affected her business at all. "In the Great Depression, the beauty industry went fairly unscathed," she said. "In times of crisis, people will do any little thing that makes them feel better: buying a tube of lipstick or taking a yoga class or getting your bikini waxed. It won't break the bank, and it makes you feel more confident."

She herself still gets regular waxes. And don't expect her to stop any time soon: "My husband is Brazilian."

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