Japundit’s renowned mimikaki (earpick) series gained worldwide attention once again when it was reported on Boing Boing recently.

Now we find out that a new type of esthetic parlor in Tokyo is cashing in on Japan’s love for stimulating aural hygiene.

These establishments are devoted exclusively to cleaning people’s ears or providing a combination of earwax removal and massage.

The idea is to remind customers of pleasant feelings they had during childhood when resting their heads on their mother’s lap to have their ears cleaned.

One such parlor uses a mimikaki fitted with a camera to allow the pickee to view the condition of their ear canal on a TV screen.

The basic cost for a five-minute ear cleaning is 500 yen. This goes up to 1,000 yen for a 10-minute session that includes a massage, and 2,000 yen for 20 minutes.

One parlor in Tokyo’s trendy Aoyama district offers a 70-minute pick-and-massage session for 8,400 yen.

The majority of customers at such establishments are men, and the owner of one shop says that a large number of women have told her they would like to learn how to remove earwax as a way to please their men. The shop is considering establishing a school to teach women the art of ear cleaning and massage, “as part of their bridal training.”