Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Japanese Rent-a-Boyfriend Service Caters to Lonely Women in Need of Cuddling

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:20 AM PST

Yes, Japanese women get lonely too, but luckily for them, there’s Soine-ya Prime, a dispatch service where women can hire a handsome young man to lay with her in bed for a night. Believe it or not there’s nothing sexual about it.

Two months ago, we posted about Tokyo’s popular Cuddle Cafe, where everyone could lay down next to a pretty girl for as little as $40. The joint had just opened in September, but it had such success that a second venue was recently inaugurated. But what about lonely women looking for attractive guys to cuddle up to? Sometimes you just want to crawl into bed and feel someone’s arms around you, without any other implications. But when you’re single that can be tough. Well, for some women, the need of a warm body next to them at night is so bad they’re willing to pay a total stranger. Created in 2011, Soine-ya Prime caters to the needs of Japanese lonely women by dispatching attractive men to sleep in their beds, without engaging in any kind of sexual activities. Clients are not allowed to kiss the men, touch them in any inappropriate ways or contact them without permission from the company. They’re to be used as pleasant company and nothing more.

The Soine-ya Prime business was inspired by a Shimshima, a television drama about a woman who had trouble sleeping after divorcing her husband. She finds that just laying next to a man helps her sleep better and ends up opening her own soine-ya (lit: "sleep together shop") for lonely women who shared the same problem. The company’s website acknowledges the film as its main inspiration, and clarifies that just like the business in the movie, it does not offer any sexual services. There’s also a list of things you can do with “rental” boyfriends, which includes sleeping in his arms, going out for a date at the client’s expense, having the guy clean the house or prepare a meal. All sleeping must be done at the client’s home or at a hotel.

The Standard Plan, which covers the above services, starts at 30,000 yen (US $364) for 7 hours. 8 hours with a rented boyfriend will set you back 33,000 yen ($400), and a full 12 hours  48,000 yen ($580).

This cuddling thing is turning out to be a pretty profitable business idea. Professional cuddler Jacqueline Samuel, from New York's Rochester area, made the news for her services, charging $60 for an hour of cuddling and snuggling.

via RocketNews24

Japanese Rent-a-Boyfriend Service Caters to Lonely Women in Need of Cuddling was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Eduardo Relero’s Mind-Blowing Optical Illusions

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:40 AM PST

Argentinian street artist Eduardo Relero has the special talent of turning something as dull as pavements into incredible three-dimensional artworks that put people in danger of walking into lampposts starring at them.

48-year-old Eduardo Relero, who lives in Madrid, Spain, will spend up to two weeks working on one of his amazing 3D murals, which when viewed from the perfect angle look to be rising up from the pavement or sinking deeper into it. The talented artist began creating his beautiful artworks in 1990, on the streets of Rome, and has since then gone on to create breathtaking murals in Germany, France, Spain and America. "I realized that by taking my art out in the public, to festivals, theaters and events, I would be free to make drawings more to my liking, " the artist says, adding that it’s also a great way of getting ideas across to big groups of people. With themes ranging from flying lions, giant waterfalls and gaping craters to giant feet sticking out of gaping holes in the ground and ancient figures lying in tombs that are actually just the tops of public benches, Relero seems to be one of those artists that never run out of ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

Eduardo Relero’s Mind-Blowing Optical Illusions was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Claw-Using Hairdresser Is a Real-Life Edward Scissorhands

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:00 AM PST

If Edward Scissorhands could have tools for hands, why can't real-life hairdressers? Well, there is this particular hairdresser from Fort Myers, Florida, who does have claw-hands. Of course, in his case, the claws are, detachable, but impressive, nonetheless. Sicilian-born Valentino LoSauro has claw-like finger extensions made from hard plastic and responsive elastic. Inside each claw, a razor-sharp stainless steel blade is inserted. This way, all that Valentino needs to do is run his hand through a customer's hair and voila, a zigzag look is created. This device, he claims, can be used to cut hair twice as fast as normal shears. He's already sold about 30,000 of his clever inventions, Clawz, as he calls them.

Valentino had been in the hairdressing business for 25 years before it got too boring for him. He was just about ready to hang up his shears when the idea for Clawz came to him. He realized that scissors cut at straight angles and blades help to create a layered look. But there was nothing to create zigzag forms. That's how he dreamed up his unique invention. The concept behind Clawz is that just like beating an egg makes it fluffy, a zigzag cut gives hair a fluffy and vibrant appearance. It's just another tool in a hairdresser's kit, according to Valentino, and it won't replace scissors or blades. "It closes the loop," he says. The hard plastic finger extensions that encase the small stainless steel blades were designed by an engineer he hired. But the idea itself came to him by watching a classical guitarist with picks at the end of each finger while playing the instrument. A keyboard player himself, he treats the use of Clawz as nothing short of a performance, combining a light-fingered touch with his styling. "So the Clawz were born as a simple idea to bring musicality to hairstyling," he says. "When I cut hair I use methods I call 'Flight of the Bumblebee' and 'Zap'.” While the first prototype of Clawz was launched in 2001, it took him about two more years to become proficient in their use. But now, he can cut hair faster than using scissors.

Photo: Reviews.net

Valentino cuts hair on a stage at various hairdressing conventions, demonstrating the use of his product, and selling Clawz. It' all about the technique, he claims. Even so, it isn't always easy to convince other hairdressers that he has a product worth looking at. "They think they know everything," LoSauro says, smiling. "They don't expect it from a guy of my age." Designing Clawz has set Valentino back by a few hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he even sold his salon at Edison Mall in Fort Myers to fund his pet project. It took him three years to complete his design and today, production is happening in Taiwan. To pay the bills, Valentino has taken up a job managing a different salon. It costs him $15,000 to $20,000 to perform at each convention, along with a team of five models and cashiers. Each set of four Clawz sells for $100. Valentino also holds $100 one day classes in Fort Myers to teach hairdressers his techniques.

 

Even though Valentino's Clawz have yet to become a worldwide success, he is already busy inventing another product – the Fringey. Priced at $20, the Fringey is meant for consumers who cut their own hair, so they can cut their bangs. If Valentino's unique inventions do become successful, it looks like he might just change the way the entire hairdressing industry works. As far as the customers are concerned, he agrees that people are reluctant at first. "Most customers are a bit apprehensive at first when they see my smiling face with my razor-sharp fingers. But at the end of their haircut they are stunned by the quality."

via Daily Mail

Claw-Using Hairdresser Is a Real-Life Edward Scissorhands was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

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