Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Getting hitched hair-free



It's been almost five years since I was a waxing virgin.

Since my wedding gown was a tube top and all my sisters’ gowns were sleeveless, it goes without saying that we should have hairless underarms on my wedding day.

And so, four years ago, we all went for the first time to the spa to have our underarms waxed a few days before the wedding. We were all curious how this waxing thing was done and if it really hurt like hell. We also wanted to know if it really was better than shaving – that it won't grow back thick and coarse.

I volunteered first – being the sister with the highest tolerance for pain. The spa used hot wax for the underarms and I felt the gooey-warm-sticky purple blob on my skin just a few seconds before the hair was pulled. My first reaction was “yeeeeeoooooowwww!!” My older sister even looked at where the wax was pulled from and screamed, “Ugh! There’s blood!” Of course, the “blood” was just little spots where the hair used to be and contrary to my sister’s reaction, the blood wasn’t a lot.

We did notice though that weeks after the waxing, our underarms were still hair-free and when the hair finally grew back, it was thinner and softer and there were no stubbles that were usually present after shaving.

Although most spas and even salons offer waxing services, there's only one waxing salon that I know of that offers waxing, and waxing only.

Straight from their website, Lay-bare says this about the kind of cold wax that they use:

"At Lay Bare, we use cold sugar wax jelly made of sugar, kalamansi, and honey only. These natural ingredients have bleaching, exfoliating, and moisturizing properties. Since there is no heating involved, you never have to risk getting burned or be concerned that the wax would stick to your skin. Sugar wax is water-soluble so it is easy to clean up with just water. With continued waxing you may expect your skin to be lighter and smoother, while hair re-growth finer and sparser"


After you register for the first time at Lay-bare, they will give you a loyalty card. Every visit earns you a stamp and after your 5th visit, your bill will be minus P100. On your 10th visit, there will be a P200 discount. :-)


I've tried three of Lay-bare's branches and I must say, the newer branches have add-ons/amenities that the older branches did not. For example, the Don Antonio branch's cubicle partitions are made out of wood, not thick curtains. Their salon towels and bed covers are now Lay-bare branded, no longer generic. The music that they play during your waxing session is piped in, not from a radio at the receiving area -- they even had mini-flatscreens in each cubicle where I watched Rihanna and Mariah Carey in concert (well, separate concerts, that is). This is a nice distraction to take your mind off the pain. Haha!


What is consistent though is the never-overbearing service, the comfortable waxing beds (at some point, I fell asleep while my legs were being waxed!) and the general interiors sporting the popular wedding motif colors two years ago -- mint and rose.

For those who haven't tried Lay-bare, the waxing procedure goes like this:

1) your waxer preps your skin by dusting baby powder on the areas to be waxed.
2) she gets the wax and repeatedly pulls at it with her fingers like taffy until the consistency is enough to make your hair stick to the wax
3) she starts waxing (and yes, it will hurt a bit if it's your first time, but some friends have sworn falling asleep while having a brazilian!)
4) they put anti-itch cream on the waxed area
5) you're ready to face the world hair-free (in some body parts, that is)

Yep, that simple.

And so, even if I still cringe at times when I have my legs, underarms and bikini area waxed, it is indeed worth the pain. And great for honeymoon! :-P


Visit their site at http://www.lay-bare.com/ and find a branch nearest you. Enjoy the summer hair-free!

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