Brazilians... what the magazines don't tell you.

There's no delicate way to write this post and those who know me can account for the fact that I'm pretty honest and open in my approach so prudish types, read on with caution...

Brazilian bikini waxes have been en vogue for a number of years now so following a recent appointment with the lovely folks at Ministry of Waxing, I was surprised to discover whilst chatting with some girlfriends over cocktails, how uncommon the treatment remains amongst the average girl. In fact, out of approx. 10 of us, it was only my least groomed friend who was familiar with the treatment- clearly she's more groomed than her low maintainance approach ("I've never bought moisturiser") would suggest! Whilst the magazines rave about the treatment, what it actually entails seems to have remained a mystery.

I cannot stress strongly enough just how impressed I was with the treatment itself and the professionalism of the girls at Ministry of Waxing- I would recommend them to anyone, particularly "waxing virgins" and let me tell you, this is definitely the kind of treatment where you want to be in the hands of the experts!
For those who don't know, this isn't a treatment for the shy. It's incredibly intimate (all clothing on the bottom half is removed, there are no paper knickers & yes there's touching- in fairness, it's probably worse for the therapist!) & whilst obviously not as physically invasive as a smear test, there's no denying that all notions of modesty go straight out of the window! Clearly, it's a treatment which is going to hurt but the combination of hot wild berry & chocolate wax and cooling, antibacterial compresses take the sting out of it. They've cleverly thought of details such as offering a squeezy animal stress ball to make the treatment more bearable and the therapists are pros at making you feel relaxed. Don't be alarmed when they ask you to turn over, just as you're thinking "they must be done now", it's all part of the full Brazilian package! A soothing gel is applied afterwards along with aftercare tips such as a reminder to exfoliate to avoid ingrown hairs.
The salon itself is centrally located in Covent Garden, with a cool, industrial vibe. It's not perfect- they need covered bins in the treatment rooms for a start but with treatments where the results speak for themselves, these minor details can be easily overlooked.
For those looking for a less invasive hair removal, their sister company, Browhaus, has just opened next door offering a range of "eye" treatments including threading, eyelash tinting, etc.. Personally, I'm yet to find a threader to rival the wonderful Dal Sohal of Browse so I'm not sure I'd necessarily go out of my way but certainly, they do a reasonable job if you're in the area.