Thursday, August 14, 2014

Strip Manila's IPL ACE Review

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I've been to Browhaus several times because it's my favorite when it comes to eyebrow threading but this was my first time availing the services of Strip. They certainly lived up to their standards -- the entire process was fast, hygienic, and pain-free (except for that one teeny tiny second, but I'll get to that later).

IPL ACE is the latest technology in hair removal, and apparently, at Strip, it comes with lightening and tightening. I was lucky to be offered to try the service on my underarms. Read more about my experience after the break.
I went to their branch in Greenbelt 5 because it's more convenient for me. Both Browhaus and Strip are housed in one establishment.

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Notice that there are two reception areas -- one for Browhaus, and one for Strip.

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In the waiting area, you can leaf through different magazines while waiting for your turn. There's also a rack of i love koi bikinis on the side which you can riffle through. On my previous visit, I was forced to wait for a long time because they were fully booked at that time and I didn't call for a reservation. Sometimes they can't accommodate walk-ins at all due to the large number of clients, so make sure to book a reservation before coming -- it saves you an awful lot of waiting time! Apparently, you can now book online through their Facebook page. Seriously, they already thought of everything!

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This is how the treatment room looks like. Notice how clean and organized everything is. Upon going through the door to the treatment room, there's a curtain covering your view of the room to ensure privacy. With this, you won't have any problems being seen from the outside when your therapist enters or exits the room.

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Meet my therapist, Joy. She was so bubbly and always had a smiling face.

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Let me explain to you what happened. The underarm area was first cleansed, then shaved using a disposable razor. It was wiped and cleansed again of any remaining hairs. The machine below was the one used for the IPL ACE procedure. Cool gel was applied, then the nozzle of the machine was passed through the area. This was done thrice (three rounds) for thirty seconds each. The machine beeped every time the thirty seconds were up, so the entire procedure was pretty accurate. After the process, the remaining gel was wiped off.

Three rounds were again done for the lightening and tightening. The feeling was the same, just a little bit more comfortable because a smaller nozzle was used. After this, ice cream (not the dessert!) was applied to soothe the skin and prevent irritation. This is available at all Strip branches.

This was so different from my IPL experience in another skin care center. I had 10 sessions there and I'm not very satisfied with the results. At Strip, I noticed that the contact time of the machine with the skin was longer, thus maximizing the hair removal. Also, the IPL comes with lightening and tightening so you'll be getting two procedures for the price of one. The process was so relaxing, I was about to fall asleep! Curious how it felt like? It was like your underarms were being massaged, lol!

Everything seemed to be going well when I suddenly felt a pang of pain. The pain was sharp, but lasted only for a second. I don't know why it happened -- my best guess is that there wasn't enough gel in one tiny part so when the machine passed through it, I felt a stab of pain. Aside from that, the entire procedure was pain-free.

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After the service -- a happy and pampered me! I was told to exfoliate the area one week after the procedure, and expect some hair to fall off a week to a month from then.

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Overall, it was an enjoyable experience! I don't know how long the area will remain hair-free. But when the time comes that I need another session for maintenance, I'll be visiting Strip for sure!

Strip currently has two branches -- one in Greenbelt 5 and another in Serendra. Visit their Facebook page for more details. Thanks to Monique and the rest of the Strip team for having me! :)

Here's a photo taken a day after the IPL session.

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2 comments:

  1. Haha, gorgeous! Keep pampering yourself, dear. You deserve it . . .

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  2. I love The Strip. :) Their services might be pricey as compared to others but they do such a great job and they make sure that their customers feel pampered.

    IPL is really the best choice for hair removal. It's safe and relatively painless. Plus, it keeps hair from growing up to the point that you're completely hairless.

    Monique | JeanMonique.com

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