A first intimate waxing appointment is the one women put off longest, and almost always for the same reason. It is not the treatment they are worried about so much as not knowing what the room, the conversation and the practicalities will actually be like. At Beauty by Ruth, a beauty salon in Maghull, women regularly admit they thought about booking for a year or more before ringing. This article sets out exactly what happens, because knowing the shape of the appointment removes most of the apprehension.
Before You Arrive
You will have chosen an area when you booked, though nothing is fixed and you can change your mind on the day. Hair needs to be roughly the length of a grain of rice, which usually means two to three weeks of growth and no shaving in the run-up. Shower beforehand if you can, wear something loose and comfortable, and there is genuinely no other preparation expected of you.
If you are anxious, say so when you book rather than on arrival. It is a common thing to say and it changes nothing except that Ruth will allow a little more time and talk you through more as she goes. Many women find that one sentence takes the pressure off entirely.
Arriving And The First Few Minutes
Beauty by Ruth is a small salon in Maghull and Ruth works alone, seeing one client at a time. There is no waiting room full of people, no reception desk to explain yourself at, and nobody else in the building who will see you arrive. The salon treats female clients only, which for a great many women is the single most reassuring detail.
The first few minutes are a conversation. Ruth will ask what you would like done, whether you have waxed before, how your skin generally behaves, and whether you take any medication or use anything on your skin that she should know about. These questions are practical rather than personal and the answers genuinely change how she works.
Getting Ready In The Room
You will be shown into a private treatment room and given time on your own to undress from the waist down and get onto the couch. There is a towel to cover yourself and you keep everything else on. Ruth knocks before coming back in. Nobody stands there while you get ready, which is the specific worry many women arrive with and rarely voice.
Once she returns, she will explain what she is about to do before she does it. You are covered other than the section being worked on at that moment, and the treatment moves through the area in stages rather than exposing everything at once.
The Positions Nobody Warns You About
This is the part women most want to know and least like to ask. Intimate waxing requires you to move into a few different positions so that Ruth can reach each section properly, including holding the skin taut yourself in places and, for a full Hollywood, turning onto your side. She will tell you clearly what to do each time and there is no expectation that you know in advance.
It feels awkward for approximately the first minute. After that, almost every client reports that the professionalism of the whole thing makes it entirely unremarkable. Ruth has done this for twenty-five years and there is nothing about your body that will register as anything other than routine.
How Much It Actually Hurts
Honestly, the first appointment is the least comfortable one, and the strips over the most sensitive sections are sharp for a second or two each rather than sustained. It is entirely bearable, which is why so many women return, and it becomes noticeably easier at subsequent appointments as hair grows back finer and the skin becomes accustomed.
You may ask Ruth to pause at any point, and asking is not a failure. Booking away from the most sensitive days of your cycle helps, as does avoiding a great deal of caffeine beforehand. The whole treatment is quicker than most people expect.
Deciding Between The Options
A bikini wax tidies the edges, a Brazilian removes most of the hair while leaving a strip or triangle at the front, and a Hollywood removes everything. None is more grown-up or more correct than another, and plenty of women alternate depending on the season. If you are undecided, Ruth will talk it through before starting and it is perfectly reasonable to begin with less and go further next time.
If you would like to read about the differences beforehand, the guide to the difference between a bikini, Brazilian and Hollywood wax sets them out plainly. The Brazilian waxing Liverpool and Hollywood waxing Liverpool pages cover each in more detail.
Afterwards
The area will be pink and warm for a few hours and may feel slightly tender into the next day, both of which are normal. Keep it cool and loosely clothed, skip the gym, hot baths, steam and swimming for the first day, and leave exfoliation until two or three days have passed. Ruth will go through this with you rather than handing over a leaflet.
You will also be told when to come back, which is usually around four weeks. Booking the next appointment before you leave is worth doing, both because summer fills up and because having it in the diary makes the second appointment far easier to keep.
Booking When You Are Ready
If you have been putting this off, the thing worth knowing is that Ruth has heard every version of the nervous first phone call. Ring, say it is your first time, and the rest is straightforward. Call 0151 909 6116 to book or to ask anything at all beforehand.
