I'll start off by saying that I'm staying temporarily staying in Madrid for work, don't have a super deep understanding of native Spanish culture (since the male manager insisted not practicing proper hygiene is part of their culture) and therefore this review is catered for other travellers.
I came to The Lab Room for a Brazilian wax given the place is located in an upscale neighborhood and therefore a high level of quality was expected. However, the experience was rather underwhelming and unsanitary. The therapist assigned to me did not wear gloves, or sanitize the area before waxing, or apply powder (to serve as a barrier between wax and skin), and double dipped (using the same spatula for the entire waxing process which enable your bodily fluids/blood splatter to enter the whole pot of wax that will be used by the next client). In short, she waxed it with her bare hands while also using wax that probably contains fluids from other clients earlier on. It was a "ratchet" experience that I did not expect from a place which markets itself as an upscale business.
I have raised this concern to management. The male manager was rather dismissive, the female manager was nicer about it. I had a good 30 min chat with them. They insisted that it is "clean and hygienic" despite not using gloves or throwing away spatulas immediately after use, and insisted that such practices are common in Spain and that the temperature of the wax is sufficient to destroy disease pathogens (it was lukewarm at best). I'm unsure if this is truly a standard practice in Europe or if they are bluffing just to shut me up, but I want other travellers to be aware of this practice.
Personally I could not accept the lack of hygiene protocols when dealing with intimate areas. For instance, another client might (hypothetically) be sexually active and does not practice safe sex, carries STDs/HIV/infections which could be passed on if hygiene protocols are not implemented properly.
In the end, the female manager did not charge me for the service and tried to make amends, therefore 2 stars instead of 1. read more
