5 Of The Worst Beauty Salon Stories – Ever!

Going for a beauty treatment’s meant to be a lovely, luxe, relaxing experience, isn’t it? Isn’t it!? Most of the time, we’ll grant you, it is… and then these happen. All names have been changed.

The worst wax

“I went for one of those drop-in waxes – I’d normally go to someone I know and trust but I had two hours spare and needed to get a quick bikini wax. I knew getting it done that it wasn’t great – it was quite painful and the therapist was incredibly chatty, and she really wasn’t concentrating. Plus, she used a mix of hot wax and strips and I’d never let them do that now, it’s just not on for that area.

When the regrowth started I looked like I had pubic acne!

“Afterwards, my skin looked very plucked chicken-y and red and sore but it was when the regrowth started that the trouble really kicked in… I looked like I had pubic acne! I mean I’d be prone to ingrowns anyway… but not like this. I kinda wished I was a man so I could scratch my crotch, it was terrible. There was nothing I could do; there were so many of them I couldn’t steam them or anything and for about a week it was agony.” Rachel, 30

I looked like the Bride of Frankenstein

“Getting an appointment with the head make-up artist at a big name beauty brand was a big deal, so I was pretty excited. When I got there, everyone was swooning and fawning around him as if he was God’s gift and he asked me a bit about the sort of make-up I like (glowy, nude, neutral, FYI), before looking at my all black outfit and clearly deciding all on his own to do me up as a goth. He spent 20 minutes on my lips alone and at one point Conor McGregor walked past and did a double-take, and a child started laughing… so I knew it wasn’t gonna be good.

Conor McGregor walked past and did a double-take, and a child started laughing.

“Once he was done, all the girls on the counter crowded round and there was a chorus of ‘Oohhs’ and ‘Aaaaahs’ and then they showed me myself in the mirror. I HAD NO EYEBROWS. My lips were big mad midnight purple-blue yokes on my face. Because they were all kissing his ass so much I had to pretend I liked it too, before I slunk out of the shop, where I legged it to the nearest bathroom and scrubbed it all off. Nightmare.” Ciara, 27

A&E drama

“My mate was studying beauty therapy at college and we were generally happy to act as her guinea pigs for various things she was studying for. One night she came over to my flat to practice her leg waxing. She did me, and it was grand, no problems, amd then she did our other friend, and all hell broke loose. Once the wax was on, the friend – let’s call her Mary – started to feel really sick and woozy, and complained abut being too hot.

“Then, her legs completely swelled up, she fainted and had to be brought to A&E. Well, except for the fact she woke up half way there, insisted on taking some antihistimines instead and then she was grand. Turns out she was allergic to the wax, and the whole thing made me realise just how important patch tests can be…” Lora, 23

Diagnosis disaster

“I’ve had a fair few whelming facials in my time but this one took the absolute biscuit: I know my own skin and it’s dry – like really, really dry. And one of the main reasons I know it’s not oily is because I have small pores on my nose and cheeks. But what must have confused this therapist was the fact I’d a few period-related spots on my chin, because she immediately decided I had the oiliest, most problematic skin she’d ever seen and she needed to sort that shit out, STAT.

You trust these people to know what they’re doing, so I let her do what she felt was best.

“And it was a few years ago and I’d be far more likely now to sit up and go, ‘no, nope, I’m off’, or ask her to look again, but you know you trust these people to know what they’re doing, so I let her do what she felt was best.

That turned out to be stinging astringent toners, mud masks and harsh exfoliation which did absolutely no good whatsoever for the slight tendency I have for rosacea on my cheeks. It flared badly after the treatment and didn’t settle for months. Moral of the story? If you think what they’re doing is wrong for your skin, say something!” Claire, 34

Kick boxing

“I have the most ticklish feet ever and I sort of knew going for a pedi wasn’t maybe the best idea. But I really wanted to get my feet into shape for summer and so I went to this beautician my mother goes to, who was doing a decent sort-your-feet-out offer. I just wanted my feet to be nice! I was lying on the bed and whatever way she touched my toe, by reflex, I kicked her in the face. Oops.” Amanda, 28

• beauty treatments
• horror stories
• tales from the frontline