A Southern Blonde in Japan.: THREADING

Recently I was with my friend W and she told me that if I ever needed to have my eyebrows "THREADED" - she had been introduced to this great lady here in Yokohama who was really good!

First and foremost - I had NO IDEA what she was talking about. As we drove I thought, do I tell her that? because the way she said it...it really seems like I should have SOME clue as to what she is talking about. Then I thought, well the WAY she said it - she seemed to have so much confidence that I DID know EXACTLY what she was talking about - meant that I should lie and say "okay, Thanks"!
After about a minute of thought I said, W - I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about!!!

Of course she laughed at me, then looked at me and said "you're serious?" (in her great Welsh accent) I said, well, yeah.
She said, 'oh, dahling...what hav' you been doin' with your hair?" - or something along those lines.

So a little farther into the conversation she informs me that THREADING is the Indian (dot not feather) way of removing "hair" with a piece of THREAD.
- - OK, first and foremost, anything that requires hair AND thread - - scares the hell outta me!

So she says she's going to see her friend and if I want - I can come with!
COOL! - I'm IN. Always up for something new.
Mind you I made sure that she knew I had no intentions, WHAT-SO-EVER, of letting the lady with the string anywhere near me.
Just so you know ~
My fear stems from a terrible experience many, many years ago with another friend who talked me into getting WAXED. Worst pain EVER. Probably only next to breaking my feet. Seriously, it was TERRIBLE. Maybe I have no threshold for pain? But the idea of someone putting wax on me and then RIPPING it off...is NOT my idea of fun or my idea of a great way to rid the body of unwanted hair.
(Even though my best girls have always called me Mrs. Bigglesworth!) - yes, the hairless cat from Austin Powers.)

So back then I let her talk me into the waxing anyway. Not only did I get my eyebrows RIPPED from my head, but after we had that little bonding experience with PAIN...we were in Target 30 minutes later and I called her over to look at something and she immediately starts laughing. Hysterically laughing! Tears start streaming from her face, she is bent over laughing so hard she can't talk. So I turn around and look behind me - KNOWING that someone behind me is making a huge fool out of them-self. No one there.
I'm like, What? No seriously, What? Alright dammit...WHAT?
She still can't talk from laughter so she grabs my arm and leads me to the nearest mirror...
and there I was ~
I looked like a little kid who was playing Indian (feather not dot) and had gotten into Mommie's make-up.
Okay ~ you know the post-it notes that are small but rectangle?...about 1" by 3"? Well, I had 5 of those on my face...two under my eyebrows, two OVER my eyebrows, and one BIG one right down the middle of my forehead and nose, and all were BRIGHT, DEEP RED. And under the florescent lights in Target...
yeah, I looked like a total FREAK. So now you know why I was little leery about the "THREADING"

So - back to present day, W comes to get me, we go about 2 miles, ending up in these really nice condos. The nice lady lets us in, shoes off, my camera out (yes, I was only going if I could take photos) and a few short minutes later the process begins.
W sits down, the THREAD comes out - a little baby powder for good measure and wa-la, thread into mouth, twisted around her fingers and into the other hand...and it begins.

W said, "it doesn't really hurt...normally."
Yeah ~ WHATEVER.

It was fast and it was simple, but it sounded a little like a tiny grinder in the room because the thread was rubbing together so fast. It SOUNDED like it HUURRRRT!

She came away looking like new. But I was amazed at the preciseness of it all. How do you know where to aim with the thread and how do you know how much hair it'll grab? It looked to me like one false move and you're Aaron Lennon (of the Spurs).

W made it out fine that day...a little red...but fine.
But ultimately, no thanks sister. I'll stick to my tweezers!
At least that way I am the only one causing me pain!