SPRING BREAK…Woo Hoo! This is the first week in a long time we’re having more than one day of sunshine in a row, the ground is more grass (mud) than snow, and people are getting ready to show some skin at the beach (and presumably not the beaches of Gray’s Lake.)
Every year our spring break appointments book solid with body waxing. Many guests are new to waxing so I thought this would be the perfect time to answer some questions we know everyone wants to ask but might be afraid to!
A leg wax (sorry, no photos of a bikini wax!)Q: Okay, do many people ACTUALLY wax everything?
A: We do far more Brazilian waxes (the whole bikini area, even “between the cheeks”) than just bikini (outside the swimsuit only) and betweenie (custom bikini) combined. So yes. Also, this week alone, we had 27 bikini and Brazilian waxes on our schedule!
Q: What is my esthetician thinking during my wax?
A: Probably that she’s jealous of you if you’re going on vacation somewhere fun in the next week! Seriously though, a wax gives our estheticians a chance to chat and joke around with clients instead of working silently like they do during facials. They are all really social people and love getting to know their wax clients. They have been at this for YEARS and wax women of all ages, shapes, and sizes. They have seen LOTS more lady bits than you have (unless you are an esthetician or a doctor) and I assure you, whatever yours look like will look normal to them. They know that you are coming in for a wax BECAUSE you have hair you want to remove, they aren’t judging you for having hair in your bikini area!
Q: What does my esthetician wish their clients knew:
A: They want clients to know the benefit of choosing a safe salon for their waxing and they wish you knew what they knew about how some other places skimp on sanitation. Products are expensive so many salons/spas try to reduce waste by “double dipping” or re-using the wooden applicator by re-dipping it into the wax after applying wax to your skin. This is gross. No matter what a wax claims, it isn’t hot enough to kill bacteria (it would burn you!), rather it is warm enough to harbor bacteria! You don’t want the same wax that touched another client’s nether regions to be used on your upper lip, do you?
Also…we wear gloves as much for your protection as for ours. If you go to an esthetician that isn’t wearing gloves during a Brazilian wax (or any wax!) get out! It would weird you if your gynecologist didn’t wear gloves, right? One of our employees worked for another spa that told her if she wanted gloves for waxing, she had to buy them. WHAT?!?
Lastly, we know that tending to personal hygiene before a service is not only courteous to your esthetician, but important to reduce your risk of infected in-grown hairs. Those people who bike to their brazilian wax appointments on a hot day or come straight from the gym run a much higher risk of irritation or infection from the bacteria introduced to newly waxed skin. We offer cleansing wipes to use prior to your service and we require you to cleanse the area to be waxed, but if you’re going to put on gym clothes again afterward, it is really a moot point. Please shower between your workout and your wax and everyone will be happier!
Q: Do I really need to grow my hair out to get a wax?
A: Yup. If hair isn’t AT LEAST 1/4 inch long, it won’t catch in the wax and you’ll be disappointed with the results. If hair is too short, we’ll ask you to reschedule. Please do not shave the day or week before your wax (you’d be surprised how often this happens!)
Q: Honestly…will this hurt?
A: Honestly…yes. We are pulling out hair from the roots. We do use “hard” or “Stripless” wax which is far more gentle on sensitive areas. Unlike the wax you usually see that requires a white strip of fabric on the top to adhere to the wax (ideal for large areas like back or leg waxing), hard wax hardens around the hair but not the skin so doesn’t require strip to remove it. It is the industry standard for safe hair removal in Brazilian waxing. We also offer a “no scream cream” that you can purchase and apply 40 minutes prior to your wax to reduce 50-80% of the sting. We have also found that women who are about to menstruate or who are pregnant tend to be more sensitive. Lastly, we do not recommend taking pain killers or alcohol prior, especially those that can increase a risk of bruising. We need to know if the wax is too hot or too uncomfortable. Regular waxing clients report that it gets much easier with each wax.
Q: Do you judge people who just prefer to keep the hair they were born with?
A: Heck no! It is all personal preference and everything is awesome. Please don’t feel like you need to wax because someone else is pressuring you to, it is a personal decision and you should choose to get a wax because YOU want to, not because someone says you need to. Our estheticians don’t want you to feel like they think you should wax, but they want to be available for people who choose to remove hair safely.
One of our 3 wax roomsIf you have any questions we didn’t answer, be sure to check our Waxing FAQs on the website!
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