Last night I was trying to book an eyebrow threading appointment from Browhaus and a waxing appointment from Strip Ministry of Waxing--both run by the same company by the way--and their websites were being so unreliable and were at an all-time slow responsiveness. It was past the customer service hours so I couldn't call in to book my appointments either. And what's the point of having an online platform when the customers cannot book, right? Anyway, that was my breaking point. I've had enough of their inefficiency.

I remembered that right beside the language school where I take my French lessons, there was a hair removal studio. I quickly went on their website to see what's up.

It's not actually your usual waxing studio. It was a sugaring place called Sugar(ed).

Photo grabbed from Sugar(ed)'s website

Promotions Do Work

By 'sugar', I mean it's like waxing but they are using sugar instead of hot wax to remove the unwanted hair. It's not my first time to try this, as my go-to waxing place in Manila when I was still working there was also using sugar instead of hot wax. Back to my online searching--so on the Sugar(ed) website, suddenly a pop-up promotion appeared: Buy 2 sessions for S$95 (UP S$120). Promo only good for April purchases!

Last night was April 30. Of course I bought it.


Booking

I bought the package and immediately booked my appointment for today. Their booking platform is also MindBodyOnline, same as most of the fitness studios here in Singapore. It was easy to book and I got my confirmation email right away. I was confused on how I'll be able to sync my Paypal package purchase but it was late and I just let it go, thinking I'll settle it on the studio itself.

Early this morning, I got a text from Sugar(ed) confirming my appointment. I replied that I will go as scheduled and just to make things easier when I get there, I also informed them that I have already paid for the service. They quickly responded saying they have already linked it up on their end, even before I messaged. That small detail made me happy.


Reception


I arrived a bit early for my appointment, because I also wanted to run some errands in the event the service finishes earlier. The studio was in a shophouse, quaint and lovely as shophouses go. Not only was the interior aesthetically pleasing with its natural light and lots of plant accents, it also smelled so nice in there.

As with everything you're going through for the first time, I was made to sign the registration form with the regular disclaimer for allergies, heart conditions etc. Nothing out of the ordinary and pretty clear cut.

I waited until it was my turn. Thankfully the appointment before me ended early and my sugaring technician was able to accommodate me 10minutes ahead of schedule.


Getting Sugar(ed)


When my technician named Dina was ready, she went to fetch me. The first thing I noticed was that she's also a Filipina. She meekly asked if I was too, and when I said yes we suddenly started chatting in Filipino. Very professionally, she briefed me on what's about to happen. She let me change into my service gown, which is a white garterised tube dress that is loose on the bottom and can be lifted up easily for the process.

She went back to the room and showed me the clump of sugar, roughly the same size as the one on the first photo of this post. She carefully explained what she will do and how it's supposed to help my hair regrowth.

And since I have not really done sugaring in a while, Ate Dina was so helpful in distracting me by talking about everything under the sun.


Contrast With Hot Waxing

You see, for sugaring the hair is removed according to the natural hair growth direction. Whereas for hot wax services, they usually remove hair against the direction of the hair. For sugaring, the hair is supposed to grow back slower and finer, as there's less hair breakage.

Another big difference is that instead of putting the wax on a big patch and removing the hair in one motion, with sugaring they do it bit by bit.

Pros
There's less skin trauma when it's done in small patches

Cons
Instead of a quick waxing session, sugaring takes tiny bit longer, which could also mean you're in pain much longer.

Unlike waxing salons, sugaring places do not double dip the sticks since they only need that one clump of sugar. I also found it commendable that Sugar(ed) had sterilisers in every room. (It's that thing that looks like an oven toaster in the photo above)


Vajayjay Spa


So after my 30 minutes hair removal process was up, Ate Dina put a masque... on my vajayjay. For the lack of better term, vajayjay spa is what I thought about when that happened. It's a normal freebie for every first timer in Sugar(ed) and I thought it was a cool gesture and certainly something that makes you ponder. As in "ooh you can/should also moisturise down there?"

It was a good experience and left a cooling sensation. After 10 minutes, Ate Dina removed the masque and left me to dress up while she waited in the reception.


Maintenance and Aftercare

Part of the package that I bought is the maintenance session, which should be done within 5 weeks starting from today. Since it's my first time at Sugar(ed), I can't really say anything yet about the results but I will definitely update this post before I go to my next session. For aftercare, I bought a moisturiser for down there. It's made of shea butter and other essential oils. I was intrigued at how it will change my skin so I wanted to try it.


Promotions for May 2019

As mentioned earlier, the main reason I tried this place was due to a promotion. Coincidentally, it's their anniversary month this May so they have some good promotions for those wanting to try this place out, and for those who want to get a package.



Will I Go Back?

The overall experience was so good that even my 2-session pack runs out, I will come back. It's massively convenient that I can get sugared, step out and go directly to my French class. My technician, Ate Dina, is so knowledgeable about the entire process and she took the time to explain everything before she does anything, and she also gave me the right amount of chatting, which not only put me at ease but also made me forget that there is another wave of hair pulling coming soon. She's a very good technician, book her when you are going to Sugar(ed) Downtown!

Quick disclaimer to say: this is not a sponsored post. 

I realise I'm mainly posting about this because of my annoyance to Strip/Browhaus for wasting so much of my time over the past 3 years that I have been their patron. They never fixed their website even with all the complaints that I have done--not that those mattered.  I hope if you're reading this and want to try a waxing studio that will respect your time, consider going to Sugar(ed) instead. I love seeing a local business flourish, especially when they are giving superb customer service.

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Sugar(ed)
https://www.sugared.com.sg
Price List
Bukit Timah | Downtown | Katong