Brazilian Waxing Gets Manly, Plus 6 Safety Tips

As the weather heats up and we get ready for swimsuit season, people are becoming more diligent with grooming down there…and it’s not just women with their itty bitty bikinis, but Brazilian waxing is getting in with the men as well.

“I think a lot of men were shaving before, but in the past two to three years, I’ve noticed a trend in Brazilian waxing with men – and it’s not just the gay men, a lot of straight men are coming in to get waxed as well,” says Enrique Ramirez, beauty expert and founder of face to face NYC, pictured below. “They’ll usually come in with their wife or girlfriend while they’re getting treatments, or they’ll come saying their wife or girlfriend suggested the wax and our spa.”

At face to face NYC, the Marble Sack with shaft waxing is the most popular, Ramirez says, adding that most men want to leave some hair and won’t go with a full-out Brazilian like many women do. Graze the spa menu, and you’ll see the cleverly named hair removal treatments, in addition to many unique treatments for both men and women, like the bikini microdermabrasion, perfect to get rid of any worries about ingrown hairs. The spa also offers Vajazzles for the ladies and even Pejazzles to give men the opportunity to glitter too. Sugaring hair removal is available as well.

When dealing with your skin and any procedure involving your body in a spa environment, safe practices are of utmost priority. Ramirez, who also has a medical background as a medical assistant, is very aware of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) practices and makes sure he and his staff are all licensed, professional and doing everything possible to prevent infection of any sort.

“One thing I think is so important is to make sure that the employees are licensed by the state, in addition to the spa itself,” Ramirez says. “People should be asking on the phone when they call to make an appointment or ask questions – it should be a question asked just as people would ask how much a Brazilian costs.”

Here are some other safety tips from Ramirez on how to have your Brazilian go as smoothly as it should leave you once it’s said and done:

• Make sure to request hard wax, which pulls the hair and not the skin, and try to request a brand known to include soothing ingredients.
• Try and always use obstetric wipes to sanitize yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask – it’s for your own protection.
• A professional esthetician should always initially clean the bikini area with a hospital-based disinfectant; always be observant of what’s being done before your treatment.
• Make sure your esthetician never goes over an area twice, as this could cause serious irritation and possible skin breakage, which leaves you exposed to bacteria.
• Double dipping is not a safe practice, and the spatulas should never be reused. If the esthetician appears to be double dipping or reusing spatulas, stop them immediately.
• It’s always good to follow up at home with an antibiotic ointment such as Brave Solider, as a precaution.

For first-timer waxers,  it does get easier with time, and to minimize the ouch-factor, wait four to five weeks in between waxings and don’t shave in between, Ramirez says.