Personal care, grooming and spa services are popular, and for years the majority of these treatments have been marketed almost exclusively toward women. With the rise of specialty barber shops that offer things like hot towel shaves and more upscale grooming services, it’s clear that there’s a market for men to treat themselves as well.
One area where the men’s grooming trend is quietly expanding is waxing.
According to Rose Nunn, owner of One Woman Spa, men want to receive wax treatments for the same reasons women do. Those reasons range from personal preference, the preference of their partners, or because of the aesthetic appeal of being hair free on certain areas of their body.
Still, Rose insists, when most people think of men and waxing, they tend to believe men only get their backs and chests waxed. Contrary to what may be a popular opinion, Rose says there’s another area that men get waxed far more often.
“The brazilian is common, but not talked about with men.”
The brazilian – sometimes called a brozilian or manzilian when done on a man – is a wax treatment that is done in the area commonly referred to as the bikini area.
“The brazilian was sort of normalized for women from being talked about on Sex and the City,” Rose continues.
Although it might not be something many people are open about, Rose went on to say that One Woman Spa does more male brazilian wax treatments than chest or back waxes. And, Rose says, it’s still an aspect of men’s personal grooming that is so surrounded in fallacy that her business is one of the only spas in the area that does male brazilian waxing.
“There’s this big misconception that men schedule brazilian wax appointments to try to take advantage of their esthetician,” says Rose.
Another assumption is that maybe the male brazilian service may cost more, but at One Woman Spa it is the same price for men and women, and it takes about the same amount of time to perform the wax on either gender.
Rose says she does do a lot of back waxing and while that service is more popular in the summer, the brazilian is popular year round. Besides the back and brazilian men’s waxing services, other areas men get waxed are the nose, ears and some men prefer to have hair free legs during the summer.
One thing Rose says she advocates is educating all her clients, both male and female, about the importance of continuing a wax care routine. She says it’s an essential piece in order to remain breakout free between appointments, especially for back waxing.
“Men tend to breakout almost 100% of the time the first time they get their backs waxed.”
At the South Tacoma spa, they sell a body wash and blemish control gel, which she advocates that men use at home between waxing treatments.
“If I can get a man to take and use his home care products, I will give him a wax for free,” she continues.
Another good rule of thumb, according to Rose, is to stick to a regular wax schedule. Doing so will guarantee the hair gets on one growth pattern, rather than growing in various stages.
“One of the things to educate with waxing, whether the client is male or female, is to maintain a continual wax schedule.”
One Woman Spa specializes in speed waxing, meaning it takes less time than the industry standard. A way Rose says they achieve a quicker wax at the spa is by using a disposable large wax spatula to apply the wax.
Another key to speed waxing is using a high-quality wax. The higher quality wax ensures that the esthetician can apply the product to a large area of skin at once and the wax won’t dry out or become difficult to work with. The product used at One Woman Spa is a luxury wax line called Berodin depilatory wax. Additionally, Berodin has a post wax product that they also carry and sell at the spa, too.
Of course, with the warmer weather just around the corner, many people might be considering getting waxing services. Rose says it is the busier time of year for waxing services, but assures that it’s easy to get in for appointments, especially since she recently hired a new esthetician as well.
“This is the time to start a waxing routine if you want to be hair free for summer.”
One Woman Spa is located at 6240 Tacoma Mall Boulevard. Reach them by calling, 253-474-3569, visiting their website or on Instagram and Facebook.
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Followers of health trends have heard about the concept of fasting. People skip meals or go hungry for a few days as a way to reset their bodies, run more efficiently and appreciate food more. There was a time a century ago, however, when the idea went awry so much that it killed. Some called it treatment. Some called it murder. Others consider it one of the rare examples of female serial killers.
Such is the odd case of Linda Hazzard’s “Wilderness Heights” hospital. While the hospital, which locals called “Starvation Heights,” was located in Ollala, just miles from Tacoma, the case first came to light with an international incident that started in Tacoma. It would also end thanks to a notable Tacoman.
