Wax Revolution,
a new epilation chain based in Mexico, hired us for the design of their second
branch in the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City. With the goal of
setting a new standard on what they regard as artistry in hair removal, they
sought for designed spaces for their boutique salons that would be as unique as
their services.

Located in a
semi basement of what used to be part of the parking of a refurbished building
from the 50s the site was a narrow, dark, humid and terribly neglected space
that was almost completely concealed from the public eye, but given its
location in one of the main avenues of the neighborhood it represented a unique
opportunity in terms of potential clients.

The first
challenge was to give notoriety to an otherwise invisible space, for this we
proposed a faceted structure made from a sequence of black steel frames
descending from the street to the salon in a similar fashion to a subway
entrance thus making the site evident to the enormous traffic of people
strolling and driving by. The brand sign is fixed from the uppermost frame with
its two lateral faces tilted to a 45° angle to allow maximum visibility of the
logo to the passersby.

At the entrance
of the site a long and narrow corridor was converted into the reception of the
salon. Using the front desk, with its faceted faces that flow from the main
door towards the end of the hall, as the main feature element of the room the
perspective is elongated and distorted giving it a most needed sense of
spatiality. The extremely low height of the ceiling is altered by the use of
mirrors and the color black, which makes one lose reference to the actual
dimensions of the room.

A series of
shelves are used to display the various products sold at Wax Revolution which
include brands such as Mallin + Goetz, Baxter of California, Snowberry, Uslu
Airlines and Rubis Switzerland which become a visual focus point when waiting
for an appointment.

The back wall
serves as a chalkboard where the specials and packages are displayed and a
sliding door directs the visitor to the corridor that leads to the individual
service cabins. Each cabin is assigned and identified by a color which can be
located by following the corresponding lines on the epoxy resin floor. The lights are fixed to the wall as a
continuous strip with 45° and 90° angles as a way to liberate height from the
low ceiling of the space.

A small open
blue cabin located at the end of the corridor is used as a brow bar with an
adjustable barber’s chair. Located on the opposite side are the client’s
restroom and shower with yellow and blue glass tiles along with the staff
bathroom.

When turning
right following the corridor after the brow bar the three main cabins are
revealed for the first time. Formed as faceted volumes that expand the visuals
of the corridors they are covered with colored mirrors that multiply the views,
colors and lights to infinity in a mesmerizing effect. These mirrors are
colored with the same tint used to color spheres, but given the fragility of
that tint it is covered with a custom made coating that was researched and
developed specifically for this project by Sylpyl Industries giving it the
necessary resistance for easy maintenance.

The area of the
green and yellow cabins gains noticeable height in comparison to the rest of
the site and this sense of height is perceptually continued to the pink cabin,
which is located in the lower part, by the continuity of the faceted volumes.

A light bulb in
the exterior of each cabin, which is connected to the light in the interior,
indicates if they are in use. Inside the cabins all the operational furniture
is colored white while the fixed elements are integrated in the same color as
the cabins. The floor is covered with natural linoleum to provide the best
levels of hygiene and durability.

The colored
cabins and their varying geometry guarantee a unique experience for the
clientele with each visit to the salon.