Sep 8, 2008 07:13
<!--pageType= magazinesmallslug= st_jsgwsection= culturesubsection= lifestyleheadline= Japanese Schoolgirl Watch: Transform Yourself in a Dressing Room for HireauthorName= Brian AshcraftcreditType= illustrationcredit= Pietari Posti-->Many Japanese gals lead double lives: Mild-mannered students in plain-Jane uniforms by day; French maids, furries, and goth Lolitas by night. Legions run around Tokyo, wheeling suitcases full of makeup and costumes. But Superman had a phone booth &mdash; where are schoolgirls supposed to suit up Luckily, Japanese company COS-Pa has introduced tiny dressing rooms for women in the trendy Shibuya district, where 500 to 700 yen roughly $5 to $6 buys 30 minutes of private mirror time, free Wi-Fi, beauty supplies, and a nonalcoholic beverage. Says COS-Pa's owner firmly: "Ladies should not have to get beautiful in a bathroom."