This One's For The Girls

To all my readers out there who love indulging in a little salon R&R from time to time...

I must share with you one of the best little-known benefits of living in SA.

*WARNING*: 

If you frequent spas in North America, the content of this post may result in uncontrollable rage, frustration, and/or spontaneous combustion which could reduce or completely destroy the pleasant effects of said pampering in one fell swoop. Proceed with caution. 

A box of poptarts may break the bank but spa treatments are comfortably affordable. 

And I mean reeeeallllyyyy affordable. 

Well, at least for the average North American.

Our 7-1 currency rate makes for some seriously discounted deals.

The average price of a spa manicure back home?  $30 (210R)
The average price of one here? $18 (130R)

A parrafin wax pedicure in Canada goes for around $40 (280R) -- or more!
You can easily get one done here for $25 or less.

I've even seen some spas offering mani/pedi combos for around 240R. That's under $35 for both!

Craziness. I die.

And you aren't even expected to tip!
(Mom, I can hear you cheering from here)

In Canada, tipping your manicurist or masseuse is normal. Nay, expected. The fact that it's not done here makes it even more affordable.

But believe it or not, it's not SA's low mani-pedi prices that rank as the best salon bargain.

Of all the spa treatments out there, you can get the most amazing deals on waxing.

It is so uncostly here that it makes me downright hateful angry to think about what they charge us back home.

A brazillian bikini wax will set you back around $70 in Canada (490R).
I've had an amazing job done here at African Essence Spa for a mere $15 (110R).

That's FIFTEEN DOLLARS, PEOPLE!!

Full leg wax in Canada = $55.
Full leg wax in SA = $14.

Brows? $15.
In SA = $6.

When it comes to professional massages and facials, you pay a pretty penny for those services in Canada. The average person very rarely opts to splurge on a $100+ hour-long massage or skin treatment (hey, that's what boyfriends are for, right??).

But here, you can enjoy an hour long Swedish massage for around $30, and a facial for even less than that.

Granted, if you visit the upscale, super posh spas here in Joburg, the fees become more comparable to back home. But even then, they still come in under Canadian prices.

When looking at it overall, the actual price difference is staggering -- consistently 50-75% lower than what we pay back home. How is that fair?!! Ugh. It kills me.

I mean, sure, I'm loving it now. But imagine when I set foot back on Canadian soil and the cold, hard, chipped-nail-polish-reality hits that my days of blissfully cheap waxes and pedicures are over. Sigh.

It's going to be a dark, hairy day.