Depends on how thick your hair is and how high your pain threshold. Also the skill of the waxer.
It wasn’t as bad as I feared. I went for the full Brazilian a couple of times, and that wasn’t too bad, either…except for one small spot right at the upper tip of the opening, where it meets the mons. Having that area ripped at hurts like a mofo.
It *vibrates *- and any kind of movement is a very bad idea. 
Missed the edit (by lots).
Not ashamed or boasting of weirdness, by any means - I’m just astounded about how much of my sex life is ending up on these boards. I had such good intentions of modesty and tact …
Okay, I’ve had it done a few times. And I’ve done it to myself a few times with a home wax kit. Having someone else do it hurts a lot less.
When I’ve gone to the salon, it’s been a leg-“bikini line”-armpit package deal. For me, seriously, the worst part is the very bottom of the legs around the ankles. The bikini area hurts, but it’s over with quick and the pain fades in the blink of an eye; the ankles are a fussy little area requiring a lot more rips. I’ve never tried anything radical, though; just enough that I can confidently wear a normal bathing suit without shaving.
Some of my friends swear by taking a couple Tylenol an hour before the appointment. I don’t think that’s necessary, but if the alternative is being scared stiff worrying about the pain…
There appears to be a cultural difference regarding female body hair, between some parts of the USA and Europe. Removing female bodyhair in Europe is a choice about cosmetics; in the USA it is felt to be about hygiene. Some people in the USA compare a woman with armpit hair to a woman who hasn’t bathed or brushed her teeth; while in Europe, a woman with airmpit hair wearing a sleeveless top will be considered…uncared for. But not dirty.
Thank god bikiniwaxes are not en vogue here, yet. Even leg shaving is optional in the Netherlands.
not that bad, really.
my aesthetician requires at least 3 weeks of body hair growth.
no recommendations from me for that area. I think it’s “Allure” magazine that does salon reviews for various procedures monthly, but you could also try a fashion or beauty-based posting board perhaps. Maybe craigslist - I think they have a beauty forum.
mine last about 4-6 weeks.
nah 
VCNJ~
Optional in the U.S. as well - although if you are going to wear a skirt or shorts, you are going to be tagged as some sort of granola crunching hippie nut if you don’t shave. Many women I know in Minnesota don’t bother to shave legs during the winter unless there is a skirt occation - so I wouldn’t say its about hygenie, more that its the default cosmetic choice. Its seen as gross for a women to have her armpit hair hanging out - but its more “impolite” I think than dirty. Like going out in your bathrobe and bunny slippers.
And I’m surprised at people saying the eyebrow waxing hurts. Legs and bikini were a brazilian (ha!) times worse for me.
Isn’t the whole purpose of this procedure to be able to wear a fio dentale swimsuits? All that pain for nothing? The BBW started in Miami, so the gals could wear those g-string bikinis-something i don’t see many woman wearing in the USA :mad:
I work in gynae.
Most women I see tend to have done a little trimming and tidying, but very few have gone hairless, and even fewer have gone for “landing strip” style waxes.
I have eyes, so I notice, I do not, however ask questions or pass remarks.
Personally, I shave.
It’s quick, cheap, painless and I don’t have to wait for regrowth.
Male here, throwing in my 2 cents. My wife regularly waxes both her bikini area and under her arms. For some reason that I don’t recall, she prefers shaving for her legs. While she does it herself now (sometimes with my help, if requested), she’s had a Brazilian done in a salon. (Note that there’s a huge difference between that – removing all the hair – and just a bikini wax.) From what she’s said, a salon is nice, especially for the first time – not only does the person (hopefully) know what they’re doing, but some areas are just plain inconvient to reach. I should probably add that I’ve also done the shaving/waxing thing, so the following isn’t just second hand info.
It’s not that bad, although it doesn’t feel good; the comparison to ripping off a band-aid is a good one. The first time hurts more than subsequent bouts. Applying direct pressure on an area immediately afterwards helps reduce the pain, and some lotion to lessen the irritation afterwards helps. Also, see the answer to (2).
