Clean It Up at European Wax Center

February 1, 2012 by 13 Comments

You can get a bikini wax at just about any beauty salon, nail salon, or spa.  Personally, I prefer the spa because, well, it’s a spa.  When you have a choice between going to a spa and anywhere else in the world, wouldn’t you always choose the spa?

For me that would be true if I had an unlimited budget.  (If that were true I would probably move into Burke Williams.)  But since that’s not the case, I’ve been shopping around for a new aesthetician ever since I moved to Agoura Hills a year and a half ago.  This practitioner, commonly referred to as “The Wax Lady,” may be an indulgence for some but for a fair-skinned Irish lass like myself, she is a necessity.  I’ve battled unwanted hair since fifth grade.  I only discovered waxing when I moved to California.  I also tried electrolysis, which was so painful I like to think it prepared me for childbirth.

But beauty is pain, right?

As I said, you can find waxing services anywhere, even places with cute names like “Pink Cheeks.”  But European Wax Center doesn’t mince words.  It’s a wax center.  That’s all they do: remove unwanted hair from the bodies of men or women with wax.  Much like TINT only colors your hair (the hair on your head) and Drybar only dries your hair, EWC specializes in this one service so that they can do it well and cost-effectively.

I visited the Westlake Village location of EWC in October.  I was surprised to find it located right near The Pump Station, Wicked Way Cafe and Cafe Escobar.  Who knew this little Mecca of smooth skin was nestled right in a convenient shopping center with plenty of free parking?  Now we all do.  You’re welcome.

The lobby is spacious and bright, with a minimalist decor and cheerful staff manning the desk.  Each of the treatments rooms is set up to look exactly the same.  That way, no matter what day or time or wax lady you’re seeing, you’re getting the exact same facility, supplies, and ambiance every time.

EWC has proprietary skin care products, including the wax that they use which is meant to be more effective and less painful than old-school wax.  You can trust me when I tell you this is true:  it hurts less.  Let my negative past experiences be worth something to the rest of the world.

Another unique thing about this place is that they offer bulk packages of waxing services.  A single bikini wax, for example, is $35, but you can pay for a package of say, 7 waxes, and get a volume discount.  OR you can pay a higher fee, for unlimited waxes.  You can’t get that at Costco.

Ladies who might be shy about dropping trou to get a bikini wax – never fear.  These gals have seen everything, and chances are they’ve seen a lot worse than what you’ve got going on down there.  Get over that moment of modesty and allow a seasoned professional to clean you right up.  The aesthetician I saw was skilled and quick.  The whole thing was over before I even got started on telling her my life story.

Now for the real challenge:  my wackadoo eyebrows.  They’re a combo of Spock and Brooke Shields, but they have minds of their own.  Whoever can tame those babies will score me as a long-term loyal client.

I received a complimentary service to facilitate this feature.  All opinions and scarred emotions are my own.

 

Filed Under: Local Businesses Tagged With: , ,

Remembering Paramount Ranch

January 12, 2012 by 2 Comments

2021 Note: Everything at Paramount Ranch burned down in the Woolsey Fire except for the creepy church.

Did you know that there is an Old West-themed movie set that is still there, and open all the time for people to just walk around in it, right down the hill?  Go south on Kanan from the 101, turn left on Cornell, and eventually you will see it.  Paramount Ranch.  The movie set is at the entrance to the park, but trails will take you throughout the 2,700 acres of rolling hills.  Visits are free.  Parking is free.  The view from the hill?  Also free.

It’s a lovely way to pass an hour with young children.  Bring a picnic lunch and a frisbee and you might get 2 hours out of it.  We went on New Year’s Eve day.

Filed Under: Around Town

No Room For Road Rage at Elementary Schools

December 5, 2011 by 35 Comments

Sigh.

I just got another mass email from my child’s principal that addresses the stupid things parents do when dropping off or picking up their kids at school.

My son goes to a school that has one way in and one way out.  It’s a huge traffic snarl every morning and afternoon, not only because of the bad design, but also – and perhaps mostly – because of selfish parents.

Our school has traffic rules to enable smoother drop off and pick up.  You wait in a long line of cars and inch your way to the traffic circle.  Once you get to a certain point, that’s where you stop to let your kid out or get him into your car.  Then you drive to the left around the tree and go back out the way you came.  No idling on the curb, no parking along any of the painted curbs, no letting your kids out where it’s not allowed.

But of course, not everybody follows the rules for one reason or another.  And every single day there is some parent who rushes ahead and cuts off the line, or stops too early to let their kids out, or simply parks where it’s not allowed and walks into school. Teachers and volunteers often reprimand these people, who are not always gracious or apologetic.

In the middle of all this is a crosswalk where the children who are walking – and therefore relieving the community of yet another car to add to this mess – cross to the side of the road where they can walk back out of the school grounds.  In the afternoons, the principal herself acts as crossing guard, with a big handheld STOP sign.  One day when I was waiting in line I witnessed a minivan blow right by the principal, who was standing in the middle of the crosswalk with the STOP sign held high.  The minivan did not slow down or stop for her.  It had a row of Mickey Mouse decals along the bottom of the rear windshield.

In tonight’s email, the principal said things have gotten so bad that “a parent actually threatened to run over one of our teachers.”

Really?  What kind of asshole threatens to run over a teacher, no matter how stupid he or she thinks the rule is?

I’ve clocked the wait time for cars picking up or dropping off children.  At its worst, the wait can be as long as 10 minutes.  You can avoid wait times completely by arriving earlier in the morning, or parking down the street and walking, or walking the children to school.  If you’re running late, school is not the place where you can make up time.  I’ve been there, I know how it is.  You’re busy, I’m busy, everybody’s busy.

But this is your child.  These are our children. And their teachers.  If you get held up because you arrived too late to find a parking space or get to the front of the line, so what?!  Take a deep breath, follow the rules, and drive safely.  Being on time for your morning meeting or an after school playdate or soccer practice is not more important than the safety of our community.

I love it here.  I love our school.  I lament the bad planning of the traffic situation, the lack of a bike lane, and the too-narrow sidewalk.  But I adapted, and so should you.  There is so much to appreciate about Agoura Hills and the public schools.  Don’t make it miserable for everybody else just because you’re miserable.  Chill the eff out.  Your children will become better people if you do.

Filed Under: Around Town