Chicago - October 19, 2004

Hair-Raising Adventure

Threading with Natasha

That MacGyver. Such a stud. Regularly trumping adversity with little more than wit, smarts, and everyday objects. Disarming missiles with paper clips, stopping acid leaks with chocolate, building bombs with little more than cotton swabs.

He may have met his match in Bharati Nakum, owner of Natasha Style and Cut in Little India. Using little more than a humble spool of thread, Nakum conquers some of Chicago’s most challenging territory: overgrown, unruly eyebrows.

The process is simple. You throw your head back and pull your eyelid taut. She then weaves her magic, removing each hair — row by row — until she’s uncovered the perfect arch for your face. It sounds dreadful, but it’s practically painless (And no worse than tweezing or waxing or any of the other insane things you do to your poor punim). And it only takes a few minutes and costs a mere $5.

Which, incidentally, will also buy you 500 paper clips, 12 chocolate bars, or 1,000 Q-Tips.

None of which will prove as useful in the long run.

Natasha Style & Cut, 2759 West Devon Avenue, at California Avenue (773-761-2274).