Flashback to the dawning years of the 20th century. Medical treatments weren’t regulated and quack doctors who sold snake oil ruled the day. Hazzard tapped into that vein with her book “Fasting for the Cure of Disease,” which promoted the idea that starving patients would allow their digestive system to rest so their bodies became cleansed of “impure blood.” It was a fairly popular concept back then. Several doctors championed it around the nation. But Hazzard didn’t have a medical degree and spun the concept further by adding daily enemas and “flushings” that required patients drink up to 12 quarts of water a day instead of eating. Oh yeah, and she also punched and beat her patients to spark a full “cleansing.”
Hazzard began her starvation medical “practice” in Minneapolis but fled there for Washington in 1902, after authorities began investigating her treatments when a patient died of starvation and all of her valuables went missing. Hazzard set up a treatment center in Seattle in 1906. The first patient there died in 1908. That patient was Daisey Maud Haglund. She died at the age of 38, after undergoing Hazzard’s starvation regime for 50 days. Haglund left behind a three-year-old son, Ivar. As a turn of fate, Ivar would go on to found Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants. His clam chowder would feed millions after his own mother had literally starved to death. She would not be the last.
The pattern was fairly straight forward after Hazzard set up a “hospital” in the woods of Ollala to avoid the watchful eyes of big-city investigators in Seattle. Patients paid up front for treatments at her private hospital. Treatments ran between four and six weeks. Richer patients would often sign over their worldly possessions along the way. Those who survived were deemed cured of whatever ailment they had. Those who died were listed as succumbing to their underlining diseases. Hazzard conducted many of the autopsies and filled out the death certificates herself, after all.
Relatives of “living skeletons” complained to authorities, but learned little could be done since the patients willingly participated in the controversial treatments, and Hazzard was licensed to provide medical care within the state.
Rumors about deaths at her Institute of Natural Therapeutics found their way into newspapers here and there over the years, but everything came to a head in 1911, when two British-born sisters, Dorothea and Claire Williamson, sought Hazzard’s cure. Their family learned of Hazzard’s treatment plans and set out to rescue them. The sisters’ servant arrived to learn that 34-year-old Claire had recently died. She weighed 50 pounds. Dorothea, 37, was alive but deemed insane, leaving Hazzard with a power of attorney over her wealth and affairs. Dorothea weighed just 60 pounds. She first pled to be rescued from Hazzard’s watchful care but later changed her mind. The British consulate in Tacoma got into the case and triggered an international investigation.
Hazzard was arrested. Newspapers dedicated thousands of words over tales of the starvation, beatings and theft from patients during the 17-day trial. Hazzard played to the press by championing her treatment plan and blasting the charges against her as a conspiracy of the male-dominated medical establishment to shut her up. She became a feminist icon of her day. Forged diary entries that had been reportedly written by dead patients that gave Hazzard glowing reviews and lavish gifts didn’t help her defense. A jury found her guilty of second-degree murder.
But she wasn’t done treating patients. People still sought her care – even when they learned of her conviction. Two more patients would die under her care between her conviction and sentencing.
Hazzard spent two years of a 20-year sentence of labor at the state prison in Walla Walla before being released. She was pardoned by Gov. Ernest Lister in 1915. Lister had grown up in Tacoma. His father, J.H. Lister, had operated the first foundry in the city alongside his uncle, David, who was the mayor of New Tacoma in 1881, before New Tacoma and Tacoma City merged. Lister Elementary School is named after the family, specifically in honor of longtime school board member and business manager Alfred Lister, Ernest’s brother.
Hazzard’s pardon came with the condition that she leave the country. She did, for a while anyway.
She moved to New Zealand and set up a “treatment sanatorium” there before returning to her Olalla compound in 1920 to continue her operation. She would treat, and kill, patients for another 15 years. The “school of health” burned down in 1935. She died three years later – she starved herself to death while following her own treatment regime.
Records link Hazzard to 15 deaths, although the lack of record keeping leads many to believe the trail of murder could reach into the hundreds since many patients, and their medical files, simply disappeared.
Nothing but the foundation of the former sanatorium exists today and the site is located on private property. But that doesn’t stop stories of Starvation Heights from appearing in collections of ghost stories and retellings of the state’s most odd events and personalities. Gregg Olsen’s “Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest,” is one of the most popular books on the topic.
