Recently I was put in the a very unprofessional and awkward position. I was employed as a lecturer at a beauty training college and part of the college is a training clinic open to the public. The clinic has its own staff that work during the times that the students are not using the clinic and provide all beauty treatments including Male Brazilian waxes. For some reason the campus manager decided that she would not have the normal staff available and have me treating the clients when I was not lecturing. To her it was a cost save on wages. This would have been a great idea if she had checked on if I could perform the treatments that the clients had booked in for.
I am quite happy to admit that I am hopeless at waxing and always make sure that employers and clients know this. Skin and anything to do with skin treatments, makeup and products is my specialty. Waxing is not my domain. Waxing is not a hard skill to learn but to be a great Waxer you need to love waxing, do it day in and day out and understand how to wax to prevent damage to the skin when removing the wax and hair. Intimate waxing is even more specialized and is a total separate course especially Male Brazilian Wax ing.
The campus manager was extremely evasive about the client booked in and the services that they want. After explaining that I need to know so that the room was set up correctly this is when she informed me it was a wax job but continue to avoid answering any questions on who and what area. I explained that I do not do waxing and was there anyone that could help me or if she could have the appointment rescheduled. She still refused to answer what part of the body that the client was getting wax.
Rushing around to find the equipment and products need for waxing plus put the wax on to heat up to the correct temperature the manager informed me that she had one of her trainee staff that was currently studying beauty diploma to help. Thanks goodness but still would not tell me what part of the body I was waxing. The surprise was waiting when I open the treatment – a male with just a towel discreetly over him. A full body wax plus butt, crack and sack – manzilian or male Brazilian wax. I have done 100’s of laser/IPL male Brazilians and quite happy to do these treatments. Male intimate waxing is extremely specialized and you can quite easy cause pain and damage to this area. Fortunately the trainee had performed this service on this client before so I allowed her to do the waxing while I answered questions from the client about IPL treatments.
It takes a lot to shock me, I felt ambushed and betrayed by the campus manager. What type of manager throws a person into a male brazilian wax treatment with out checking with the staff if this was okay. The biggest shock was about to come to light. When the trainee and I were cleanup after the treatment I was thanking the trainee for rescuing me from the situation and apologized for being in shock and under skilled to do the treatment. She accepted my explanation but then she informed me that she was only 16. What???? Yes she was only 16 plus she had never completed the male intimate waxing subject. She had been throw into learning it as part of employment by the campus manager.
What is the Law about Minors performing Intimate Waxing.
After many hours of searching. Here is what is what I found. There is no official state or federal regulations on age of therapist when performing intimate waxing. I suspect that the legal system would believe that all therapists would be over 18 before taking on the training and service of intimate waxing. So it’s up to each salon to set their own standards.
Most Salons rules are:
- The youngest is 13 for normal waxing, ie legs, brows etc with parental consent and supervision
- The youngest for intimate waxing is 15/16 with with parental consent and supervision
Training in Intimate Waxing:
- If students are under 18 they can complete the training with parental approval.
- Students must have adult supervisor at all times during the service.
- Student must complete their training before apply the skills in student clinics
The only law I could find is that the client – male or female receiving the treatment can be charged with indecent exposure to a minor.
The client that had the treatment most properly did not know the age of the trainee staff member and would be just as horrified as I was. I did express to the campus manager that I would not be put in that position again. That I would not perform intimate waxing without training and that all students must complete their subjects before being made to perform them in the clinic on paying clients. Her reply was that in this business you “wing it” and perform the treatments that the clients want even if you are not trained. Plus that my job was in jeopardy which is what I suspect the trainee was told too. For this reason and many more we have parted company.
Do you think a 16 year old should be forced to do intimate waxing – especially female or male brazilian wax treatments?
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