Assuming you’ve shaved, grow to a 1/4 inch (though a bit shorter works also). If not, the area needs to be trimmed – yanking out a tangle of hair makes it much worse. What you want is for each hair to be pulled on individually – think of the difference between tweezing individual hairs versus grabbing 5 or 6 at once. A tangle will cause pulling on the skin between the hairs, which is not pleasant.
Hair starts (noticably) growing back after 1-2 weeks. IME, repeated waxing not only leads to the hairs being finer and sparser, but also increases the time between sessions.
Not at all. While I’m sure that different people have different pain thresholds, it’s just not that bad. Whether it’s ultimately worth it is up to you.
If it turns out that you’re happy with the results, you might want to try it yourself. My wife has tried multiple products; the best one has been Surig-wax (in fact, she’s complaining a lot about the current brand she bought – hey, it was a “buy one, get one free” deal, and a major name). They’ve got different types, and it does make a difference which you use on which area. I’ve bought it at CVS – I’m not endorsing the site to which I linked, it was just the first that came up on Google with an image.
That was hilarious, especially the girl translating to the one on the table. “She wants to know if it’ll hurt” “Yeah it might be a little painful” (tells the girl “It’s completely painless” “Oh, that’s a relief!”) “I told her it wouldn’t hurt at all.”
Horrible!
I’ve had everything waxed at some point, and I didn’t think it was that bad. I don’t bother anymore, except to occasionally have my bikini line waxed if I’m going on vacation to a beach spot, but that’s not because it’s painful, it’s because I can’t usually bear to be hairy for long enough to get waxed.
I agree with the people who say to take some Tylenol or Advil before you go. It’s always more effective to prevent pain than to try to eliminate it after the fact. And I agree with **lobstermobster ** that post-wax margaritas are a good idea. Of course, I’m pretty much of the opinon that post-anything margaritas are a good idea.
I’m a guy who regularly has brazilians done… I prefer the clean look.
I don’t think they hurt too much except for the spot at the bottom of my scrotum on either side of the taint. The wife loves it!
In fact, I wrote about it here.
This does not compute. My person (because I can’t spell that other word no matter how hard I try) has me get naked and put my feet behind my head. She’s more thorough than my gynecologist. And she has me roll into a ball to get all the way up the back. I don’t see how any of this could be done with panties on.
As far as the pain, well it hurts a little but not as bad to me. I am a bit of a masochist so it actually is pretty exciting for me. At my place they use a numbing oil afterward and I use Aveda something-or-other with tea tree oil and salicylic acid to keep the little hairs from coming back as bumps. Of course the place I go is an Aveda concept salon so they are pushing that stuff down your throat.
I love it. I wrote a post some time ago detailing my follies of self waxing. It was pretty bad. I’ll gladly pay the $100 to get a professional to oil my privates, thanks.
A similar procedures was memorably shown in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Beard trimmers have plastic guards that can be used to keep the sharp objects a couple of milimeters away from the dirly bits. It doesn’t give a complete shave, but knocks it down to a day-old beard.
I worked with a guy who joked about how he nipped out his sweetie’s pubic hairs with his teeth. I started to call him Adolf Oliver Bush.
Was going to say ‘It’s not that painful,’ but really, that’s compared to waxing ankles or behind the knees or using an epilator (shudder). Sure it hurts. But when someone else is doing it, what choice do you have but to wince and bear it, really? Don’t tell the other feminists 
but it actually feels a bit liberating afterwards. They really do get in there, flipping you over and everything.
But get a good waxer, even one who looks a little rough. Persian and Russian women in the back of grungy hair salons are quicker, cheaper and more efficient than an entire upscale spa staff. And don’t be shy. Like gynos, they’ve seen everything before, and your panties are just getting in the way.
Been there, done that! I borrow hubby’s beard trimmer regularly to “mow the lawn”, mind you when I was pregnant I got hubby to do it for me (something he quite enjoyed ). Trust is a beautiful thing! More importantly, trimming rather than waxing or shaving means no ingrown hairs or itchy stubble!!!