What to Expect at a Boudoir Session: The Complete Studio 34 Experience

If you have been wondering what to expect at a boudoir session, this guide walks you through the complete Studio 34 experience from your first consultation call through your Reveal Party. For women in Philadelphia, South Jersey, and the greater Burlington NJ area, Studio 34 Boudoir in Burlington offers something genuinely different: a two-person trauma-informed team, a historic 1830s Federal-style building with four named environments, and a process designed from the ground up to make you feel celebrated, empowered, safe, and beautiful at every step.

Here is exactly how it works.

Ahead of Your Session

Once you reach out to Tim and Michelle we look forward to our Zoom Consultation Call, where we meet to get to know each other. You get the opportunity to have all of your questions answered and we get to find out more about you, how to celebrate you, and what you want your experience–and final images–to look and feel like. 

After our call, you book your session (Yay!) and we email you our Resource Guides, with lots of detailed information about how to prepare for the big day, such as what to wear and a suggested timeline.

You’ll also get a link to our shared Pinterest mood board, where you will “pin” images of poses, lingerie, hair-and-makeup looks, color palettes, props and anything else that inspires you. The board helps you solidify your “looks” and shows us more about who you are and what you expect from your session.

The anticipation builds as we collaborate during our Session Planning Call, where we review your mood board and plan the look and feel of your session, wardrobe choices and scene selections.  

From there, you’ll prepare for your session by gathering (and shopping for!) your wardrobe items and making any appointments, such as for a manicure, pedicure and/or haircut.  In the meantime, Tim and Michelle are available any time to answer any questions you may have.

Finally, you’ll pack your bag and make sure you take some time to relax and get a good night’s sleep the night before your session.

The Day of Your Session

Hooray! Your special day has arrived and now it's time to celebrate you! All of the planning is behind you and all that’s left for you to do is enjoy your luxurious experience!

When you arrive at Studio 34, Tim and Michelle will greet you at the door to our beautiful and private studio and help you with any bags. Once you enter our space, be prepared to be empowered, uplifted and treated like the amazing goddess you are. 

You will be escorted to your private dressing room where your professional hair and makeup artist will be waiting, already aware of all of your preferences from the planning process. Feel free to discuss any last-minute questions or simply sit back and enjoy being pampered. You can wear comfortable clothes or change into a robe — bring your own or choose one from our Client Wardrobe. Michelle will bring you a glass of Champagne or a non-alcoholic beverage while you get camera-ready.

After hair-and-makeup, you’ll put on your first “look” in your private dressing room and Michelle will escort you to your first “scene”. 

It's normal to feel a bit nervous at the start of your session, but don't fret! Michelle will gently guide you through every step with her trauma-informed method. That means you will always be in charge of your body and yourself. It’s not necessary for Michelle to touch a client, and if she thinks touch might be useful, she will always ask respectfully and specifically for permission. It’s a conversation where you have the right to say “no.” To find flattering looks, you’ll be asked respectfully and with sensitivity to move your body into certain shapes. You will always have the right to say “no” to any pose–or anything at all! Imagine your sister or best friend helping you find the most flattering shapes and expressions–and having lots of fun at the same time!

Meantime, Tim takes amazing photographs that reveal and celebrate your unique beauty. Once you have been photographed in several poses, Michelle will escort you back to your dressing room for you to put on your next look, and then we repeat the process a few more times. 

By the end of your session, you will have had an incredibly empowering–and quite possibly life-changing–experience. We will have created a body of work together that perfectly encapsulates just what you wanted from your session–the look and feel of the images and their powerful way of conveying the incredible goddess you are!

After Your Session

We suggest planning and scheduling some time right after your shoot to reflect on and integrate your experience, whether it’s taking some alone time to journal, or having dinner with a partner or friends and family to recount your incredible journey. 

Meantime, Tim can't wait to get to work to prepare your images for your Reveal Party! He color-grades and retouches them so they look their best, while keeping you looking natural. He removes stray hairs and temporary blemishes, like pimples, but wrinkles, scars and birthmarks remain (unless you request otherwise) because they help define who you are and your natural beauty.

On the day of your Reveal Party, get ready to continue the celebration! We can’t wait for you to see how incredible you look in your photographs! If you are partnered, we suggest they join you, and you can always bring a friend too!

When you arrive at the studio we review your incredible images and journey over Champagne (or a non-alcoholic beverage). We help you select your favorite photographs to be delivered as wall art, digital or printed images and albums. Once your selections are made, your items will be available at the studio for a scheduled pick up, or delivery to your home, within a couple of weeks. 

We suggest you plan some time after your Reveal Party to reflect on your experience and the incredible goddess you are!

Ready to Experience It for Yourself?

Every woman who has walked through the doors of Studio 34 has told us some version of the same thing afterward: it was nothing like what I expected, and everything I needed. The only way to know if it is right for you is to have a conversation.

Your free consultation is a no-pressure call with Tim and Michelle, a chance to ask every question you have been carrying, see the studio, and find out whether Studio 34 is the right place for your session. We serve women throughout Philadelphia, South Jersey, and the greater Burlington NJ area and keep our calendar to one session per day so that when you are here, the studio belongs entirely to you.