?TUNAY na lalaki? (real men) is how Jimvy Estocado describes the male clients who come to their salon for a Brazilian wax. Without prompting, she has accurately guessed the first question that springs to mind and straightaway demolishes the myth that real men don?t wax. ?One hundred percent men,? she emphasizes.

A Brazilian wax is a process of totally removing one?s pubic hair by applying either hot or cold wax on the genital area.

Contrary to common belief, says Estocado, gays are rather averse to exposing this part of their body for grooming. ?Gays consider themselves and do behave like real ladies,? she explains in Tagalog, adding ?Para sa kanila, maselan na bahagi ng katawan nila yun [They consider it a sensitive part of their body].? Gays do come in, but only for such grooming treatments as eyebrow threading and underarm, leg or body waxing. The ?Brazilian area? is generally off limits.

Estocado, a waxing technician at the Lay Bare Waxing Salon in Quezon City, has been with the salon chain since its first branch opened in Makati in June 2006. She was assigned to the branch on Scout Ybardolaza in December that year, and has remained there since.

But men make up a very small minority of their clients, she says. In fact, in all their 16 branches, among more than 28,000 who?ve ?gone Brazilian,? only around 850 are men.

?What sort of man would want a Brazilian wax? Well, some have actually done some shaving in the past,? she says, and once they discover that Lay Bare offers the service for men too, they come and try it. ?Some come alone, some come with their wives and they get waxed together ? separate cubicles of course.?

The first timers ? whether men or women ? ask a lot of questions, which Estocado patiently answers. The most common are: Will it hurt much? Do I have to take off all my clothes? What will you think of me? Do you talk about your clients? Won?t I be embarrassed when we see each other outside the salon, knowing you?ve seen me there?

The most forthright she has ever come across was ?Baka paglaruan mo ako doon [How do I know you won?t be messing with me]?? Her comeback was just as forthright: ?Ay, trabaho lang po, walang personalan [It?s just a job for me, I don?t get personal].?

And then there are the ?conservative? ones ? male and female ? who readily confess ?Ikaw pa lang ang nakakita sa akin dyan [You?re the only person who has ever seen that part of me].? And when they eventually become repeat customers, they insist that Estocado be the only technician assigned to them.

Brazilian waxing isn?t specialized according to gender, says this expert. The service is pretty much the same for women and men. Of course, the ?landscape? is physically different, so the men get to hold on to a towel or washcloth, which they use to cover the area that doesn?t need waxing.

?No it?s not ?hazardous,?? Estocado laughs at the question and its sexual implications. She?s never recalled a difficult or stressful moment. ?I don?t really get to know what goes on with the men while I?m doing the waxing, but sometimes midway through the procedure, a customer would ask for a toilet break. Syempre, hindi ko na tinatanong kung bakit [I don?t ask why anymore].?

It hasn?t happened in their branch, but in other branches, some male customers have engaged in improper behavior. This gets them banned from all of the salon branches.

It has happened too that a male customer would come in for a Brazilian wax but would suddenly change his mind and instead opt for a Bikini wax or ?trimming.? It might be that he has suddenly turned shy or has realized that he?s not ready for the pain. ?The men can?t stand the pain as much as women can,? says Estocado.

Not that a Brazilian wax means extreme pain. ?The salon uses a cold wax procedure, but it still stings a bit,? she says.

Among women, the practice of getting a Bikini or Brazilian wax has been gaining popularity not only for cosmetic reasons, convenience and comfort, but also for improved hygiene.

Some of their clients say that their obstetricians and gynecologists have explained health and hygiene benefits, and once they have experienced waxing, they tend to agree and become repeat customers.

A young mother, a regular at the salon who arrived for a repeat procedure with Estocada, whispered that her husband ?likes it Brazilian.? She hasn?t been able to get him to join her at the salon though, she continues. ?He just shaves so it?s neater.?

Some of the men who come to Lay Bare also share the same reasons. But Estocado has had male clients who explain that clearing hair from their bodies is according to their custom or religion. She?s had waxing clients from 16 to past 60, with some of the latter even asking for a senior citizens? discount.

Estocada says she doesn?t need to know why they want a waxing ? or even why some may want a special pattern down there.

?Yes, I can do that too if they request it. I?ve been asked to do a heart, square, rectangle, flower, dove ? and the difficult ones like an arrow and lighting bolt.? ?

Lay Bare Waxing Salon is located at the Mezzanine Level, AC Building, 38 Scout Ybardolaza, Sacred Heart, Quezon City. Tel. 416-0998. www.lay-bare.com.