TLC Medispa

I recently (2/24/11) had a chance to visit TLC Medispa in Vienna, Virginia and I was beyond impressed. It is a small office located in what looks like a group of row houses turned office buildings right off Old Courthouse Road (Near Tiffany's in Tyson's corner). The spa is located on the second floor of the building. As soon as I entered the first thing I noticed was everything was spotless, like even cleaner than the cleaning lady could get it. The office was very inviting with a large couch in the waiting area, a side office for the paperwork aspect and the service room where the procedures take place. There is also a pretty good size bathroom across the hall.

My hair removal technician (Jennifer) was really amazing. She answered every question I had and did an excellent job making me feel at ease. She explained how the laser worked and what I should expect to feel during the removal process and the following day. She even gave me a sample "zap" just to see if I could tolerate the laser (which btw didn't hurt at all, but my pain tolerance is relatively high so if you're a little wimpy you may feel it a little). We talked through the entire process and by the end of my hair removal session I felt like we were best friends and it had nothing to do with the fact that she saw me naked :-), well maybe a little.

The overall experience was great. Jennifer was very accommodating (I got my hair removal done at 5pm after I got off work) friendly and informative. I am looking forward to my future sessions (it takes a few sessions to completely remove the hair) which is something I never thought I'd be saying about hair removal.

Writing on behalf of my wife, who thinks this place could treat its customers a heckuva lot better, and ensure a customer stays a customer.

Clean place. There are two laser rooms, one with cold air application, and the other that doesn't have this feature.

Main issue is the attitude of the staff. Cold, impersonal, rigid. My wife wanted to change an appointment, slightly less than the "required" 48 hours notice. No dice. Staff said the appointment stood, as is, and if my wife was unable to make the appointment, it was to be forfeited. What kind of treatment is this? One could argue, "hey, the rules are the rules." OK, I get that. But come on...for the staff (owner?) to cop a "to heck with you" attitude was unnecessary and did nothing but anger a customer. Yep, the company might have secured the instant buck - or the instant appointment opportunity - but LOST the potential business to be derived from a customer who plans to be in the Fairfax/Vienna area for the next 6 years.

To make this recent experience even more frustrating, although my wife was able to make the "required" appointment, the preferred laser equipment was not available which now requires a RETURN visit, anyway.

I'd give this place 3.5 stars.

It's a nice clean facility that uses high tech laser equipment. The technician Pam and the owner Jennifer are sweethearts. The venue is located on the upper level of an office park that looks like a small townhouse community. You need to walk up stairs to get to it. Not sure if it's handicap friendly.

So why did I not give full stars? Mainly because of the fact that you can't expect to get through on the phone. No one picks up. If you're running late you're screwed. They don't take too kindly to late arrivals so you may have to wait a long time to get fit in or forfeit your appointment; and you may receive an unpleasant attitude as well. If you're more than 5 minutes late you may get skipped. There is no receptionist and the techs often ignore the phone ringing.

So great service and friendly techs, but you can really only communicate through email with about a 6-24 hour response time. So in general keep your appointment slot and arrive on time or early. If you're the kind of person who needs to often cancel with less than 24 hour notice, or runs more than 5 minutes late, then this place won't be good for you. You can't call to let them know you're running late and I think the voice mail isn't checked regularly.

If it wasn't a 30 minute drive on the beltway I'd continue treatments.

I got an email from the owner, basically an empty apology for my lack of results along with information about why it didn't work, only to segway into talking about me removing my review.

Sorry, your machines aren't for laser hair removal. Thanks for taking my hard earned money and putting it in your pockets.

I found TLC through one of the many deal websites. My initial impression was not great due to some miscommunications with scheduling but they did fix it for me and tried to accomodate getting me in on the date I wanted.

They have the YAG laser which is great for Indian skintones. They are open on one Saturday a month and they also do stay open late during weeknights (my appointment was at 6:45) which is great for those of us that can't get there before 5.

Jennifer, the manager, also does give existing customers some discounts, which is great. Overall their prices are the cheapest without the discounts so that's also an added bonus.

I'm surprised by one of the reviews about not returning emails b/c I always get a response back when I send them one. I haven't called them so I can't comment on that but Jennifer is definitely very responsive with email.

** I just had my 3rd appointment, and I guess I am finally a fan. Their new machines are less painful, and the staff are pretty nice. I will be back if I need other places lasered.**

Almost 500 groupons sold - you would think the company can afford to hire someone for minimal wage to answer a god damn phone call or email

Way to go on ruining your previous 4 star rating..

I've came upon TLC Medispa by using a groupon for laser hair removal. My initial experience was fantastic. Jen, the manager is great, very friendly, responsive and did a great job, sent a lot of great information to me about laser hair removal. The location is small and clean and the treatments are quick. However, the other technician, I'm not sure her name, isn't very friendly. In fact she's so abrupt I feel a little uncomfortable coming in. And the work has been a little sub-par with her, very haphazard, and a little TOO quick.

Jen is great and I'd go back to her again any time, but I run the risk of being scheduled with the other technician, so I'll probably find another spa to fix the haphazard job that this woman, whatever her name is, has done.

I received 6 treatments of my front neck as a gift from my wife. I recommend this facility to anyone who asks.

I enjoyed the staff and the treatments- well... as much as you can when getting lasered. The neck is one of the more painful areas to have treated and they told me that up front and provided me with a variety of options to lessen the pain. Make sure you ask for the ice roller!

I was pleased with the facility- they have a nice waiting room and two private treatment rooms with up to date equipment and clean towels and antibacterial wipes.

They also made it a breeze to RSVP and utilize an automated reminder system. They also sent pre-treatment info and questionnaire. Very professional.

This facility is quite small and a bit over-priced but definitely worth it! I got a groupon though so I definitely recommend looking for deals!

The two technicians there are so friendly and both women make you feel completely comfortable. however, they have a high customer volume so make sure you get there on time or early so there is no overlap in appointments.

The only down side is that the phones rarely get answered because both women are in the laser rooms all day. however, they are very quick about answering emails.

overall, I'm extremely happy with this establishment and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

I have had four sessions with Jennifer at this spa and my entire experience has been great. Before my first appointment, Jennifer and I exchanged several emails where she answered all my questions. Upon my first visit, I was taken care of right away and my treatment was fast and easy. I definitely felt pain from the laser but I'm very sensitive and the pain was very brief. The place is small but it's comfortable and very clean. I am very happy with the results so far. Thanks Jennifer!