Re-posted from The Manila Times
By Ana P. Santos
“A Brazilian is a simple courtesy.”
Walk around the “streets” of Strip and you’re bound to see this written on their walls.
It’s a simple yet evocative calling to take it all off and get a Brazilian wax and have their hair from the pubic area—this means the hair around the anus, the perineum and vagina—completely removed by waxing.
Ouch!
Tab Abad, managing director of Strip, The Ministry of Wax, acknowledges that the procedure may involve a bit of pain, but attests that the benefits far outweigh this little inconvenience.
“Brazilian wax is exactly that—a simple courtesy—to yourself and to your partner,” says Abad who has an evident passion about hair removal.
“I’m a waxer. Even way back in high school, I would remove my hair down there. It has nothing to do with being kinky or slutty. It’s really a matter of hygiene. It’s cleaner and helps fight against odor, especially during that time of the month.”
“Waxing also works as a gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin cells and leaves your skin soft and supple. Which is maybe why guys like it when their girlfriends get a wax,” Abad quips, not denying the sensual benefits of waxing.
However, the problem for Abad was more of finding a place where her waxing ritual could be a less painful one. “Even when traveling to other countries, I would try to get a Brazilian wax, and it would always come out to be painful. Then I tried Strip when I was in Indonesia. It was such a memorable experience that I decided to open the franchise here.”
A memorable experience is what Abad strives to give her customers who come to Strip (pun intended). “I can guarantee that after the first time, you’ll keep coming back for more.”
Strip’s skilled therapists called Striperellas all go through a strict training boot camp consisting of at least four weeks of vigorous training before they get to touch their first customer, “They’re trained to do a Brazilian in 15 minutes flat.” Now, that’s a quickie.
Each customer is given their own individually sealed hygiene pack, which includes latex gloves, spatulas, wet wipes, cotton pads and buds. “We use fresh latex gloves throughout the waxing process and we never double dip our spatulas,” says Abad.
But more than that, it’s the care and attention to the little details that make a Strip waxing experience as painless as possible and even, a hair short of being . . . pleasurable.
“We monitor the temperature of the wax regularly to make sure that it is not too hot when applied on the skin. We use a combination of both soft and hard wax depending on customer preference and suitability. For soft wax, we use a lavender wax that is gentle and great for sensitive skin. For hard wax, we use vanilla white chocolate wax that is almost painless. Our clients say that the wax smells really good. At the end of the procedure, we apply cream to soothe the area.”
The first time is never really the best
Newbies and virgins who may still feel squeamish about taking it all off for the first time. To help, they will be provided with a Brazilian Virgin Forest SOS kit, which includes every time needed to soothe pain of the “first time.” The kit includes an animal squeezy toy to hold on to, an SOS card which lists post-waxing treatment care, a shower bath puff and Strip X-ed Out Cream to apply to the area.
As for the veteran waxers, they can even opt to style their own do. Strip offers shapes like an arrow (your choice of pointing up or down) or a heart. “This is more for the adventurous type, or those who want to try something new. These are all done free hand and not stenciled. But we also have to assess if the cut is right for the client. For those who aren’t bushy enough, it may not come out right.”
Everything a girl can do, a guy can too.
Taking it all off is an equal opportunity thing and boys can get their own Boyzilian, a Strip trademark service.
Just like its female counterpart, the Boyzilian involves the stripping of hair from the penal/pubic area, the base of the penis and testicles. Boys can also opt to have their hair styled in various shapes—just as the women can.
It is a special and sensitive procedure. Abad says that only four of her Striperellas received the special training that qualifies them to do this procedure.
“Most of the male clients that avail of this service are the athletes like the swimmers and the triathletes who need the hair removal for speed.”
For those who would assume that this is a service that would attract mostly uh, metrosexuals, Abad says, “You’ll be surprised. I have one male client who is the waxer. He brought his girlfriend here because he wanted her to wax as well.”
Why would a man subject himself to such pain? Well, Abad says, “Hygiene. And I have been getting a lot of feedback that the procedure makes ‘it’ look bigger because there’s no more hair covering it.” And Abad swears, the ladies most certainly appreciate the smoothness.
“If the men like the smoothness of a Brazilian, then imagine how the ladies love the smoothness of a Boyzilian.”
Hmm . . . just another reason to take it all off.
Strip Manila is located at the 2F Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tel. no. 856-9145. Mobile number 0917-847-2112; e-mail: customercare@hareminc.com.
Photos taken from Strip Manila’s Facebook Page.
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