The idea that professional hair removal is exclusively a female concern has been shifting for years — and nowhere more visibly than in Japan, where male grooming culture has evolved faster than in many Western countries. Maris Gina has served male clients across all treatment areas since the beginning. This guide is written specifically for men: what sugaring does, which areas benefit most, and what a first session actually looks and feels like.

Why More Men Are Choosing Professional Hair Removal

The reasons men seek professional hair removal are largely the same as for women — and self-consciousness about body hair has nothing to do with gender. The most common motivations our male clients express:

• 1
  Hygiene and comfortBody hair traps sweat, heat, and bacteria. Reducing it — particularly in the underarm and VIO areas — produces a noticeable improvement in daily comfort, particularly in Tokyo's humid summers.
• 2
  Appearance and confidenceWhether for sport, swimming, intimacy, or everyday self-image, many men simply feel more confident with managed body hair. The aesthetic motivation is as legitimate as it is for anyone.
• 3
  Eliminating daily shavingDaily beard shaving causes cumulative skin damage — razor burn, folliculitis, skin darkening, and ingrown hairs. Beard sugaring progressively reduces the hairs outside a shaped beard design, reducing how often the razor needs to come out.
• 4
  Sports performance and recoveryAthletes — particularly swimmers, cyclists, and martial artists — often remove body hair to improve performance, reduce friction from equipment, and make massage and treatment easier.
• 5
  Partner preferenceA straightforward and entirely valid reason. Mutual grooming consideration has always been part of intimate relationships — sugaring simply makes it professional, effective, and less time-consuming than self-maintenance.

Why Sugaring Is the Right Method for Men

Men's body hair tends to be coarser and denser than women's — particularly on the back, chest, and beard area. This raises a natural question about whether sugaring can handle it. The short answer: yes, and often better than waxing.

The Alexandria Professional sugaring method is not limited by hair coarseness. The paste penetrates coarse follicles as effectively as fine ones — in fact, the with-the-grain removal technique is particularly beneficial for coarse hair, which is more likely to break during against-the-grain wax removal, leaving sharp-tipped stubs below the skin surface that become ingrown hairs.

For men with darker skin tones — many of Maris Gina's male clients are of Asian or South Asian heritage — sugaring's lower post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation risk is a meaningful advantage over waxing. Beard-area darkening from daily shaving or harsh wax removal is a common concern that sugaring directly addresses.

The moisturising and exfoliating properties of the paste also benefit male skin, which tends to be thicker and more prone to folliculitis (infected hair follicles) in areas of dense, coarse hair. A clean sugaring removes dead cells that would otherwise block follicles, reducing the ingrown and infection risk that many men who have shaved dense areas have experienced.

All Treatment Areas: What to Expect

Male VIO Hair Removal

Male VIO hair removal has grown from a niche request to a standard service at Maris Gina. The same V, I, and O zones apply — the V-line (frontal pubic area), I-line (shaft and inner area), and O-line (perianal area). Full removal is the most common choice, but partial treatments and design shaping are available.

For male clients, the hygiene and comfort benefits of VIO hair removal are particularly significant. The denser hair typical of the male VIO area traps more heat and moisture, contributing to discomfort and odour in warm conditions. Many male clients report that VIO hair removal is the single most impactful grooming change they have made in terms of daily comfort.

Privacy is complete. Sessions are conducted in private rooms, with professional draping throughout. Your technician will explain the positioning for each zone before it begins. First-timers are encouraged to communicate their comfort level throughout the session — there is no expectation to proceed with zones you are uncomfortable with.

Beard Sugaring: Shape and Reduce

Beard sugaring is a service category that many men don't initially think to consider — but it addresses one of the most consistent grooming frustrations for men who maintain a shaped beard.

The principle: if you maintain a beard design — a shaped goatee, a structured neckline, a precise cheek line — you spend time every day or two removing the hairs that grow outside that design with a razor. Over years, this daily razor contact with the same areas produces cumulative skin damage: folliculitis, ingrown hairs, razor bumps, and darkening of the skin on the neck and cheeks.

Beard sugaring removes the hairs outside your chosen design from the root. Over repeated sessions, these hairs become progressively finer and sparser. After six to twelve sessions, many clients find they only need to razor once a week or less — and the razor bumps, darkening, and ingrown hairs that came from daily shaving disappear with the frequency.

The design is entirely yours to specify. Your technician will confirm the exact line before starting and will only remove hairs that you have confirmed are outside the shape you want to keep.

Back and Chest: Dense Hair, Visible Results

Back hair removal is one of the most popular male treatment areas — and one where the practical difficulty of self-management makes professional treatment particularly valuable. It is simply not possible to effectively self-shave or maintain the back, which means most men who want it removed either rely on a partner or go without any management at all.

Sugaring handles dense back and chest hair effectively. The with-the-grain removal technique is particularly important for coarse male body hair — the clean follicle exit reduces ingrown hair formation that would otherwise be significant in these areas. Many men who have previously had their back waxed find sugaring noticeably more comfortable, particularly in the area across the shoulders and upper back where the skin is thinner and waxing burns are more common.

Back sessions typically run 30–50 minutes depending on coverage and hair density. Results last 4–6 weeks for most clients, extending progressively with regular sessions as regrowth becomes finer.

What to Expect at Your First Session

Before your appointment: Allow hair to reach at least 2mm (1–2 weeks from shaving). Do not apply body lotion or oil to the treatment area on the day. Shower beforehand but skip moisturiser on the areas being treated.

At the salon: All sessions at Maris Gina are in fully private rooms. Your technician will ask which areas you want treated, confirm your preferences, and ask about any skin conditions or sensitivities before you undress for treatment.

During the session: You will be positioned lying down for most body areas. The paste is applied and removed in small sections. For back and chest treatment, you will be repositioned from stomach to back during the session. Your technician will ask you to confirm comfort throughout — speak up if you need a break or want to adjust anything.

After your session: Mild redness is normal and resolves within a few hours. Follow the standard aftercare protocol: cool shower, no exercise for 48 hours, oil-free moisturiser from day two, gentle exfoliation from day 3–5. For back hair, wear a loose t-shirt for the day rather than a tight shirt.

Frequently Asked Questions