THERE IS NOTHING DELIGHTFUL about the manmade?South American, if you will?torture device otherwise known as Brazilian wax.

Being slathered with hot, glue-like substance is one thing, and poked at in one?s nether regions and places where ?the sun doesn?t shine? by a complete stranger, another. But having body hair uprooted by the hundreds in one swift sweep is the epitome of what suffering for beauty (and fashion) truly means.

That said, I subject myself to this torturous beauty ritual at least four times a year. I know it sounds absurd, considering how excruciating the process can be, but the benefits outweigh the momentary humiliation and unmentionable pain.

Trim advantage

The Brazilian entails stripping one?s entire bottom area of all traces of hair. While it is not the sole option for depilating down there, having a totally bare bikini line makes for a cleaner ?interface? during that time of the month. Another advantage with waxing is looking great (and fidgeting less) in your swimsuit. Since the Brazilian is not for the faint of heart, one can go for a simpler bikini wax that leaves a trim ?triangle? or a ?landing strip? along the crotch.

Wax on, wax off

I?d dropped by Strip in Serendra (8569145) last week after reading about their supposed super-strict hygiene rules in this month?s issue of Marie Claire (?Beauty Black Book,? p. 84). ?STRIPerellas,? as their technicians are called, never double-dip the wooden spatulas in the special white chocolate vanilla-scented wax. Upon arrival, clients are ushered into a room adorned with posters and painted witty quips like, ?Hairless happiness? and ?Better latex than never??the latter referring to the use of latex gloves during the session.

The STRIPerella hands the client a disposable wet wipe to freshen up, and starts the process by prepping the area with a mixture of pre-wax oil and antiseptic. And the procedure commences, with cooling dabs of the alcohol-free antiseptic after every patch of hair is removed.

Warnings

By all means, do not go for a bikini wax (or any part of your body, for that matter) before your period, when everything feels tender and bloated?it will just hurt more than the usual. If you?re going on a beach trip, schedule a wax at least four days before, to give your skin time to recover from the redness and blotchiness post-session. And if you have just given birth via C-section, you?ll have to wait at least a year after to go bare down there via Brazilian.

Other ways to de-fuzz

Shaving and depilatory creams are less painful alternatives to waxing, so is Intense Pulse Light (IPL), a method of hair removal that makes use of a laser-like xenon flash lamp that targets hair follicles. You?ll need around four to eight sessions to get the maximum benefit.

If you?d still like to give waxing a shot, another place to check out is Lay Bare (www.Lay-Bare.com) where they use a special type of sugar wax instead of regular hot wax. They are also the most affordable among the waxing salons I?d visited (P450 for a Brazilian). Emphasis Salon in Rockwell (8980802), on the other hand, boasts ambient, cozy rooms that ease the tension and stress of having a bikini wax, so do countless spas that now offer the service.

Bottom line is, getting rid of unwanted hair takes patience and follow-through. And as for the dreaded Brazilian, the more conscientious you are with your waxing appointments, the less agonizing and more bearable it actually becomes.

Mariel Chua is the former beauty editor of Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and Ok! Magazine Philippines. Visit her blog at http://NyMinuteNow.com.