Have you ever wondered why men should shell out more money for a waxing than women?
It's something that concerns the New York City government. It considers it discrimination and it's cracking down on price variations based on sex.
A rule went onto the books in 1998. The intention was to prevent discrimination, but many business owners are getting caught in what they consider to be an unfair trap.
The city conducted a recent sweep targeting spas and salons that charge different prices for men and women to receive services like waxing and pedicures. 138 businesses have received violation notices this year.
One Upper East Side spa was given a $200 ticket because they priced waxes a few dollars more for men then women.
The code inspector wrote out a very detailed violation notice for Vanilla Hair Spa detailing the different prices for waxing various parts of the body.
The spa manager says the price difference was because it is more difficult to wax a man. It takes more wax and more time.
The head of the city's Department of Consumer Affairs called it a civil rights issue in an interview with Fox 5 News.
Jonathan Mintz says, "You can't charge people because of who they are."
As for the Vanilla Hair Spa, it now complies with a city code it had no idea existed before the violation and fine.
Thursday, May 23 2013 5:40 AM EDT2013-05-23 09:40:39 GMT
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