This summer, Tacoma’s once-idle Brewery District will experience a revival as it welcomes Brewery Blocks Tacoma to the historic downtown neighborhood. Brewery Blocks Tacoma will be located in the center of the historic district, just south of the University of Washington Tacoma’s downtown campus, and it aims to redefine downtown living by restoring the area’s historic warehouses – converting the buildings into spaces where the community can live, work, and play.
The stretch of century-old buildings has remained an urban industrial part of town, considered desolate by locals for years. Dating as far back as the end of the 18th century, the area became home to two of Tacoma’s very first breweries, which were founded prior to the Prohibition Era and operated through its entirety. Both breweries later closed their doors, while the area struggled for years until the University of Washington built their campus downtown in 1990, putting the area back on the map. The now-bustling district became home to Harmon Brewing Company, and later welcomed 7 Seas, Black Fleet Brewing, and E-9 to the neighborhood.
The Horizon Partners who developed Brewery Blocks have breathed life into the area’s beautiful brick buildings, which were built at the turn of the century, by preserving and reusing materials from the original hundred-year-old structures. Brewery Blocks will add more than 200 residential living spaces, over 250 parking stalls, and 117,000 square feet of office and retail space tucked within an urban pedestrian-friendly setting. The new area hopes to celebrate the city’s rich history while also celebrating its community and local businesses.
The Brewery Lofts will be located within a four-story building complete with 49 market-rate residential units, which will be available for tenants later this spring and are currently accepting applicants to join their waitlist. The redevelopment will provide the area with much needed housing and parking options for those dwelling and working in the downtown area.
Brewery Blocks will also feature a 14-story high rise building that will officially be Washington State’s tallest building made from cross-laminated timber, which is an environmentally and economically friendly way of constructing the building while reducing its carbon footprint. The high-rise will be home to 143 apartment units.
Brewery Blocks has so far announced two Northwest-based businesses who will be joining the area, bringing new dining and drinking options to the district. Bitterroot BBQ will be opening their second location at Brewery Blocks Tacoma as an expansion from their original location in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Bitterroot is best known for serving up savory smoked meats, mac and cheese with all the fixings, and other classic barbeque dishes that pair perfectly with their craft beer and bourbon selection.
Incline Cider will also be opening their first customer-focused taproom and retail location within Brewery Blocks, introducing the South Sound to their tasty and creative craft ciders. While there won’t be any food at Incline Cider, they plan to feature other Pacific Northwest-made beers and wines, and will also allow patrons to bring in their own food as most taprooms do.
By creating a sustainable mixed-use district, Brewery Blocks Tacoma will bring life to one of Tacoma’s long underappreciated neighborhoods that’s rich with history. With more dining options, retail shops, and office spaces soon to join the area, Brewery Blocks plans to redefine downtown yet again. The area is also located steps away from museums, shopping, and public transit facilities, the Link light rail system, University of Washington’s downtown Tacoma campus, and Saint Joseph Medical Center.
Brewery Blocks Tacoma is located in the Brewery District between 21st and 23rd street, just south of the University of Washington campus and is anticipating their dining and retail locations to begin opening later this summer through early fall 2019. Housing units will be ready for tenants to move in later this spring. Those who are interested in both residential housing and commercial leasing opportunities at Brewery Blocks Tacoma can find more on their website, and by staying tuned for news and updates on their Facebook page and Instagram.
From the snowy slopes of Mount Baker to the gentle waves of the Salish Sea, Bellingham and Whatcom County are home to breathtaking natural beauty. And the opportunities to recreate among this beauty are among the most plentiful not just anywhere in the country, but in the world.
Visit Bellingham has developed BasecampBellingham.org, an easy portal into the multitude of outdoor recreation available year-round. The website provides all the information you need on races, gear rentals, tour guides and instruction to help you get into nature as quickly as possible. Whether you’re looking for hiking, biking, running, paddling, snow sports, or multisport outdoor adventure recreation, you’ll find it all on Basecamp Bellingham.
“Our access to nature is what makes Bellingham such a great destination and such a great place to be,” says Annette Bagley, marketing director for Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism. “We’re very lucky to have such a wide variety of outdoor recreation activities here.”
For those interested in athletic races, there’s no better place to be than Whatcom County. The area is home to triathlons, marathons, swim-runs, and multi-sport relay races, the latter of which is anchored by Ski to Sea, the oldest race of its kind in the United States.
