Shays shares a story of one of her clients: "One client had been waxing with me for about five years with no problems, and then she got a new boyfriend. She went in for a Brazilian and called five days later saying she was really itchy and she thought she had gotten an infection from the waxing. She went to the doctor and it turned out that her new boyfriend had dirty hands and staph bacteria on his penis and he had given her an infection."

The moral of the story? Waxing removes the top layer of skin, making it easy for bacteria to get in. A good waxing salon will keep you safe while you're there, but then it's on you to keep yourself germ free.

Waxers get some pretty odd requests, but they're almost always happy to oblige (so don't be shy!). They often get asked to make shapes in pubic hair (triangles and hearts are common and pretty easy to do) and Shays says one woman asked for an arrow pointing down (maybe her partner has a poor sense of direction?). Barshop says her craziest request was from a client who wanted a skull made from Swarovski crystals applied to her bikini area for her wedding day (wonder what message she was trying to send?).

Other requests include waxing body parts like ears, nostrils, and even nipples. Nacion says many pregnant women have increased hair growth and come in to have their nipples waxed.

Shays, Barshop and Nacion all say about 15 to 20 percent of their clientele are men, and the numbers are growing. And don't think all those men are gay or metrosexual either; there are plenty of average Joes going in for chest, shoulder, back and even butt and bikini (yes, bikini!) waxing. There are even some brave men out there getting Brazilian waxes too.

Shays says there really isn't much difference between waxing men and women -- both get into the same positions (although guys have to hold their skin differently during a bikini wax, for obvious reasons). She will say that most guys have coarser hair so waxing them tends to take longer, and she also revealed that men tend to have a lower pain tolerance than women (so much for that tough-guy myth).

Our experts say waxing scenes on YouTube and in movies like "The 40 Year Old Virgin" are greatly exaggerated and it makes them angry when people watch and believe them (and then either avoid waxing or come into the salon terrified).

If the waxer is doing her job correctly, you should not be screaming. If you are? Then you may be seeing a waxer who doesn't know what she's doing (in which case, you should leave, even if it's the middle of your session), or you may be very sensitive to pain (in which case, waxing may not be for you). Read on for one client's crazy response to the pain on the next slide.

Shays says that one client had gotten herself so worked up that every time the waxer would pull a strip she would kick her leg out, and one time she kicked the waxer! Nacion says she's had people come in who seem like they're putting on a show with their screaming. She's also had couples come in to be waxed at the same time and have "screaming competitions," which (to no surprise) makes the salon employees and other customers uncomfortable.

Bottom line: It does hurt some, and if you can't handle it, don't put yourself (not to mention the poor waxer) through the experience. There's no shame in shaving.