Beauty in Rio – Your Guide to Hairdressers, Waxing and Manicure
The focus on beauty in Rio de Janeiro is known around the world. And indeed there is a multitude of hairdressers, manicurists and waxers around. Several supermodels come to Rio to take care of their bodies and faces. I have tried to put together some information about where you can get this done yourself, just follow the links below. Further down you can learn a bit about the vanity of the Cariocas and also get other other info that might be useful to you.
Where to go for what?
If you click the following links you’ll get to information about Waxing in Rio or find good Hairdressers in Rio and last but not least places for Manicure and Pedicure in Rio. In each section there are general info and tips on good beauty products for gringos. An invaluable source for what I’ve written here has been my good friend Silvia, born and bred in Ipanema and with 100% check on the concept of beauty in Rio de Janeiro.
High Maintenance
Walking down the street Visconde de Pirajá in Ipanema you’ll quickly notice how many perfect looking faces and bodies pass you by. They are not born like that! The bodies are toned and shaped in the gyms and on the beach. The hair is straightened, legs are waxed, nails groomed… all this maybe twice a month. A small fortune can be spent every month, you could easily say that the beauty in Rio has a price tag.
Beauty in Rio and Vanity
But it’s not only that. From an early age children learn how they should move, walk and talk; maybe most importantly they learn how to appreciate and care about their own bodies. Of course this is a double edged sword where the downside is superficialness and in some cases eating disorders. The positive side is that you have people who really like the way they look. On the beach in Rio de Janeiro there are not only perfect six-packs and toned butts; You get all types of shapes and sizes in bikinis and swimming trunks, all seemingly very comfortable with themselves and the way they look.
The Beach Procedure
A good way to explain the concept of beauty in Rio is to observe the typical Ipanema girl on the beach. While ua gringa probably just arrives, spreads her beach sheet and goes for a swim; She will behave a lot more consciously, maybe something like this:
Arriving on the beach she would already have applied sunscreen, the sun destroys your skin. She might be wearing a kanga (beach sheet) as a skirt that she will spread out first thing. After that she will adjust here bikini so the marks from it will be perfect. Now it’s time for the wettening; a quick dip and back to the kanga and about 5 minutes of brushing the hair. After that it’s time for some more bikini adjusting, then some sunbathing and a fresh coconut. Throughout the whole process her body will have been exposed to the surroundings in various favourable positions. She will behave exactly the same the next time she comes to the beach and so will many other girls like her. The consciousness of how you look is never absent.
Plastic Surgery
Rio de Janeiro is the number one place for plastic surgery in the world. Not only are the prices a lot better than in other places; the quality of the surgeons is also really high. A word of warning: Don’t go for one of the cheaper clinics, there are some horrible places out there that try to take advantage of people without money that are not happy with what they look like. Make sure the clinics are recommended and well established if you are going to do it!
Skin
There are also many clinics and spas that offer a multitude of treatments and surgical methods for skin. I don’t know many places to recommend so if you know of any please let me know. The one place I know is this:
Amaderm R. Visconde de Pirajá 433 nr 501, Ipanema map, tel 2287-9696.
My personal tip is that if you like me get really oily skin in this type of climate, go to a pharmacy and buy a soap called Cetaphil – Pele Sensível. It will cost you around 50R$, for me it’s a cheap price top pay for not looking like a hamburger cook anymore!