Pain for My Love?

Brazilians on men? Manscaping?

Jesse Kinsolving, leading esthescian at San Francisco's Always Tan and Trim reports that although back and butt waxes are perennial favorites, an increasing number of men are requesting the full monty to please the men or women in their lives.

Asked to give waxing a number on a pain scale of 1 to 10, Kinsolving hedges. Back and butts, he says, rate only a 3 or 4. But the first time the wax is pulled from the tender skin down and front?

"It's about a 6 or a 7," he confesses. "But the second time is much easier! Most say it's the anticipation that causes the most anxiety, that the actual procedure is not as bad as imagined."

Certainly it's women who continue to give cosmetic dermatologists the lion's share of business as we proceed to remove nearly every visible hair. And some girls with serious curls will apply hair relaxer to their "landing strips." (Take care with that one, ladies. Lye and mucous membranes should not mix. Ever.)

Some see it as a primitive step back. Think of the sexy funky patch of black beneath the arms of chic French girls on the Paris metro in summer. Or go political. The plucked-chicken look achieved by what's also called the Hollywood, the G-wax or the Sphinx are, arguably, pedophilia-inspired .Yet the look du jour is smooth.

And for those who would never consider it, consider this: Removal of hair makes the skin more sensitive. And responsive, say Brazilian devotees.

Speaking of discomfort that can lead to a feeling of arousal, have you considered a corset yet?

Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs are two of the many designers who translated the old whalebone from Frederick's of Hollywood to boutiques and high-end department stores. Some women claim corsets just make their clothes look better, but there's a whole underground community that laces up with prurient intent. Moulin Rouge, anyone?