I wanted to treat my boyfriend to a birthday spa day, I booked him for a Japanese head spa. He absolutely loved it. He had build up on his scalp and with the wonderful treatments and Michelle's extensive experience his scalp was squeaky clean. He felt absolutely rejuvenated and relaxed. She recommended him other options which he's been loving. His scalp is so healthy now and he will definitely be coming back. read more

I came here for my very first Brazilian wax, encouraged with the purchase of a Groupon. I mention the Groupon, because usually when I use a Groupon for a service businesses have select appointment windows and it can sometimes be difficult to get a convenient time-slot--Sophia Esthetic was a pleasant exception. Their receptionist was friendly and super accommodating with the schedule. The spa itself isn't the easiest to get to because it's up a flight of stairs and down a hallway--there are other similar businesses in the same building so it's not sketchy or anything. The location itself is convenient though, just at the corner of MacLaren and Elgin. Once I figured out where the spa was I was impressed--it was warm and comfortable, there's a waterfall in the waiting room and calming music playing to create a nice relaxing ambiance. I saw Brittany and she was awesome. She was friendly and she made me feel comfortable and did a good job answering my questions. The room was clean, well-kept and prepared freshly before I went in. The whole experience was quick, clean, and not overly painful. read more

Sophia's Esthetic is an amazing spa that provides a variety of services. Staff is great and knowledgeable. I've been seeing Bianca for a while now, who always provides quality work. I'm really content with the results. I would definitely recommend this spa to anyone!! read more

The good: They do use a very good laser for permanent hair removal. The bad: 1) The technician missed two spots the first time I came there and the second time as well. 2) I inquired about their cellulite reduction program. The receptionist said that I need an appointment for a consultation. I asked her how much time this initial consultation would take. She said 5 minutes. I asked if I could have the consultation now since I was already there so that I would not have to drive again to the spa to have the consultation (it is a long drive for me). And the receptionist replied "The aesthetician will now go on her break. You have to book a separate appointment." This anti-cellulite program costs $1,000, and the aesthetician can't take 5 minutes off her break so that the customer will not have to drive for 30 minutes to the spa to have a 5-minute consultation? They seem to value their own time more than their customer's time. read more

I've been to many spas in the downtown Ottawa area (Byward Market/Centretown) and Sophia's is by far my favourite. They've got great monthly specials and are always on trend with the newest services. Last but not least excellent customer service, which is a MUST. read more

A week ago Friday, I had lashes glued on. At a cost of $150. Were to last 2-3 weeks. Followed instructions on care etc. Today Sunday 9 days after there are hardly any left. At $150. NEVER AGAIN !! I have waxing done there. All good in that department. Waste of money Furious !! AZ read more

To get here all you have to do is pass the Bridgehead coffee shop, cross the faux tan salon and scale two flights of stairs! It's a touch hard to find this place, but you'll be glad once you do. I had a very thorough, ten-minute (!) Brazilian wax with Bianca and it was worth every penny of my $45 (with student discount). These days, that seems to be the cheapest Brazilian wax you can get in Ottawa--and possibly the best! read more

I only tried the electrolysis, so my negative review is limited to those specific services. Anyhow, don't waste your time or money. The electrolysis tech basically just plays with the hair, plucks half of them out and zaps the other half halfway down the hair (not at the root). Their rate is way cheaper than most, but you'll have to go for 20 appointments to get the same effect as 3 appointments from another place. Basically, learn from my mistake and spend your money elsewhere.. read more

After speaking to the manager of Sophia's after my disappointing last visits, I was asked to give the spa another change. I was a little reluctant however I decided that it is not far for me to judge a whole spa on simply their waxing services. Therefore I booked a pedicure on Tuesday. The receptionist was warm and kind when I entered the spa. My esthetician was Brittany and she was really good. She was professional and did a great job. it's been 2 days and my polish hasn't chipped or peeled, my feel still look great and soft. The scrub they use during the pedicure buffed away my dry skin on my toes and tops of feet. She also used OPI nail polish which I like because this nail polish is top of the line in my eyes. You may also choose to bring your one polish in if you choose. The price of a pedicure is really reasonable and I will most likely book another appointment with Brittany in the near future. I didn't give this place a higher rating as I want to judge the spa as a whole- not just on one service. So I will probably go again and try something new, then write another review. read more

Great costumer service! Helpful and kind. Got a Brazilian wax. Everything is clean and room is accommodating. Will return again.

I've been coming here for years. I refuse to go anywhere else for facials, and they do a really great job at waxing as well. De plus, ils offrent un service bilingue, ce qui est important pour moi. read more

Just got a Brazilian for the first time and it wasn't that bad! Josie did mine and it was fairly quick. I felt completely comfortable. The room looks nearly medical, very clean, organized ect. Receptionist were friendly and squeezed me in between appointments. It was nothing special and they did a good job, so yeah, I would recommend. Although I'm looking forward to trying out other spas like Vivianna Day spa next time. (3 Brazillians for 60 as opposed to 1 for 45+tax/tip, equaling to 60) read more

Looking for a Brazilian in Ottawa? Look no further. Ask for Bianca - she's awesome. Quick and knows what she is doing but also super nice. They use hard wax as well so major bonus! read more

