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Health & Fitness

Things I Love... European Wax Center

When you are ready to go to Brazil, for a wax ;) My suggestion on where to get upscale, affordable waxing services.

I have been on a short hiatus from blogging, it wouldn't be summer if I didn't spend ample time doing nothing ;) Now that I am back, let's get right to it.

I was always hesitant to wax. I was a die-hard eyebrow plucker for years. I refused to invest in getting them waxed because I felt I did the best work with my tweezers. Before my vacation last year, I decided to spring for an eyebrow wax at my nail salon. It was so easy, cheap, barely any pain, saved me time from doing it myself, the results were exactly to my liking. I kept up with the eyebrows and by the end of last year, I had decided to step it up to more intimate grooming.

When you decide to get waxed in more delicate and personal areas, you should spring for a place that specializes in such services. I wasn't about to drop trou in a back room of a nail salon in which I see very little sterilization happening. You want a licensed esthetician that understands the hair growth and the waxing product they will be using.

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Enter: European Wax Center. I stumbled upon the website for EWC while I was doing one of many Google searches to find a reputable, and reasonably priced, salon or spa that offered bikini waxes. I was seeing prices as high as $60-75 for one Brazilian wax. Times that by, at least one visit a month for, at the very least, three summer months, which would end up costing over $200 for a summer of hair-free convenience. I don't think so.

EWC was offering an introductory rate of about $20 at the time. (The current promotion for new customers is a free wax but I will explain that more later). All waxes after that would have been at the regular rate, which was still $20 less than the cheapest spa I was finding. So, I went for it.

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When I called to make an appointment, the gentleman on the phone was so informative and pleasant. He told me everything I needed to know about my first time being waxed, what to expect, when the best time is to get waxed, the ideal amount of hair growth for optimal removal. He put me right at ease just while scheduling. (Later I discovered this gentleman was Pierre, the man who runs this particular franchise. He is very hands on and exceedingly accommodating from my experience)

My first impression of European Wax Center was how professional and upscale the place looked. It is a tiny store front, squeezed in-between the Corner Bakery Cafe and the Fresh Market in the Horsham Gate shopping center at the corner of Welsh Rd (Rt. 63) and Blair Mill Rd.

When you walk in, the right wall has a neat juxtaposition of clean, well-lit shelves holding the European Wax Center signature products surrounded by an exposed brick motif. In the middle of the floor is a funky, candy apple red area rug, and to the left are Victorian-esque looking chairs with throw pillows to match the area rug.

The seats looked so fancy I was afraid to sit on them. Above the seating, a flat screen television scrolling EWC advertisements. There were two lovely women working at the front desk to check me in. Once I was all checked in, Vonnie, my waxer, came out from behind a set of frosted glass doors.

Walking into the back, I saw there was a row of red doors going down the hallway to my left, to my right the exposed brick wall, which in my opinion, gives the place an approachable feel where as all the other decor might be perceived as stuffy and high maintenance.

Into Rm. 3 I went with Vonnie, a wonderfully sweet woman who is older than the other estheticians, which made me feel much more comfortable with her. She started off by going right over to a red counter that had all her waxing accoutrements neatly organized. She stirred up the bright purple wax in a giant vat as she explained the whole process to me. She explained how the wax itself was specially formulated in France especially for the European Wax Centers. The wax is a stripless, bees wax that adheres only to the hair making for a less painful experience.

There was a cushioned bed with paper on it, much like you would expect to see in a doctors office. In fact, if felt very much like being in a medical office with Vonnie in her candy apple red scrubs, the minimalist decor, and the cooler room temperature that allows for optimal wax setting.

I stripped down to nothing but my socks on the bottom half and hopped up on the table. Vonnie continued to explain the process as she began applying the very temperate wax to my nether regions. Afterwards, she applied one of EWC's signature products, an ingrown hair serum, and sent me on my way. I will briefly explain for those who are curious, it hurt as much as you would expect any massive ripping-out-of-hair to hurt. Totally worth it !!

I have sworn by my bikini waxes ever since. I go every 3-4 weeks and started out doing the full blown Brazilian. I have since been able to downgrade to the full (cheaper) and the hair has been coming in sparser than before. Eventually, I will only require bi-monthly maintenance. 

For those of you who are having that TMI feeling, sorry but I felt I had to be comprehensive to give a fair evaluation.

Now, for pricing for those of you who may be feeling as adventurous as me. You can take advantage of their first time "Free Wax" offer just to get your feet wet. The Free Wax would cover bikini lines, eyebrows, or underarms for women. For men (Yes fellas !! You can get your grooming done there too), it would be eyebrows, ears, or nose. The female waxing services are broken down into two categories;

Body:

  • Arms
  • Back
  • Bikini
  • Brazilian
  • Chest
  • Hands
  • Legs
  • Shoulders
  • Stomach
  • Toes
  • Underarms

Face:

  • Cheeks
  • Chin
  • Eyebrows
  • Lips
  • Neck
  • Nose
  • Sideburns
  • Full Face

The men's waxing services are also broken down into two categories which are similar to those offered for women. All are listed on the website.

For most areas, there are two to three breakdowns within the category depending on the area. For instance, legs include full leg, just upper, or just lower.The more specific breakdowns of the various waxing treatments allows for you to see the most accurate pricing for the services you are interested in trying. I am personally considering doing my legs because shaving is a hassle anymore and I can't stand leg stubble. It is $60 for a single visit of both legs, upper and lower. Just lower, a mere $32.

Well worth it when I consider that I am already paying $25 or so for an 8-count of my Venus Embrace razor blade refills as it is. Shaving every day or every other day if I can stand it, let's say time is money and I am spending 10 min a day shaving. 10 x 7 = 1 hour and 10min a week shaving. Let's say that one hour a week costs me one hour of work, $9.50/hr, times 4 weeks a month. That's $38 a month. I'm already saving money by waxing, not counting the cost of refill blades. It's simple math the way I see it. (I do have a gift for justifying any purchase that may seem extravagant)

So, have I sold you on the benefits of waxing yet? Have I intrigued you into possibly trying out the European Wax Center ? If so, throw me bone. When they ask who referred you, tell them Laurinda sent ya ;)

Check out their website for very thorough explanations of services, products and pricing. The Unlimited Wax Pass prices are included as well as single visit pricing. Another neat little extra: when you are on their homepage, scroll down to the bottom for a cache of blogs all about waxing.

Address:

100 Welsh Rd, Suite G
Horsham, PA 19044

Phone: (215) 657-1159

Hours:

Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sat.: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sun.: Noon-6 p.m.

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