Since 1973, the race has showcased the geographic diversity of Whatcom County with seven different sport legs along a 93-mile route stretching from the Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay, and sees both local athletes and Olympians compete.
Anna Rankin, Ski to Sea race director, says the longevity of the event, the uniqueness of the course, and the team camaraderie inspired by the race all make it special. Last year individual participation was widened from just one leg, and some athletes take the added challenge of competing in two or three legs.
In addition to Ski to Sea, Whatcom Events – of which Rankin is executive director – is responsible for several other events, including July’s Tour de Whatcom. The social cycling event offers four routes ranging from 22 to 100 miles. Last year more than 800 people participated in what’s known as “the Northwest’s Most Beautiful Ride,” Rankin says.
In September, the Mt. Baker Hill Climb will see cyclists ride the Mt. Baker Highway from Glacier to Artist Point. The race is one of only two times all year that the Washington State Department of Transportation closes the highway.
If beer is important to you, register for Trails to Taps, a fun relay race that’s the brainchild of Boundary Bay Brewery’s Jenny Schmidt. It’s a 10-leg race that features transition points that take place at local breweries.
“The first thing on our minds is to introduce people to the incredible trails, parks and streets of Bellingham—and to connect those with the local breweries,” says Rankin. Everyone who participates gets a free beer at the after-party, she adds.
If swimming is your thing, consider the Bellingham Swim Run. The event, which began in 2017, is one of only a handful of such events in the Pacific Northwest. A swim-run held at Orcas Island last year even brought Lance Armstrong to the area.
Brent Molsberry, who organizes Western Washington swim-runs with Quest Races, says the Bellingham Swim Run takes place at Lake Padden and features two distances: long and short. The long course is just over seven miles, and consists of multiple swimming and running sections.
It’s a unique event that sees teams of two people attempt to stay relatively close to one another at all times. Participants have to run in wetsuits and swim in running shoes. Molsberry says the swim-run is just more proof of how amazing the area is for recreation.
“We’re so spoiled around here,” he says. “The amount of recreation within an hour’s drive of here is pretty unmatched. It’s sometimes overwhelming trying to figure out which recreational activity I’m going to do from my front door.”
If you’re a runner, check out the September Bellingham Bay Marathon. The event features 5k, 10k, a relay, and half and full marathon distances. Each race runs its final miles along Boulevard Park and Taylor Dock, which provide beautiful views of Bellingham Bay.
For triathlons, there are several options. The Lake Padden Triathlon, which has been going on for at least 35 years, takes place in June. The event has two races: a long and short course. The long course features a half-mile swim, 21-mile bike ride, and 5.2-mile run. The shorter course features a quarter-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride, and 2.6-mile run. Event registration is limited to 650 athletes, and the 2019 edition is already sold out.
For an even greater challenge, tackle the Lake Whatcom Triathlon. This USA Triathlon-sanctioned race showcases the recreational environment of Lake Whatcom while also crowning state champions in the Olympic distance course. The triathlon starts at Bloedel Donovan Park and continues the entire distance of Northshore Drive. There’s even a short children’s “splash and dash” for the younger athletes.
Even if you’re not into racing, there’s still plenty to appeal to your sense of adventure. Take a guided kayaking tour from Moondance Sea Kayak Adventures, which provides equipment, instruction, and guides versed in the natural and cultural history of the area.
For mountain biking, seek out Intrinsic Flow Mountain Bike Guiding and Instruction. Mike Storm, Intrinsic Flow’s founder, covers the gamut of lessons and guided rides to attract any skill level or type of riding.
“Whatcom County has some of the most spectacular trail-riding in the country and, arguably, in the world,” Storm says. And best of all, much of it is easily reached just within or outside the Bellingham city limits, as is the case with Galbraith Mountain.
March Northwest also provides local biking lessons and guided tours, including youth and adult instruction classes. Founder Shaums March is world-renowned trainer who has served as a skills coach for U.S. Olympic teams.
No matter what recreation you love, Whatcom County provides the chance to do it all—sometimes all in the same day, if you’re up for it. The traffic is much better than Seattle, too.
“We have a little bit of everything here,” says Kristi Kucera, owner of Moondance Kayak. “It’s endless, where the possibilities could take you.”
Get inspired at BasecampBellingham.org.
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