Koko and Ting Ting | Founders of Mimikaki
A quick internet search will reveal a wide selection of ear picking salons to choose from. They have infiltrated social media too and it is believed by many that it all started in Hong Kong. Koko and Tin Ting from the Mimikaki Earpicking salon are firm supporters of this rumor.
Koko and Ting Ting in Front of Their Salon Called Mimikaki
Ear we go!
The name ‘Mimikaki’is in actual fact the Japanese word (みみかき) for ‘ear picking. They used the phonetic sounds of the word and converted it into alphabetic letter sounds and came up with ‘Mimikaki.
Mimikaki Is the Japanese Word for ‘Ear Picking’
“It was a coincidence that we started our ear picking business. I started to learn ear picking from a local ear picker by chance last year, I felt like it could be an alternative working opportunity for me,” said Ting Ting.
The secret for success
While some people might think it is a repulsive job to clean somebody’s ear wax, Ting Ting and Koko have a totally different perspective.
The Treatment Room at Mimikaki Salon in Hong Kong
This occupation is definitely not as easy as it seems. If you want to be an ear picker you need to have strong focus and concentration as the human ear is very fragile. Ting Ting explains that the prerequisite of being an ear picker is to have patience. Their hands cannot be shaky during the process as it increases the risk of damaging the ear.
Ting Ting and Koko introduced their tools while explaining the process. “We have different sizes of ear picks, from large to small ones, depending on the size of the ear wax,” explains Koko.
Before the ear picking procedure commences, they start brushing the outer ears of the customers with a feather to help them relax. They will then use the ear pick to slightly massage the nerve endings located on the outer ears. The whole process takes around an hour, depending on the difficulty of clearing the hard ear wax.
The Tools of the Trade. Ear Picking Is More Complex than What You Would Imagine.
When passion meets opportunity
Seeing that ear picking is a growing industry still in its infancy, predicting work stability could be challenging. “Luckily, people around me are very supportive, even though they were worried about my income and the specifics of this kind of work,” said Ting Ting.
No doubt, the pandemic has hugely affected their business, but they are thankful for the support of their regular customers who return time after time. They help the business survive stay afloat during these trying times.
Ting Ting and Koko continue to believe in their dream and hope that their efforts would be rewarded on a bigger scale someday.
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