The other day I was among a group of salon owners and while talking about business, the number one service requested, the Brazilian, was mentioned. I was curious. How many Brazilian waxes did you think your salons made each month?
I heard a variety of responses and most of the numbers were astronomical. The one that impressed me the most was 500.
500 Brazilian waxes in a month! Not a trillion, but a lot of people. Who makes 500 Brazilians?
Beautician-waxers are a curious breed. Many of you cannot believe what we do most of our day and why we have chosen (Brazilian) waxing as a way of making a living.
As our conversation grew louder and more lively, I realized how much an esthetician / epilator trusts her clients for more than just a job.
If you consider the intimacy of a Brazilian waxing service and the personal connection that the epilator must make with its client so that they feel comfortable throughout the service, you will find a lot of chatter and chatter in the room. A competent epilator should be able to hold a conversation and make it primary while waxing is done quickly, efficiently and most importantly, as if it were not happening. Clients need to feel comfortable and connected to the person wielding the wax. Estheticians should be hired for their personalities as well as their waxing skills. You should be able to laugh and bring some comic relief to the Brazilian waxing experience for the first time.
Most waxers will agree that they’ve become something of a 30-minute best friend, a bartender, or even a doctor … the padded notebook and cell type! It’s like talking to the girlfriend … all the time.
Your estheticians / waxers learn a lot about you and your joys and joys, your trials and tribulations. We look forward to working every day because we know it is time to catch up on your activities. Some days our jaws ache from laughing. Other days when life is not so good for some of you, we grieve over the loss of your husband’s job or your son’s hurt feelings at school.
Okay, let’s go back to the 500, the billions of Brazilians. I could write a book … but I won’t. I promised. However, I have some fun stories to share about some fun Brazilian waxing experiences that I heard that day while having coffee with my friends and other salon owners. No names, of course. We must protect the innocent!
Here’s one that many of you can probably relate to. Your first Brazilian wax. You have no one to blame. You did it to YOURSELF.
A customer bought the kit at the beauty supply store, went home, and eagerly read the instructions from top to bottom. She couldn’t wait to surprise her husband when he got back from work. Her little boy was absorbed in Dora the Explorer while my client left for work. In the microwave it was the wax … then, with a spatula, he spread it all over his Brazilian area. (Fortunately, she only had first degree burns) With a deep breath, she grasped the wax and was ready to wipe it off. She couldn’t do it. She gave a little tug and screamed as pain ripped through her. The wax didn’t come off … of course … neither did the hair. She spent the next two hours in the bathtub with nail scissors cutting the wax off her body.
Another client decided to try her first Brazilian wax with the support of her best friend. She booked a salon service “at home” and showed up at the front door with much apprehension. She was right to be nervous. After ringing the front door bell and being greeted by a huge barking dog and a tiny elderly beautician, she was led down a dark hallway to a small room in the basement. There they told him to “undress” and climb onto the bed on all fours. The client did as she was told, climbed into bed and spent the next half hour looking at a huge family portrait, finally recognizing one of the men in the portrait as an old boyfriend!
And here’s a cheeky one:
One customer had a “sticky” experience. As she tells it … not knowing what to expect, it was for her first Brazilian on the advice of a co-worker. She scheduled her wax after work AND before a big date with a hottie. The wax seemed to go well, but when it was all over, they told her to go ahead and get dressed … it was over. Found this a bit strange because no cleaning or post-waxing solution was applied. When the last strip was removed, they told him that his service was over. She got dressed and immediately felt uncomfortable because she had a large amount of wax stuck to her nether regions. He didn’t have time to go home and shower, so he stuck it out and went on his date. In the middle of the night, her cheeks (and in the middle) began to burn. Excusing herself, she went to the ladies’ room and found her cheeks glued and glued to her thong! She said she could barely get through the rest of dinner and could barely sit still for dessert. He ended the date earlier than expected and was sad to think that he had never seen his date again. But, in her mortification, she simply couldn’t tell him what had happened.
The grand finale to her story is that her date eventually ended up being her husband. Being persistent, he asked her for a second date and was relieved when he found that his first date had not ended early due to broccoli on his teeth, but wax in his crack.
Funny stories aside, your epilator looks forward to your trips to its salon. Not only should you, the client, receive excellent waxing service, but the prospect of a lifelong friendship should also be in the works.
