'He-Wax': The below-the-belt beauty treatment for men

If you thought bikini waxes — including the barest kind, the Brazilian — were exclusively for women, you were sorely mistaken. Call it the Boyzilian, the Brozilian, or the Ultimate He-Wax, male bikini-waxing is the latest trend tearing across the nation, says Rachel Felder at The New York Times. And, no, the clients aren't just "competitive swimmers or underwear models" or copycat fans of the famously sleek David Beckham, who almost single-handedly coined the term manscaping. Even regular guys are waxing down there. Here, a guide to this painful development in men's grooming:

Really, what kind of guy gets bikini waxes?

All kinds, apparently. "What we're finding is, it's everybody," Mike Indursky, the head of the Bliss chain of spas, tells Felder. "It's the gay community, it's the straight community, it's very conservative guys, it's very liberal guys. All different age groups are coming in. It's much, much bigger than we ever thought."

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But is this really a trend?

Yes. Indursky says Bliss' business for men's waxing has doubled since it was introduced in early 2011. Other men's grooming centers have seen a spike in requests for bikini waxes, and companies like Gillette and Braun are introducing razors that can be used on more sensitive parts of the body. Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising, says Cassie Murdoch at Jezebel. "Since the dawn of metrosexuality and the entrance of manscaping as a legitimate term in our language, this moment has been inevitable."

What exactly are they getting done?

Bliss offers the Ultimate He-Wax, which is the run-of-the-mill process of using hot wax to strip males of their pubic hair. Face to Face, a salon in New York City, offers "pejazzling," in which "crystals in patterns like stars and dolphins are affixed on newly defuzzed skin," says Felder. That's right, men "are now opting for a little 'bling' added to their freshly waxed parts," says Amanda Elswer at BeautyHigh. Hold it right there, says Murdoch. "There are a lot of things this world can withstand," but "a rhinestone dolphin pejazzled on your" private parts isn't one of them.

Why are men doing this?

Some men are bowing to pressure from wives and girlfriends, who say they've endured the painful practice for years, and it's unfair that they're the only ones who have to get waxed down there. Other men like how bikini waxes magically create "an enlarging effect for the main attraction," says Felder. No wonder "men across the political spectrum" are getting this done, says Ashley Cardiff at The Gloss.

Sources: BeautyHigh, The Gloss, Jezebel, The New York Times