From the entrance, Skin Station is very brightly lit and seems very clean. They had a lot of brochures on the counter but nothing had a price. The ladies at their reception though were very quick to respond to questions. Turns out, they do memberships + service fees. This basically means you don't walk in and pay only for a single treatment. Everything is in packages. You pay PHP 1,500 for the elite membership (1year) and add the cost of the service you want done. For example, for underarm diode hair laser removal would cost PHP 3500 (that's for the entire year). Add the membership fee, you'd have to pay PHP 5000 to have no hairy pits for a year. The lady hurriedly added that diode laser hair removal is currently the gold standard in this kind of service. By the way, there is also a lifetime membership of 20K (as an option).
Personally, I wasn't sold. Though the place and the ladies were nice, It just seems too much to pay to be less hairy. There are many alternatives that are also pain free or with very little pain. For those who have never experience these services and are curious, here are some options:
- Wax it off - There are many spas that cater to this service. Normally fees begin at about PHP 250 going up based on body part (the hairier or more sensitive, the higher the fee).
- Most places use hot wax which they sort of paint on you, stick a cloth too then take the whole mess off by yanking. Naturally, your hair goes with the gobblygook.
- You can do this at home with a store bought kit (usually a hot wax method) or you can make some at home following the recipe here: Ancient Egyptian Art of Body Sugaring
- I like going to Lay-bare. They use cold wax. NO heat sting and pain is almost non existent - unless you go full Brazilian of course. They are very thorough and gentle.
- Remove via IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) - almost painless but some do have a weird sensation as the hair is vaporized. The result is good but again, the price is steep if you do just walk in, usually in the thousands because they say the hair is reduced so you have to go less frequently and when it does grow back it is less unsightly. The good part is, many discounts are available via groupon and the like if you wish to try this method.
- Use a depilatory cream / gel - absolutely painless but does not always do the job as cleanly as other methods. You may still need to remove any unsightly strands manually. Make sure to follow the instructions or you just waste the product, your money and your time. Veet is an example of this. A tube will definitely be used for more than one instance so some find this a practical choice.
- Shave it off - simple and easily done at home. Best done with a brand new razor and after a warm bath or shower. If you aren't careful though, the skin can get irritated or you may cut yourself. Steady hand required and no rushing. Thankfully there are razors crafted for women to use - Gilette and Schick are the two that come to mind.
- Pluck it out - pain staking, tedious and old fashioned. It does get the job done but this is a slow process unless you get one of those gadgets that helps you pluck multiple strands at a time (and that is a major ouch!)
So choose the method that suits you. There is no reason to have you and your wallet get shorn.
