Estética Brasil Beauty, Azabudai

No pain, no gain. For a long time, that was what I thought when it came to removing my “hair down there” all on my own. Ranging from razors to strip wax, I attempted every possible hair removal method. All my efforts, however, ended in disaster. It seemed there was just no way that worked and was painless. On top of the extreme pain, I sometimes spent the entire evening in unnatural postures as I attempted to fit the waxing strips to places nature did not intend. Exhausted by all this, I finally gave in and turned to the welcoming doors of Estética Brasil Beauty in a bid to end this self-torture.

Because of its location in Azabudai, I was imagining a shiny salon filled with top models. But none of these intimidating elements were awaiting me in Estética Brasil Beauty. As I entered, what welcomed me was a cozy waiting room with mellow Latin background music. The owner of the salon, Kenichi, greeted me cheerfully. From the hair salon next to the waiting room, I could hear laughter and lively conversation going on between staff members and clients. As I comfortably sat on a big brown sofa, sipping a delicious coffee served by Kenichi, I could feel my tense muscles relaxing. With this exceptionally welcoming atmosphere, I kind of regretted not coming here much earlier.

The first thing I found out while flipping over the menu was how inexpensive all the treatments were. For instance, the waxing treatment I chose was just ¥6,000, which is relatively cheap compared to other Brazilian wax salons in Japan. For me, the greatest news was that if I go back within 30 days, I also get a ¥1,000 discount. So, just ¥5,000 for an authentic Brazilian wax done by a professional? By Tokyo standards, I think that’s a good deal. Another great thing about Estética Brasil Beauty is the type of wax it uses. Among many Japanese Brazilian waxing salons, strip wax is still common, but it’s painful and often times causes skin irritation. Hard wax, on the other hand, is less painful because it encapsulates the hair as it hardens. Kenichi explained to me that hard wax is ideal for thick hair, especially pubic hair, because it takes the hair from the roots. Estética Brasil Beauty offers two types of hard wax: chocolate and strawberry. I chose chocolate hard wax because it contains coconut oil, which is perfect for my sensitive skin.

When my esthetician, Liara, came into the treatment room with big warm smile on her face, I instantly knew why this place is filled with such a lively ambiance. Liara was born and grew up in Campo Grande, Brazil, where she was trained to be a professional esthetician. She moved to Tokyo 16 years ago, and has been working as a total esthetician ever since. When I asked her if she could speak English, she nodded confidently and quickly switched over from Japanese. Apparently Liara speaks four languages: English, Portuguese, Japanese and Spanish. “I really enjoy my work because I get to meet people from diverse backgrounds,” she told me. Soon, I discovered her multilingual abilities were not even the highlight of her skills.

First Liara trimmed my hair short and applied oil to protect my skin. Then she took the warm chocolate wax with wooden spatulas and spread it over the skin very gently. Several times, she repeated the motion of applying the warm wax and removing it when it hardened. The whole treatment took only 15 minutes. “That’s it?” I asked her when she was done—it was shockingly fast. “It’s fast because I am a professional. I’ve been doing this for more than a decade,” there again was Liara’s big smile.

There was some pain, but it only lasted a few seconds. And believe me, it was much less painful than laser treatments or strip waxing. To be honest, I was so busy being impressed by Liara’s professional handling that I barely paid attention to the pain part. My skin came out all smooth, without any irritation. That was really it. All my hair was gone completely.

Had I only known that a Brazilian wax experience would be so easy, I would have gone much earlier. Now, as I write this article from a beautiful beach in Okinawa, I can sit back, take in the sun and lie here with peace of mind. Will I go back to Estética Brasil Beauty when my hair grows back? Absolutely! On my next visit I would also love to try a Brazilian keratin treatment (¥18,000) to get shiny, straight hair. Esthética Brasil Beauty might not be a fancy salon, but if you are looking for authentic work done by true professionals (all staff are certified by the Brazilian esthetician association APECSUL) at reasonable prices, this is a great place to try.

The Deets

Address: 3F Miki Bldg., 2-2-12 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-3505-2558

Open: Tue-Sun, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

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