Don't usually write, but if you're on the fence about this it's great.It hurts, but beauty is sometimes pain. I can only equate the pain on your legs by saying that it must be like a tattoo and it does fade after several minutes. The hair doesn't grow in evenly, so by the second time you epilate there is a lot less hair hence less to pull out and less pain & so on and so forth.The bikini area is not something that I'd jump right into. I had a bikini waxing a month previous (first one ever) I would NEVER have been able to just epilate without having that done first.Also did my husband's back (I had waxed it several times before with the green goop that "heats" with your body heat) It was excruciating for him, but that's why we're having the babies isn't it?This item has already paid for itself several times over but don't waste your money if you're looking for painless....it hurts but the job it does makes it worth it.