This hub is geared toward the novice recipient of waxing, most notably virgins to the Brazilian method of waxing. I've marveled as of late how little people know about the mysterious Brazilian wax. Here's a lot of what you might want to know, but were afraid to ask!

Warning: You cannot be safely waxed if you are taking Accutane, Retin-A, or antibiotics. These are the rules, no ifs, ands or buts. Most establishments will ask you and also have you sign a waiver stating this policy, as the skin is thinner, and more apt to tear. If you have any other skin conditions like rosacea or active acne on the area to be waxed, then that is also a no-no.

Going on, there are many ways to describe a Brazilian wax, some spell it with two l's, as in Brazillian, some places call it a Playboy, Playkini, landing strip, and there are many other euphemisms for what I term extreme bikini waxing.

That said, with this hub I will do my very best to demystify the whole process, as I am a licensed esthetician with experience on both sides of the coin.

For starters, there is no need to be embarrassed about getting the service. I guarantee you that even the most novice esthetician has seen everything, and at the end of the day, people are people. We are women and we all have the same parts, even in different shapes and sizes. We are still normal.

Honestly, It can be a very invasive service, but as a patron, you are entitled to expect courtesy, professionalism, and the least amount of pain possible, when done efficiently and quickly. Keep in mind that every personality is different, and even though someone's technique might be flawless, you might not just get along with them as a person. It's like everything else in the service industry, you will get along with certain people more than others.

A big pointer is waiting until the week after your period, since you will be less sensitive, as opposed to getting the service done right before. With any service, be it waxing, a new haircut or color, it's best to have plenty of time to adjust, especially if you've never done it before. So ladies and gents, no prom nights, no honeymoons, no trips to Barbados, no bikini modeling, not until after you figure out how your skin will react to the service.

There will be some redness, but this is very normal. There will be pain, as I am not going to lie to you. Remember when you first tweezed your eyebrows? It's like that, only a bit more intense, but is nothing compared to any major owie that you've had like a deep skin scrape, broken bone, etc. Many clients have told me that it wasn't as bad as they'd expected and they psyched themselves out, utterly.

It can also be very helpful to have the esthetician give you a 3-2-1 countdown, and you can utilize my personal technique. On the count of 3, I take a very deep breath through my mouth, and by 1, I have fully exhaled. This is a very great technique for me to keep my mind off of the quick intensity of the pull of the strip.

Pain is subjective though, and every person's experience is a little different. You can take a couple of Advil before the appointment as well, and you can also purchase those over the counter esthetic numbing sprays at places like Sally Beauty Supply, but I recommend that you experience your first waxing sans any of those, to see what you threshold will be.

Many estheticians perform this service with you in the all-fours position, facing away. However, I prefer the method of lying on your back with your knees up. You can get a very good wax this way with no embarrassment or awkwardness.

Receptionists at spas and salons have also seen and heard of most everything, so don't be embarrassed to have them clarify the service, the pricing and what it includes.

I recommend calling to book your service on your lunch break on your mobile phone. I have been hung up on very abruptly during an appointment booking, only to have someone call me back whispering from a common area, and I couldn't hear them on the phone when they wanted to book their service!

Here's a quick primer on what to ask for. Every salon/spa is different in their terminologies, but here are the standards:

Playboy/Brazilian: usually results in a landing strip in front, most everything else removed, including any hair on the buttocks and perineum area, although it can include up to EVERYTHING removed. This is also known as The Full Monty.

Depending on your personal tastes and desire for maintenance, you can also opt for....

Playkini: something in between the Playboy and regular Bikini. It will get the area inside the underwear, but not be as thorough as the Playboy. Nothing toward the buttocks will be removed.

As for the actual moment in the room, one on one, your skin care therapist will be most likely wearing gloves, and you will have witch hazel cotton balled onto your skin to prep the area. Then a fine powder, usually baby powder, will be placed on the area to be waxed.

I prefer that my esthetician use those wooden disposable sticks as opposed to the metal, which can be cold and unsanitary if not disinfected properly.

Both of the above services will generally require nudity from the waist down, although your practitioner can make it a bit more modest and comfortable by giving you a towel or a disposable thong panty.

Bikini/regular: this is the most 'grandma' of the waxes and only includes everything outside the front pair of white cotton briefs. You should not have to remove your underwear when receiving this service.

Your esthetician will also ask you to position yourself in some possibly peculiar positions, but don't worry, you don't have to be a Pilates master or classically trained yogi. The esthetician wants to be as precise as possible and might also tweeze any stray hairs that didn't get in the first wax.

A good esthetician won't have to double wax, although I have been double waxed before with no adverse reactions. Double waxing means going over the same area twice, and this is not recommended for anyone in general per most boards of barbering and cosmetology.

A very nice esthetician won't charge you extra to get the little hairs in the happy trail area above the bikini line, but again, ask. Sometimes you can find an additional $20 or more added on to the basic service, which might lead to a surprise at checkout. Always ask when you are IN THE ROOM.

By the way, it's normal to have those hairs, in some women they are sparse and blonde, and in many women of Mediterranean and darker complexions, it can be thicker and coarse.

Again, perfectly normal, although if you have noticed a SIGNIFICANT change in your hair growth patterns and also the pigment of the hair shaft, please consult your doctor and not your esthetician.

There are many women with hormonal imbalances that might have conditions like PCOS, which is very treatable and manageable. You might need a referral to an endocrinologist, but again, see your doctor!

The quality of wax can also contribute to a more pleasant experience overall, as I have personally had better results with a creamier titanium wax as opposed to the generic, cheaper honey-type wax that is best for facial waxing, especially eyebrows. Ask your esthetician for the specifics and what she recommends.

You can expect to pay anywhere from $30-100, not including tip. I recommend a MINIMUM of 15% for the gratuity, most definitely more, since you have a caring and professional practitioner who has hot wax near your most intimate parts. You do the math, haha.

I always tip significantly more for birthdays and during the holiday season and sometimes bring a little gift, like a gift card from my esthetician's favorite local coffee joint or a gift certificate from Amazon.

As for finding a local establishment, I've found many of the review sites like yelp, Citysearch and the like to be extremely helpful, as well as the directory in back of Allure magazine.

In between the blatantly biased reviews can be some really good information. Remember, just because a place may charge $75 for a basic bikini and is in a chi-chi part of town does not mean that it is any better or more sanitary than the waxer at your local nail salon and vice versa. Sometimes it's not always the cliche, you get what you pay for.

One final comment is about the most adverse thing with waxing: you need to wait in between appointments for regrowth of 1/4 of an inch. As if it wasn't insulting enough to expect $65 plus tip, we will ask you to do it all over again, over and over! Mwahahahahha. Kidding, but really, the most irritating thing about it is waiting for the regrowth. However, stay tuned for a future hub: getting the most of laser hair reduction.

Good luck and here's to a smoother you!