The Dell

Threading is the ancient skill of removing unwanted hair- face or body- by means of a cotton thread. The thread is wound around fingers on both hands and kept in the teeth. The action is of bobbing the head as the fingers twist the cotton around the hair, thus removing the hair.  Not completely pleasant, but an excellent result. Razor sharp eyebrows with nary a hair out of place.

I have my face threaded. Every 6 weeks or so. Now, I have been subjecting myself to this treatment for a long time, and so am familiar with the modus. I have recently moved to a new little town and needed to find a threading magician.

I found a men’s barber shop that offers threading. Threaders are mostly to be found at a barber shop or a gentleman’s grooming outfit.

I arrived and was shown to a wonderfully retro barber’s chair. I settled in and girded my loins for the inevitable slight unpleasantness.

The gentleman does not speak much English so communication is vague and very limited. He did understand what I needed, though.

He started the process of de-hairing my face and it all went according to the familiar modus operandi.

Except that, once done with the threading, he whipped out some warm wax and proceeded to apply it to the area around my mouth and chin. He was conscientious in his application. A departure from the familiar. As the wax hardened I could not open my mouth. Luckily I am a nose breather.

Having removed the wax he brought out a device that looked like a lathe. He turned it on and placed it on my forehead. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. The instrument vibrated enthusiastically, relaxing my forehead.

Then it was the turn of my shoulders and neck. What a wonderful sensation! A relaxing deep tissue massage. Albeit rather noisy.

So there I was, face hairless and eyebrows perfectly defined. Relaxed by what reminded me of a jackhammer. A tiny jackhammer, but a jackhammer nevertheless.

A new more enjoyable modus for threading. I didn’t catch the gentleman’s name. I will call him Jack.