Went here for a Brazilian wax twice. Didn't particularly like it the first time but decided to try again because it's location is convenient. After going the second time, I can definitely say I do not recommend this place. The wax was too hot and burned my skin. Also. Not all of the hair was fully removed and I only noticed it later on when I was gone. I know it's an invasive thing to have waxed but I feel like the person doing it should make sure to get all hair when doing a Brazilian, even if it means getting all up in there. I'm sure if I had called back they would offer to fix it but I do not want to go back. The only pros were that the staff was very friendly and the place seems very clean; however, the results were not worth it to me. read more

The best price I can find for waxing downtown (unfortunately). Did a very good job, perhaps the most painless underarm and full leg wax I've ever had, and as a regular waxer, that's saying something. The 10% student discount doesn't hurt either! read more

The interior, while not particularly homey, was clean and fairly modern. It's a bit hard to get to-- you have to go up a kind of sketchy stair well up three or four floors. The staff was friendly, perky women, and I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes. The reason I am giving this place 4 stars was the quality of the waxing. I've been getting underarm waxes for about 6 months now, and this was the only place that didn't leave baby hairs behind that started growing back in only a few weeks! They also have a student discount, which was a bonus for me. That being said, the lady had a weird way of waxing, where instead of ripping the wax in one go, she did it little bursts, which made it more painful. All in all, quick and reasonably priced place that gets the job done. read more

Cons: I used to go to Sophia for months (I only stopped a couple weeks ago) for a bit of hair removal and my electrologist didn't remember my name, what area she was treating and she asked me the exact same hair removal questions each time I went. Every time I walked in, she though I was a new person. She was also incredibly slow at electrolysis which was annoying. And don't bother asking her a question because she'll stop the electrolysis (with the clock still running, so you're getting billed for nothing) to answer. So, the service isn't very good for what you'll be paying. The receptionists are nice but it's not the type of spa that asks you if you want tea or water. Or at least they never asked me, so maybe things have changed now. After you've paid, they don't even acknowledge your existence and they don't even say have a nice day or goodbye. I'm not kidding. I noticed that after the first time I went and it never changed. Pros: They have competitive prices which is good. The place is clean and the location's convenient if you work downtown. Overall, the place is nothing special but it's ok if you just want to go in and out and don't care about service very much. The electrolysis did work though, for what it's worth. Granted, I probably paid a lot more for it and it probably took longer because she was the slowest electrologist on the planet. I can't speak for everything they do at Sophia, this is just my experience doing electrolysis. So they might be great in other areas but I have no clue. I was just not really impressed with the place. read more

First time getting wax and I chose to do a Brazilian sugaring wax. When I arrived the spa is small but cozy, looked clean and I was greeted in a friendly manner. My Esthetician was Josie. Josie is very friendly and respectable; left the room for me to get ready and knocked before entering. Josie even recommended that I just do traditional waxing instead of sugaring because it was my first time and based on my hair density. In terms of satisfactory, Josie missed, quite a few hairs on my inner lip, missed my inner thigh and under my butt. If I was wearing a swim suit bottom you would definitely see the hair. To my knowledge a Brazilian is font and back and the inner thigh area but she didn't do all of this. The areas that she did do, she missed quite a bit of hair. Some areas was one hair here and one there, which is fine but there's patches of hair in other areas like long the thong area and my inter/back of thighs. I'm assuming this is because she asked me to sit in one position the whole time (legs open slightly bent) until she ask me to lay straight on my stomach to do my backside. Front what I've read prior to deciding to get a wax is that you are asked to sit in different positions in order for them to get all the hair... I found that it was odd I wasn't asked to do so, however I wasn't sure what to expect because it was my first time and I trusted that she would get all of the hairs. For the price, I likely will not be returning to Sophia Esthetic. I'm sure I can find a cheaper price place for the same/better results. If for some reason I do give the a second chance, I'll ask to get another Esthetician and hope they work differently. I would't recommend Sophia Esthetics for waxing because of many missed spots. Pricey for what I received. read more

This place actually scarred me for life from getting any kind of waxing or sugaring ever again. I had a Brazilian with sugaring. This was the worst experience I've ever had at a spa. The place itself looks a bit shady, but since I read so many good reviews I decided to give this place a try. This was my first ever sugaring/waxing experience, so I did a lot of research and watched videos of sugaring beforehand to prepare myself. But still, when I got there, there was very little conversation or comforting words while it was happening. It was partially because I have sensitive skin (but apparently sugaring is "more gentle"), but it was excruciatingly painful, and I told the esthetician that I was in a lot of pain, and my legs were visibly shaking, but she didn't seem to care or offer any advice. I have 2 tattoos.... this was much, much worse. When I went home I noticed that she had even missed a few large sections of hair, but I was in too much pain to dare go back. To top it off, I ended up getting some sort of infection from this treatment in the form of painful puss-filled bumps where the hair was removed. I had to go to the doctor and was prescribed a hydro cortisone cream that cleared everything up. But I will never get this done again. I will tell everyone I know to avoid Sophia Esthetic. Perhaps other employees and/or procedures are better, but the horrible service, high price, terrible pain, the fact that she missed large portions of hair, and an infection from the service that landed me in a doctor's office, are reasons for me to fear this place. read more