While the salon at the Hôtel de Rambouillet may have housed the finest literary minds in 17th-century Paris, it also provided the most awful perms this side of the Seine. Today's Groupon showcases how far style has come since those Francophone faux pas. For $40, you get $80 worth of waxing and salon services at BaBaLouise on Northwest 65th Street.

Amid a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere, BaBaLouise patrons can acquire top-notch hair trimming and waxing services that will leave them prim and sleek enough to bait complimentary remarks from coworkers and dolphin. The salon's talented staff of stylists and voodoo hair-hexers will expertly shape coiffures and diminish bushy follicle foliage among lads and lassies alike. Men can achieve a sustainable hair farm with a buzz cut ($10+), while locks of a more ladylike length can get judiciously edited with long cut or bob ($36+). Beards or bangs can be trimmed for $5, while monochromatic manes can be transformed into Technicolor tresses with a coloring ($55+). BaBaLouise is also quite adept at blowouts and updos ($45+), foils and bleaches ($65+), and conditioning treatments ($25–$35).

BabaLouise's waxing services, on the other side of the hair-harnessing coin, provide a longer-lasting hairlessness than shaving—and when the hair does come back after a few weeks, it's meek, soft, and easily scared back into the follicle with banging pans or the threat of another round of wax. Shed seconds off morning commute times and bobsled-style grocery-cart sprints down frozen food aisles with a full leg wax ($65), chest wax ($28), or a professional Brazilian wax ($65) and finally break the sound barrier on your Slip 'n Slide.

Besides maintaining your own mane, BaBaLouise Salon's high-quality waxing and hair-snipping services make a great gift for the caveman who has been thawed from a block of ice found in the backyard or for a garbage-collecting Sesame Street character. Reservations are required, so call ahead or buzz cut it into the back of your head.

Reviews

Yelpers give BabaLouise 4.5 stars, Citysearchers give it five, and CityVoters recommend it:

• The folks have been doing my hair since they opened and it's gorgeous every time. – danielleporter72, CityVoter
• BabaLouise is laid-back, professional, and cool. – smoke_it, Citysearch
• The hair salon area is bright and chearful, while the waxing area is warm, cozy, & comfortable. I enjoyed spending time there and received excellent services. – Ibwlss, Citysearch