Back in the days when rugby was more associated with post-match booze-ups and flying Welsh out-halves, legend has it that in some scrums, players may deploy the ‘tactic’ of painfully tugging at an opponent’s armpit hair.
Well, that’s unlikely to happen these days — and for more reasons than one. Ireland and Munster star Conor Murray has become the first male laser hair removal ambassador thanks to his collaboration with Thérapie Clinic. It comes as the company says its male laser hair removal customer base has grown by 80% since 2022.
According to the Munster man: “With training and matches, not to mention a baby on the way, I have less time for grooming. I have been shaving my shoulders, upper arms and upper back for years and have to do it frequently, and to be honest it’s a pain. Laser hair removal is the perfect solution for me. After a few short sessions, I won’t have to think about shaving ever again, which frees up time. Not to mention, the results are just better.”
Michelle Willis, Sligo Therapie assistant manager, explains: “As the decades pass, the trends are changing. In the ’70s, it may have been very fashionable to have hairy stomach and chest hair, but these days, people are going for more of an aesthetic look, a more lean appearance.”
So what’s driving the move towards manscaping, where follicles anywhere can be lasered, alongside waxing and trimming, to create a more chrome-plated body?
For Stephen Thomas, who operates his Male Grooming and Skin Clinic on Dublin’s Dame St, the equation is quite simple: “If the economy is going well, then there’s less hair. It’s like everything in our industry.”
The phenomenon of men wanting less body hair isn’t particularly new. Thomas says it’s been in constant demand over the 21 years he has worked in the business.
That said, he admits specific treatments were not that common when he first began working in the sector, and it’s clear these days, body grooming or manscaping is not just the preserve of young, buff males priming themselves for a shot at Love Island.
“I have everyone from priests to judges to cops to solicitors, professions from all across the spectrum, guys you would never think would get a salon treatment done,” Thomas says. “It’s not a big deal, it’s just body hair — and it grows back.”
‘Back, sack, and crack’
According to Paula McIntyre, director of Urbana, which operates in Dublin and Louth: “Year on year, we have seen more men come in for treatment with us. A lot of men are using at-home devices and are shaving their bodies on a very regular basis. Men’s hair tends to be very coarse and thick, so issues like ingrown hairs, skin irritation, and breakouts are common. Men are looking for a solution that offers long-term results and helps alleviate these skin issues.”
Urbana has been catering for clients since 2005 but has been solely dedicated to laser hair removal for the last 15 years, with men accounting for approximately 8-10% of its client base. According to McIntyre: “Some men will just want to reduce the volume and density of their hair while others will want to achieve a much cleaner result. It’s a very personal choice, some men might be a little apprehensive to start but once they start to see the results from treatment they are more inclined to add on more areas when they know what’s involved.”
All that said, Thomas believes eight out of 10 men are comfortable with their natural level of body hair. Yet he and McIntyre say that some men decide they want to go almost completely hairless.
This also incorporates the “back, sack, and crack” scenario. Thomas first offered that service in 2004 and now sees it as an everyday treatment. This can be for increased hygiene but also some more earthy reasons. “Men like to feel sexy,” Thomas says.
“I always say to guys who come into me at the insistence of someone else, this is the only time you get this done for someone else because everyone loves the experience and the feeling of being smooth in certain areas of the body.”
McIntyre says lifestyle can also be a factor. “For example, we have had some men who do triathlons or cycle professionally come in for treatment on their full legs,” she says.
“They have mentioned that if they have had a fall off the bike and have open wounds, it is much easier to look after the injury if there is no hair in the area. They also say it helps make putting on their wetsuits much more comfortable.”
Laser hair removal is quite a commitment, and not just financially. The high grade machines target hairs by colour, which means those with grey or blonde hair might not be able to avail of the treatment. At Thérapie, it requires eight to 10 sessions, with six weeks between each session, with maintenance required to treat any slowly reappearing hairs.
Media driving hair removal
Thomas sees body hair removal as “a temporary solution to a permanent problem”. He adds: “I think that largely the media drives the hair removal thing, and social media. I recently saw an episode on Gogglebox where they were doing this naked dating show in the UK, and all the men that came into the studio were completely hairless. I don’t know if that is decided by choice or if the show requires it. It seems to me that a lot of men are quite comfortable with the level of hair they have and there is almost a ‘Ken doll’ approach to what we put out there in the media.”
The frequency that clients visit Thomas’s clinic is mixed, some are regulars, others occasional. “That is what happens,” he says by way of example. “Guys come into me once every six weeks, they are what I call lifestyle waxers — it’s part of their life and how they feel good about themselves. There are those who come in on an opportunity, maybe they are going on a first date, going on holidays, a honeymoon, and they just want that feel of no hair — clean, smooth, and feeling good about themselves.
“Others come in and it’s part of their body image — they work a lot on themselves, they want to be in the gym, they want to look ripped, and the fact that they are ripped is almost covered up by body hair. And make no mistake — Irish men are very hairy.”
