Salon tolerances

[marlaNYC]

ah that time again. it's been three weeks - time for a waxing and a mani/pedi. i dress - pants, blouse, practical shoes for the rain (and cold!), overcoat, purse and umbrella. 80% femme. never been seen out with earrings before, thought it'd be a breeze (as everyone i know is either at work already or home in bed after last night). nope. ran into a colleague/friend who, despite the conversation being about work stuff, kept running his eyes over me asking "what???" to himself. ah well. brazened it out, owned it.

i had to be in the city anyway, and had scoped out some salons between my appointment and the train. finished the meeting, ran into the first salon and asked for a full leg wax. the look on the lady's face - horrified. she basically chased me out! yuk :( next place, same thing! "no no we can't do that". last try in the city - one more rejection! jesus****ingchrist, this is Chelsea, right? NYC? did i turn left somewhere???

so i decide to come back to my 'burb and wander into my local spa. they never questioned or gave me even a raised eyebrow, even the first time i went in. this was my fourth visit. perfect waxing, lovely, friendly, concerned ladies. then to the nail salon down the street. again, not a question and the same lady who did them last time saw me and poached me immediately. and the owner (male) in there the whole time, smiling, i'm sure happy for the business on a slow, wet Thursday.

i'm really puzzled as to when the city became so uptight and the boroughs so much more relaxed? is there some new health code that i'm not aware of??? is rejection at salons a fairly normal thing?

[Toni Citara]

I don't understand the weird aversion some salons, or specifically the owners/staff, have towards male clients. When I was married the wife and I owned a salon/day spa and we serviced male and female alike, whatever the client wanted - we gave them. Want a back wax? Done. Legs? Done. 3" dragon lady red fingernails... DONE! Please pay the cashier on the way out and be sure to schedule your follow up visit.

[sissystephanie]

I have found a few salons here in the Atlanta area that won't do anything for a man! But the salon I now go to takes care of anybody for anything. Like a smart business they want your money, and to get it they have to give you some service!!

Toni, the reason that stupid question is asked is because the oerson asking it is stupid!!

[Cynthia Anne]

I love going to salons, some times even for the 'works'! I haven't run to one since 1992 that my money wasn't good enough for! Hugs!

[Diane Smith]

I've never had that kind of rejection, but one difference is that I always call in advance and make an appointment. It may be easier to turn you away when you show up as a walk-in.

- Diane

[marlaNYC]

@Diane, i totally understand the call ahead, but in the 6 years i've been going for waxing, i'd never been turned away once. it was just a strange, awkward situation that i'd never encountered before.

thanks all for your comments. happy to know that tolerance is generally high :)

[Jamie001]

I have found a few salons here in the Atlanta area that won't do anything for a man! But the salon I now go to takes care of anybody for anything. Like a smart business they want your money, and to get it they have to give you some service!!

Toni, the reason that stupid question is asked is because the oerson asking it is stupid!!


It is illegal for a salon to refuse service to a customer based upon the sex of the person.

[heel_addict]

is rejection at salons a fairly normal thing?

Definitely not!! I still can't believe they denied service. I mean, these close-minded ladies really freaking out if they saw you on the street (because you're far from the "normal" guy that society has forced people to expect) is one thing. And them refusing to offer you their services is another! What kind of shauvinistic idiots did you actually run into? If these ladies, on the other hand, were going shopping for pants or trousers, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be chased out of the store, or denied service. The store seller would be more than happy to help them! Now, how sick is that??? Women considering it perfectly usual and acceptable for them to buy clothing that's considered "male" and nobody giving them hell about it, and you asking for something feminine, having to go through this crap... Were these women running the place or just working there? If it's the latter, I'd request to speak with their supervisor. Hope it helps!

[donnatracey]

It is illegal for a salon to refuse service to a customer based upon the sex of the person.

Is it really worth making a stink about it?... Would you then trust them to do a good job??....:eek:

Too many other choices/salons that want your business to lose sleep over....:battingeyelashes:

[Vickie_CDTV]

Some men have the same problem finding an electrologist; some will work on men but only areas that are commonly visible, some will do any area on a man, some will not work on men at all.

A salon may not want men in there, and they see it as a "woman space" where women can be alone without pressures of men around.

Some may be personally uncomfortable waxing or doing anything that could be perceived as "intimate" area on a male. Some may even be concerned about her safety working on a male alone in a closed office/room.

Some just may not be well versed in waxing males and don't want to bother.

The good news is that there are salons (and electrologists for that matter) that are happy to have male clients! If you can't find one, ask around at your local TG group, gay community or other "alternative" groups; they can usually point you in the right direction.