Bikini wax on, wax off with Strip waxing salon

In life, there are beauty duties and there is pampering. Now, in my book, hair removal, especially bikini hair removal, comes under beauty duty. I tend to manicure my bikini line at home, mainly because previous experiences in that area have been none too pretty. My one and only Brazilian waxing experience was particularly harrowing. It lasted what felt like a lifetime (in reality only 45 minutes) because the woman wielding the wax strips kept getting stuck, if you know what I mean. Horrendous.

So it is with trepidation that I enter Strip, the dedicated waxing salon, in Chelsea where I'm reviewing the newly launched i-bar, for all things brow-related, and, gulp, the Brazilian wax. What’s that phrase I'm groping for... taking one for the team?

As soon as I enter the lavishly styled boutique-cum-waiting room at Strip's three-storey boutique, I'm immediately more optimistic about the experience. Stella McCartney, Elle Macpherson Intimates and Calvin Klein lingerie greet me. Then my therapist, the lovely Carleigh Rayner, leads me to the Chocolate room – an opulent boudoir complete with chandelier, comfy bed, velvet drapes and embossed wallpaper. She tells me the treatment rooms are themed according to the ‘flavoured’ Lycon waxes used – chocolate, berry, lavender and gold (this will leave you shimmering). 

We discuss my Brazilian requirements (since you ask, I opt to leave a triangle rather than the ‘traditional’ landing strip. Carleigh says a lot of people don’t realize you can do this.) and Carleigh sets to work putting me at ease by asking me to select what I’d like to watch on the plasma TV (nice touch). I channel surf while she cleanses the area, applying the pre oil so that the wax takes hold more effectively. Then we begin with the wax. I’m told the hard Lycon wax is just the thing for dealing with pesky bikini lines because it really moulds itself around even short hairs and ensures they’re pulled out at the root. Apparently, the thing about using linen or paper strips is that they act as an extra barrier -- a middle man if you will -- between the wax and the hair making the hair more likely to break.

Carleigh speedily whizzes around, going from side to side so if I want to chicken out early I can. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt... but it didn’t hurt much. Because it happens so quickly and the wax comes off directly it doesn’t sting half as much, plus Carleigh’s technique (universal across all Strip the practitioners) of adding pressure immediately after removing wax helps. After she applies cooling Tea Tree lotion and I’m smooth as a baby’s bum. There’s no stickiness, no post-stinging and irritation. And this is still true at bedtime after I’ve been out all evening in skinny jeans.

Now onto hair removal of a gentler variety: I also trialled the new i-bar for brow and lash care, located in the white, airy basement, complete with yet another plasma TV. Tamanna Sahatu is my brow guru – she has 20 years’ threading experience, and she’s soon sized me up and whipped my brows into a flattering, more streamlined arch. And it doesn’t hurt a bit. It’s true what they say - having your eyebrows shaped really does give you an instant facelift.

And, I don’t know if I want to admit this (but I will)... While checking out my brows in the mirror, Tamanna tactfully had a word with me, saying, ‘I think you need your top lip doing’. Now, I’ve been wondering if it’s time I tended to this but was worried about upkeep. I appreciate her honesty. Who else is going to tell me I’ve got a shadow? She soon gets rid of it; this does sting a bit, but it’s worth it. My experience is topped off with an amazing Indian head massage. I leave feeling preened, pampered and like a new woman... not at all like I've just been doing obligatory beauty duty.

• Brazilian wax (£45), basic bikini wax (£22)
• The ‘Brow Rehab’ package (includes 3 threading sessions, one eyebrow tint and specialist guidance to get poorly shaped or thinning brows back to perfection, £49)
• Eyebrow reshape with consultation and pressure point massage (£25)

Available at Strip, Notting Hill boutique: +44 (0)20 7727 2754  |  Chelsea boutique: +44 (0)20 7590 0050

Written by Alison Taylor for www.beautywoome.com.

Otylia Roberts moves to George Street

Otylia has officially been in her new location for a few weeks now. Thankfully, it's at street level with big windows. Her previous location was in the basement and as the best beauty therapist for waxing in London, she shouldn't be in the basement of another salon. After all, she is the one who brought the Brazilian wax to the UK. She uses that great peel-off hard wax (like that used at Strip) and gets right in there with tweezers for missed hairs at the end, although, believe me, there are few, if any, missed hairs. When they grow back, ingrowns are few and far between, and a wax from Otylia seems to last much longer than waxers I've had elsewhere (which leads me to believe that most others just break the hair where she really does pull it out, follicle and all). And it's, on a relative scale, less painful than other Brazilian waxes I've had. 

Otylia Roberts Beauty Centre, 23 George Street, London W1U 3QA (0207 486 5537, www.otyliaroberts.co.uk)

New Year's resolutions...

Drink enough water: every time I go for a facial, the therapist berates me for my perpetually dehydrated skin. Stay like that and your skin will continue to appear dull. Plus, fine lines show up more clearly when you're parched (water plumps). We're not saying guzzle 2 litres a day (honestly, it's impossible to do. We've tried it in the office. You spend the entire day racing between your desk and the loo.); just drink enough, so a glass whenever you remember. It will make a difference. Also, apply your moisturiser (face and body) while skin is damp.

Get time strips for makeup: we've cleaned out the makeup bin and chucked away anything that's become crusty, comes from a shop that no longer exists or smells a bit fuggy. From now on, we're using those nifty makeup expiration strips too, so we can be sure that we're not coating our face in bacteria-ridden cream with completely degraded and inactive ingredients.

Massage more: Give your face a good massage with your fingertips every time you wash your face or apply oil or moisturiser to it and you'll be glowing. Not only do you stimulate the skin and capillaries but you're also draining toxins if you massage towards the lymph nodes.

Regularly wax, if you're going to bother doing it: This is something (along with flossing and taking control of my schedule) that I need to do this year. Now ladies, there's no point in going through the horrific pain of a single Brazilian wax a year. It hurts 100 times more if you leave it for just once every twelve months. The more you do it, the less it hurts and the more sparse the regrowth. If you're going to do it, make it routine or just get into the habit of trimming and having a gentle, regular wax for bathing suit season. You'll dread the Brazilian much less if you just get into the habit of doing it. I know it seems counterintuitive but it really does make sense.

Stop biting your cuticles: It's a fact that if you have well-groomed hands that you're entire appearance looks better. If you wear acrylic nails, stop it immediately. They're horrible and should only be worn by old women in fuschia kaftans on South Beach. Keep your nails neat and don't chew them or your cuticles. Opt for a buff instead of polish when you get manicures as it lasts longer. Keep your cuticles moisturised, especially during winter. If you're out of lotion, use a couple drops of olive oil. Works a charm.

Be less stressed: Other than smoking and the sun, this is probably the biggest reason for pre-mature ageing. Just look at JK Rowling pre- and post-Harry Potter windfall. Rumours of plastic surgery or whatever aside, she does look much better and I bet alot of it has to do with the huge stress of financial problems being lifted almost over night. Don't let everything get to you. Life goes on and things can only annoy you and stress you out if you let them.