Salon owner: Waxing ban could close shop

Alocal salon is at the forefront of the statewide controversy over Brazilian waxing. Jaira's Salon in South River, which provides a variety of salon services, until recently had offered Brazilian waxing services as well. But a recent debate over the legality of the genital hair-removal procedure in New Jersey has prevented the salon and other facilities in the state from offering the service.

Feuza Reis (l-r), Rosemary Weiner and Jaira Lima, owner of Jaira's Salon in South River and South Amboy, are at the forefront of a debate over the legality of Brazilian waxing. According to Feuza Reis, marketing manager for Jaira's Salon, which is also opening a facility in South Amboy, the law previously did not expressly prohibit the procedure, but only allowed hair removal from the face, neck, arms, legs and abdomen. The state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling recently has tried moving toward a ban, in part because of two customer complaints filed with the Division of Consumer Affairs, said Rosemary Weiner, chairman of the Association of Salon and Spa Professionals (ASSP) and owner of The Brass Rose Spa in Blairstown.

However, the Division of Consumer Affairs rejected that proposal and, according to Weiner, discouraged the Board of Cosmetology from enforcing the law. But since the practice is still considered illegal, salons and spas are hesitant to offer the service.

"Everyone thinks the ban on Brazilian waxing is lifted, but it's not," said Weiner, who added that the state board still has the authority to enforce the law.

In an effort to change the law, Weiner wrote a letter to state Attorney General Anne Milgram outlining the ASSP's position on this issue.

"We believe that the general public has a right to obtain a reasonable, contemporary service, which is already being legally provided in other states in this country," she wrote in the letter.

"Customers are outraged," Weiner said.

Jaira's Salon is trying to get as many people as possible to sign a petition. An event held at the South River salon March 23 was designed to generate signatures and awareness. Reis also organized an event March 30 in Newark "in the heart of the ironbound section of Newark, where more than 90,000 Brazilians live."

The law, Reis emphasized, hurts salon owners and customers alike.

"This is a woman's issue. This is a small business issue," Reis said, adding that at Jaira's Salon, the service accounts for 85 to 90 percent of revenue. "We want to be compliant," she said. If the law is rewritten to include a ban on Brazilian waxing, "we will have to close," she said.

Jaira's Salon, which is owned by Reis' mother, Jaira Lima, has operated in South River since 1999. But it was a sign advertising the salon's services at the new South Amboy location that led to the salon seeking legal recourse.

"On Feb. 14, the salon was called at its new location and told by the Board of Cosmetology that we needed to take down the Brazilian waxing sign because Brazilian waxing was illegal in New Jersey," Reis said. "This is when we started to look into this, called Rosemary Weiner, and began [re]searching how we could overturn this. We took the service off our menu and are asking our clients to petition as well."

Weiner said she is concerned that customers who are interested in the Brazilian waxing service will have to travel to New York or Pennsylvania to have it done. She added that in a challenging economic climate, limiting services is a one-two punch for salons.

"All that revenue is going to go out of New Jersey," she said. In addition, a ban in New Jersey could lead to a ban in other places. "Our fear is that it will roll over to other states," she said.

Weiner said little is known of the two complaints that were filed, but she stressed that "adverse outcomes can occur from any service. It's unfair to punish everyone. We don't know what happened." According to published reports, one of those complaints has led to a lawsuit.

The current law, which has been in place nearly seven years, expires April 25, so Reiss and Weiner are doing all they can do get the word out in advance of the Board of Cosmetology's April 14 meeting. Both noted that the current law also does not specify the legality of back or chest waxing, so those practices

are at risk of a ban as well.

Reis encouraged anyone interested in seeing the law changed visit her salon's website at www.jairasbrazilianwax. com.

"It's important for people to know the fight is not over," Reis said. "It should be permitted because it can be safely performed."

Time is of the essence both for the law, and for customers, Weiner said, adding, "Bikini season is coming up."