“A Brazilian wax is common courtesy,” exclaims Cynthia Chua, founder of Strip: Ministry of Waxing, a new waxing salon with a strong focus on the nether region. “It’s evolved from ‘Who does this?’ to ‘Even guys do it.’ It’s what the mani-pedi was 20 years ago,”?she insists. “It’s now a grooming necessity.”
To help with your grooming necessities — and to make the process a little less dreadful — Chua decorates her salon with cheeky posters (“1,000,000 Bushes Beautifully Pruned and Counting!” reads one) and outfits each treatment room with calming Bach’s Flower Essence and squeeze toys so the experience can be “fun, casual and not intimidating.”
But don’t let the quirky wall art or colorful atmosphere fool you — Strip takes the art of hair removal very seriously. This Nolita salon, the latest branch in a chain from Singapore, is staunch about hygiene (there is never a double-dip here) and serious about technique. Staffers are sent to Singapore for between four and six weeks of intense training. And Chua has a research and development team coming up with new formulas, like the Berry Chocolate Wax — especially great for, you guessed it, the bikini zone.
Berry Chocolate Wax
At Strip, customers dreading the torturous bikini wax can rest easy:?Strip’s new hard wax is created to have a low melting point, which means it’s comfortable on the skin and spreads very thinly, thus reducing the pain factor.
Strip’s X’ed?Out cream ($34) is an alcohol-free treatment that contains Bromelain (a pineapple enzyme) and tea tree oil to prevent pesky ingrown hairs and sooth irritated skin.
Strip
56 Spring St.
212-431-1121
www.strip-usa.com
