Brazilian waxes are sooo last season - get a 'facial' for your lady parts

(AFP PHOTO/VALERY HACHE)

Post-wax jewelry sessions, skin bleaching and other treatments: it seems as if the beauty industry is moving south.

Recent reports from the US suggest that women are increasingly aware of how things look 'down there,' and corresponding treatments are booming.

Hollywood actress Jennifer Love Hewitt drew public attention to her "precious lady" (her words) earlier this year, appearing on comedian George Lopez's show, proudly stating that her vagina had been "vajazzled" with Swarovski crystals: "It shined like a disco ball."

According to fashion and beauty blog StyleList, the post-waxing service was made popular by New York City's Completely Bare Spa (http://www.completelybare.com).

But bejeweling your va-jay-jay, as it is often called these days, remains by far the most innocent of trends emerging from the land of unlimited possibilities: vaginal area bleaching is apparently just as hot in US beauty salons right now as rejuvenating (i.e., tightening) it with the help of laser in plastic surgery practices, according to media including the Huffington Post.

A variety of bizarre product launches has resulted from this trend of trying to keep this most feminine of all body parts youthful and appealing, including paint-on pink color (My New Pink Button by South Beach) as well as vagina mints (by a brand called Linger) and deodorants. The BellaSugar blog also reports that San Francisco's Stript Wax Bar (http://www.striptwaxbar.com) now offers 'facials' (or should we say vajaycials?) for that region, which consists of cleansing, exfoliating, and the extracting of in-grown hairs, before masks and creams are applied.

YouTube tutorials are yet to be released.