There were multiple reasons for those of the male persuasion
to steer clear of the inaugural Life + Style Expo Wednesday night at Amsterdam
Walk in Midtown.
The expo, after all, included dozens of independently owned
Intown salons, spas, retailers and eateries, all featuring trend tips for
Spring and gift ideas for Valentine’s Day.
And there was the constant threat of The Manzilian, a
guy-geared procedure being offered by Wax, a business touting itself as the
city’s first waxing studio.
Yes ladies, for the total metrosexual, Wax
offers a Brazilian wax way downtown for
your man.
Shut the front door.
“What’s intriguing is how many of the wives and girlfriends
there are who want to stay and watch,” Wax’s Raney O’Keefe told Intel.
As expected, some of the guys require a little hand-holding.
“Women are for sure far braver about such things,” O’Keefe said. “We’re just more used to suffering for beauty whether it’s high heels or
an elaborate hair session.”
Another hit at Wax for women? Adding color or having a
design shaved into to your nether regions.
“A lot of times women will come in and request specific
initials and tell us, ‘I lost a bet with my husband,’” O’Keefe explained.
“We’ve discovered that ‘S’s’ are really difficult.”
Across the way, Howell Mill Road’s Dragonfly salon stylist
and owner Kyoko told us that roots are
currently all the rage at her business.
“Ever since Sarah Jessica Parker made it super popular on ‘Sex and the City,’ women
have been adopting the look,” she said.
Sometimes to extremes.
“We’ve even had women who have great color already ask us
to alter their look to create the appearance of roots,” she said. “It’s kind of
crazy. But we like a challenge.”
In addition to cuts, color, straightening and blowouts,
martinis are also offered on the Dragonfly menu.
Explained Kyoko: “JCT [restaurant] is right across the
bridge from us. We just need 10 minutes to place the order and send someone
over to get your drink.”
Expo attendees Catherine Egenes and Karina Timmel, meanwhile, were busy trying out the eco-friendly
21st century beanbag chairs at the Cool Beans store.
The retro chairs these days are actually made from recycled
laser-cut foam.
“We love anything super girly like this,” explained Timmel.
Added Egenes: “I really don’t want to get up right now!”
An hour into the expo, attendees had already sipped their
way through 24 bottles of vino and additional supplies had to be secured.
Luckily, the other staple of life, chocolate remained
plentiful at The Melting Pot fondue restaurant’s booth.
