EYEBROW PERFECTIONIST GIVES EVERY CLIENT A LIFT
Published: Monday, April 5, 2004
By Linda Deitch
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

There's more to the shape of a beautiful eyebrow than,
well, meets the eye.

And P.D. Miller has built a reputation for designing some of the loveliest brows in central Ohio. On a typical day, Miller works on about 30 -- that's 15 clients, each with his or her own distinctive brow shape.

Miller, senior master esthetician at Michael Garcia's Salon & Day Spa in Bexley, understands why some might find it odd that a former high-school football captain, Army computer programmer and furniture warehouse worker would embrace the beauty business. He simply answers that his "midlife career correction'' was meant to be. His clients agree. Not long after he began working on his craft, Miller, 56, was dubbed the "Wax King.''

"In my heart, I believe I am the best in the city, probably the state,'' he said. Many clients followed him from the Downtown Lazarus, where he worked for a decade. He's been at Michael Garcia's, 2440 E. Main St., since 1997. "I've been hooked on P.D.,'' said radio executive Daphne Bell, who has counted on Miller to spiff up her brows for about 12 years. "He's a perfectionist. And he's so passionate about it.''

Salon owner Garcia agrees. "He's absolutely the best at his trade,'' Garcia said. "He pays attention to detail, which in our business is very important. I wish I had about four or five P.D.s.''

Brows provide a small canvas to focus on, Miller said. That's important for someone with dyslexia. Wielding the tools of his trade -- tweezers, a small brush, a five-power magnifying lens, strips of muslin cloth, and organic wax -- he can train any brow to hold its shape. "A perfect haircut doesn't exist,'' he said. "But a perfect brow is a real possibility.''
Miller is somewhat of a pioneer. When he started at Lazarus in the '80s, he was one of two male estheticians who worked in the nationwide chain of 3,000 Glemby salons.

He said his mom, who ran a beauty shop out of a converted utility room in her home, was his role model. Her customers always left smiling.
"P.D. pulls you together,'' Bell said. When he finishes, she added, she looks in the mirror and thinks to herself, "There I am.''

Miller said he avoids the cookie-cutter approach.
"At some places, women become 'Beauty McNuggets' -- a product. I never rush anybody, and that's a real point of pride for me.''

Not only does Miller wax poetic about his profession, he also raves about his music collection. Clients can choose from hundreds of CDs to listen to as they are being groomed.

"I have everything from singing whales to bagpipes to zydeco to Frankie Yankovic's Greatest Hits,'' he said. "And that's in addition to the normal.''
Miller said his typical customer is a working woman, 25 to 45 years old. Less than 5 percent of his clients are men.

He also offers facials and other body waxes. An initial eyebrow shaping costs $30 and maintenance shapings are $20. Clients typically schedule visits every four to eight weeks.

Miller, who lives in German Village, runs several mornings a week with his wife, Jaye, also an esthetician at Michael Garcia's. He said he feels blessed to have found both his profession and Jaye late in life.
She was his client for several years before they became romantically involved. The two married in 1997. The self-described "long-haired, hippie freak'' said he can't imagine doing anything else.

"If I win the lottery, I'd open my own shop and do brows for free.''
says P.D. Miller -