NEW YORK (TNA) – There are few places in the world where men can leave behind their Old Spice and hairy legs and come out in high heels and sweeping skirts.

For Veronica Vera, the proprietor of  Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want To Be Girls in Manhattan, this is her life's work.

Veronica Vera

Vera, a genetic woman, sex journalist, and former porn star, started the academy in 1992, the first of its kind in the world.

 Vera didn’t grow up with the dream to start the first cross-dressing academy. She actually started out wanting to be a writer and after working on Wall Street sold her first story to “Penthouse Variations.”

In the 1980s, Vera went on to pen the column, “Veronica Vera’s New York,” for the sex magazine “Adam.” It was during this writing stint that she became familiar with the transgender community in New York.

 Vera has also served as a sex worker activist. In 1984 she testified on the behalf of American prostitutes, imploring Senator Arlen Specter to decriminalize prostitution, and in 1986 she attended the Second World Whores Congress, which took place at the European Parliament in Brussels.

She also helped reorganize Prostitutes of New York, or PONY, a non-profit organization for sex workers, and was a member of Club 90, a porn star support group.

Surprisingly, the students who flock to Vera’s Manhattan studio are not aspiring RuPauls who dream of performing on the drag queen circuit, but rather are highly educated heterosexual CEOs, lawyers and scientists.

"Most of my students don't identify themselves as drag queens," Vera explains. "They want to be the opposite of their real world persona and enter a fantasy world."

Drag queens are generally gay performers, while cross-dressers or transvestites are typically heterosexual men who like dressing in drag.

Students pay up to $3800 to learn the finer points of becoming female.

Few of Vera’s students are aspiring drag queens mostly because they don’t have the luxury of attending  Vera's pricey classes, which range from $550 for a one-day tutorial to $3,800 for her “Femme Intensive.”

With a full professional staff including experts in cosmetology, dance, photography, home economics, voice, “femmenergy,” and the art of wearing high heels, the students take their studies very seriously.

 Vera's Finishing School isn't a place for wild bachelor party antics or for men looking to humiliate their straight friends for a laugh.

"This is a very serious exploration of their femme selves. It is a part of their identity and a main part of their sexuality," Vera says.

Students also learn about practicalities, some of which she included in her book, "Cross-Dress for Success" (Villard). For instance, one chapter explains how an aspiring cross-dresser can repackage his package so it doesn’t ruin the lines of the dress.

“A lady in waiting can push his testicles up into his abdomen, then tuck his penis down and back between his legs, so that the scrotum envelopes it and forms what looks like a vulva.”

The issue of hiding the package can be summed up her 1996 ad campaign that read, “Even the simplest evening gown can be ruined by a penis.”

Once things are tucked in flat and held together with a thong panty, Vera likes to focus on the more glamorous aspects of cross-dressing.

"A common mistake," says Vera, "is placing the nipples too high. You don't want your nipples hitting you in the nose."

Her most important advice to her “ladies in waiting” is surprisingly basic: Keep the toilet seat down and smile.

"A smile is your best beauty asset because it softens the face and draws people to you," she explains.

Besides testicle tucking and wig maintenance,  Vera's academy has also helped men discover their inner talents.

 Vera recalls one student who wanted to learn how to sing but only knew one song because growing up he/she was never allowed to sing. After perfecting “Happy Birthday,” the only song the student could remember, he/she left behind the evening gowns and high heals and joined a barbershop quartet.

Another breakthrough happened with Vera’s first student, Jamie “Sissie” Ribbons.

"He was a 38-year-old attorney who needed attention as a 22-year old-bimbo,” Vera said. At first, the student could only sing “Me, me, me, me,” but Vera says it was a breakthrough because it was the first time the pupil had ever sang in his/her life.

Once the course is completed, Vera's students have a whole new look—and life.

Cross-dressing isn't just for those wanting to discover their femme selves. When Vera’s most diligent student, Patricia, wasn't prancing around in heels he/she claimed that he/she was an assistant to a high profile general's wife and also knew how to diffuse bombs, among other clandestine activities.

One day Patricia disappeared, and being a gambler from Las Vegas,  Vera suspected her crossdressing protégé went into hiding because of gambling debts, perhaps using those newfound skills as camouflage.

If a well-dressed drag queen is seen wandering the desert in Jimmy Choo pumps it very well could be an academy alum.

Along with serious students,  Vera also gets her share of freaks coming in with bizarre requests.

“No matter how much they beg to be spanked and humiliated, we always refuse,” she comments.

Something she will say yes to is a bridal gown, one of the most popular requests. In fact,  Vera has coordinated more transvestite weddings than she can count.

Because many of her students lead double lives, the academy also counsels the “ladies” on tough issues that may arise.

"The hardest issue they have is not being able to tell their wives. Some of them do share but their spouses don't want to know anymore beyond that," Vera explains.

JoAnn Roberts, Ph.D., a counselor and the author of "Coping With Crossdressing" (Creative Design Services), says that transvestites may encounter problems with their spouses because it is a selfish behavior.

"Transvestitism," she says, "is a narcissistic, selfish behavior. Extraordinary amounts of time, energy, and frequently, money are spent developing a femme alter-ego."

She knows transvestites who spend three to four hours getting dressed in their femme costumes.

Roberts believes that a therapist or counselor can be of great value in helping partners communicate about these types of issues.

Although  Vera is not a professional therapist or counselor, she has had some amazing breakthroughs with her students.

Some transvestites identify as young models or sophisticated career girls while others want to be mommy's little girl, which was the case of a student named “Tiffany.”

When  Vera held “Baby Tiffany” in her arms close to her heart, the student commented, "It was the one time that reality surpassed imagination."

Aside from counseling, helping blend makeup, and teaching ladies in waiting how to walk in heels,  Vera’s academy has also served as a reference for Johnny Depp during the filming of "Ed Wood," as well as for athletes and actors, including one from the daytime drama, “Guiding Light.”

She even once got a call from the casting director of the motion picture “Romeo and Juliet” who thought the school was for young girls.

"I sent back a note saying how brilliant it was to follow the original Shakespeare version and use boys for the female roles," Vera says.

Thanks to  Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want To Be Girls, men can finally discover the airiness of a skirt and the exhilaration of wearing “come fuck me” stilettos without batting a false eyelash.

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