i'm pretty damn hairy from the waist down. have to admit that it IS harder to keep clean when your ass is hairy. several times i've used a hair-removal gel and was pretty happy with the results. but it's a pain in the ass (no pun) to keep doing so i just use wet wipes when i'm at home. just as effective.
also, yes, shaved it once. wasn't the goal but, being hairy, i once shaved my whole body just to see what it felt/looked like and went ahead and did that as well.