N.J. board convenes on Brazilian wax law

NEWARK, N.J. - The Hudson Room, on the sixth floor of a nondescript downtown building, is where men and women in business attire make critical decisions about cutting hair, carving out cuticles and waxing body parts in New Jersey's salons and spas.

Tuesday morning, the state's Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling gathered in the windowless room of fluorescent lights and office chairs to discuss the issue of genital waxing for the first time since March 13, when the Daily News reported that the state planned a permanent ban on the painful procedure.

The initial proposal, which would specifically prohibit genital waxing - also known as Brazilian waxing - is set to become law April 25. But that law now will be deemed "under revision" until the board can form a committee to study the issue.

In other words, salons can continue to offer the service, and the state won't interfere. The law banning it will not be enforced while a new one is drawn up.

A spokesman for the Division of Consumer Affairs could not be reached for comment yesterday, but at the meeting Deputy Attorney General Swang Oo said the process of changing state law is not simple.

"It takes a long time," she said. "There's a lot of difficult pieces."

Shortly after the initial waxing proposal made news, Consumer Affairs Director David Szuchman rejected it and asked the board "to begin an immediate review of the training necessary to safely provide this service, and to establish appropriate protocols and safeguards."

Szuchman also recommended that the board not enforce the law banning Brazilian waxes. Most salon and spa owners rejoiced, but according to Rosemary Weiner, chairwoman of the Association of Salon and Spa Professionals in New Jersey, the joy was premature.

That's why, despite the initial controversy's nationwide attention, and the thousands who made calls and sent letters to the state in protest, only a handful of people attended the meeting, Weiner said.

"Even if inspectors are not enforcing the ban, it poses a significant risk to salon and spa owners because their insurance carrier is not going to cover them," Weiner told the board.

Weiner, for the second time, presented the board with a position paper and proposals for how Brazilian waxing can be performed safely in a salon.

"This procedure can be done and is being done by a majority of salons and spas in New Jersey," Weiner added.

Feuza Reis, marketing director for a Middlesex County salon that specializes in waxing, said the board's executive director, Jay Malanga, told her at the meeting that Szuchman's letter should appease insurance carriers.

"We'll still keep fighting," said Reis, who organized rallies about the issue in Newark. "But for now, it's back to waxing."