Strip Hot Wax Salon at Bristol Harvey Nichols

Earlier this week, I was invited to Bristol’s newest waxing salon – Strip in Harvey Nichols.  Strip opened its concession on the ground floor of Harvey Nicks on 22 August and is the first of Strip’s boutique salons to open outside of London.  I went along to meet Strip’s founders, Danielle and Maria-Louise Featherstone and to test out the salon for myself.

Strip's products for sale

Danielle and Maria-Louise talked to me about their existing salons in London, their new venture in Bristol and the products they use.  As well as providing a specialist waxing bar, they also provide a spray tan service.  A range of the products are also stocked in the Salon to buy – these include South Seas tanning (which looks really lovely and is paraben free) and Lycon waxing and bodycare products.  As well as the beauty products, they sell a range of high-end undies including Hanky Panky and Mary Green.

Danielle and Maria-Louise are clearly really passionate about the work they do – providing a really specialist waxing service using top-quality hot wax rather than the traditional strip wax that the majority of UK salons use.  And they have an impressive roster of high-profile clients who are happy to put their testament to their skill – including none other than Victoria Beckham and Sienna Miller – high praise indeed.

Shop floor at Strip

I was shown around the salon’s two treatment rooms and they are really quite impressive and very different to the usual salon decor – The Olive Room is decked out in green, whereas the Chocolate Room (which is sure to be a hit with the punters) has massive artwork of a chocolate bar!  Both rooms have flat screen TVs showing films to distract you from your waxing – none of the naff, plinky-plonky music that most salons pipe out. 

Strip's Olive Room

My treatment was performed by Carleigh, who really knew what she was doing.  She immediately put me at ease and there was no embarrassment despite the fact that I was having an extended bikini wax (no, I wasn’t brave enough for a Hollywood!)  The therapists are clearly used to carrying out intimate waxing day-in, day-out so are skilled at putting you at ease and knowing how to do the job quickly and efficiently.  Carleigh took me into the Chocolate Room and used the Chocolate Wax - this smelt heavenly – like Nutella!  The wax itself was warm, but not too hot, and using a thick layer of wax, Carleigh removed my hair in an efficient and relatively painless way.  Because oil is applied to the skin prior to the wax, the wax grabs only the hair and not the skin.  There was a small amount of pain, but certainly nothing like a normal bikini wax.  Also, there was no residue left on my skin, like traditional waxing leaves behind.

Almost edible - The Chocolate Room

I was really pleased with the results of my wax.  Carleigh really made sure that it was clean and to the desired shape – no stragglers were left behind.  I’ve had a few “wonky” bikini waxes in my time, but she clearly knew what she was doing, and I’m pleased to say I’m very symmetrical!

I can clearly see the benefits of going to a dedicated waxing salon, especially one using hot wax.  Particularly, if you have never had your intimate regions waxed before, I would definitely go to Strip, as they are really professional and expert in their approach, whilst being discrete.  I was very impressed and I will be heading back there for more waxing.

Strip offers a “menu” of specialist waxing options, as well as Vajazzles.  I’m not sure if Bristol has anywhere else that offers this service – do let me know, as I’d be interested to find out!  They also offer a full range of treatments for men.

Clearly for a premium waxing service, you do pay a premium price – I took a price list away with me and the prices are more expensive than the salon I usually go to, which I already think is expensive!  However, they do allow you to buy in bulk to lessen the impact on your wallet – I quite like the idea of buying a year’s worth of waxing in one go so you don’t need to worry about it again.  However, in my opinion, the quality of the salon is worth the money.  I once spent two hours getting my legs waxed and I wasn’t 100% impressed with the result – for a quick, less painful wax with an excellent finish at Strip, I would happily fork out the extra money.

Watching a film whilst getting smooth

I think that Strip is a really good addition to Bristol’s beauty offer, and I’m pleased to see that we are attracting companies like Strip to our fair city!  I’d be interested to hear of anyone else’s waxing experiences – let me know if you have any stories!

Thanks for reading! xx

PS - I'm really sorry about my crappy photos - I had to borrow a camera from work and it did not like the lighting in Harvey Nichols at all!