First & foremost, I've had multiple laser treatments at different locations, and this one [unfortunately] merits a review. I agree with all other reviewers as it relates to Raquel (owner); she is upbeat, funny, & passionate about her work and that certainly shows. Contrarily, "best practices" as it relates to running a business aren't as adamantly followed. I paid $300+ for a Groupon deal: Six Sessions on a Large Area. During my first visit, I learned that the "large areas" spelled out on Groupon weren't quite right, & that I would have to cough up ANOTHER $100 EACH SESSION to cover a "larger" area (STILL NOT THE FULL AREA). My $300 "deal" just skyrocketed into a $1,000 hole in my pocket. I grudgingly paid the surcharge to just get it over with, & tipped $20+ for each 10-minute visit, because that's what thoughtful customers do. Unfortunately the thoughtfulness is only a one-way street at Take It Off! Spa: there's a $75 rescheduling fee (regardless of how far in advance you notify). Mind you, