They skulk in, alone or dragged by their wives or girlfriends, follicularly endowed fellows seeking a drastic solution to their body hair hang-ups: waxing.

"They're somewhat scared and kind of shy because it's new to them," says Hector Pena, general manager of Manhattan's Nickel, a spa for men that's seen a surge over the past two years in clients willing to subject their skin to strips of white muslin.

Backs, shoulders, chests, brows and (gulp) nethers are increasingly fair game for de-furring ... or "manscaping," as "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" Fab Five call it.

Forget the tufted torsos epitomized by Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck. They've gone the way of the gold medallion necklace.

Hollywood is taking a hard line against hairiness: In "Hitch," Will Smith counsels Kevin James that dating success is as dependent on a fuzz-free back as dancing skills. In "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Steve Carell, in the summer's most painfully memorable scene, has ape-ish abs reduced to what Paul Rudd dubs a "man-o-lantern."

Carell, who really did go under the wax-smeared spatula, aborts the procedure after a few patches are yanked off.

Having too much body hair is akin to having too little head hair, says Stan Williams, fashion and grooming director of Maxim magazine.

"A lot of guys are concerned about it, but it's not something you really talk about."

Waxing makes up 35 percent to 40 percent of the business at Joq Day Spa for Men in Atlanta.

"Men are just becoming a lot more conscious of what their body looks like," spa director Christopher Keever says.