Over 50 Years of Quality & Service

While working for the General Electric Company's medical division in the 1930's, Arthur Hinkel met Henri St. Pierre, a practicing electrologist with offices in northern and southern California. At Henri's request, Arthur began modifying existing medical equipment to enable it to remove hair using high frequency current. Henri had been using galvanic current and was interested in the work or Dr. Bordier of France who held high esteem for the speed of the high frequency process. After years of tinkering with high frequency equipment and finding the regrowth to be much higher than what Henri had been accustomed to with galvanic current, Henri convinced Arthur to design a piece of equipment that would "Blend" galvanic and high frequency current together at the needle at the same time. In 1948, the St. Pierre Epilator Company Inc., owned by Henri and Arthur, received a patent for a blended current epilator.

Arthur received his California electrology license in 1947 and spent the next 35 years operating the Wilshire School of Electrology at Wester and Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles and at another location in Orange County. He owned a chain of electrolysis salons under the name "Arroway Labs" in southern California and also had concessions with the Broadway and Buffums department stores for whom he provided equipment and electrologists who worked in the beauty salon areas of these stores. At one time, he employed 40 electrologists for these operations. The A.R. Hinkel Company was a one room operation at the Wilshire and Western address that made equipment solely for his operations and graduates from the Wilshire School. As he grew toward retirement age, he began spinning off parts of his business to his employees.

William Schuler, who had worked with Arthur since 1972, purchased the A. R. Hinkel Company in 1984.