Going to a spa or beauty salon for the first time should be a relaxing and soothing experience. In the current economic climate, more professionals are living a lifestyle of work hard and play harder. As a long-time beauty blogger, I am all too familiar with the array of salon services on offer. Many of my readers ask me what they should and shouldn’t do while in the chair. I have written this guide as a sort of companion for the first-time spa or beauty salon visitor; it comprises many salon secrets passed to me from my acquaintances in the industry.
Bikini Waxes
•Do not shave between waxes as it leaves a nasty, irritable rash that can be further agitated by hot wax.
•If you’ve neglected your bikini area for a while, resist the urge to trim it. Most beauticians would rather trim it themselves, as pubic hair should be at least 1cm long so it can be waxed.
•Do exfoliate the bikini area in the morning before a wax; otherwise you’ll risk getting ingrown hairs.
•It’s absolutely fine to keep your own underwear on during a bikini wax, but if you can, be brave and dare to bare. It results in a much cleaner and accurate finish.
Treatments and Facials
•Do inform your beautician if you are suffering from any kind of skin disease, if it’s contagious, you could risk spreading it.
•If you do arrive straight from work and feel a bit sweaty, perhaps enquire whether there are any showering facilities.
•If you’re uncomfortable with having a male beautician treat you, it’s perfectly acceptable to say so, just make sure you give plenty of notice.
•If the treatment isn’t going the way you like it, do speak out. It’s better to have a quick word than to endure it and complain about it afterwards.
•Do resist the temptation to talk during a facial; it disrupts the process.
•Do remember to book your facial 5 days in advance of a big event. If you haven’t left enough time, your skin may look flushed after a treatment.
•Don’t start texting or e-mailing during your treatment, it can be quite disruptive and rude.
Spray Tans
•Exfoliate the evening before your spray tanning treatment; it produces a much more effective result.
•When it comes to waxing and shaving before a spray tan, please ensure you leave 48 hours post-wax and 24 hours post-shave.
•Beauticians are less concerned with body image than you may think; when they are applying the spray tan, they are not looking at your ‘wobbly bits’, they’re simply looking for areas they might have missed. Please don’t be nervous, but if you’re uncomfortable, simply try to make conversation about something else.
•Moisturiser can act as a barrier to spray tan, so please don’t apply it pre-treatment.
•Do wear dark and loose clothing, as firstly you don’t want to ruin your clothes and secondly you don’t want to ruin your tan!
Manicures and Pedicures
•Do inform your nail technician if you have anything wrong with your hands, it’s much better to be honest than to suffer in silence due to the chemicals involved.
•Do thoroughly wash your hands before nail treatments, as you could be passing infections to the nail technician.
•Don’t worry about arriving at your appointment with chipped polish or long nails, it’s much better to let the nail technician handle it and see what she’s working with.
Hopefully these words of advice have given you some food for thought. Are you a frequent flyer in salons and had any weird experiences? If so, let us know!
This guest post was written by Leyla, a blogger with significant experience writing on beauty, travel and health topics. She is currently working with Salons Direct to promote style and beauty issues.
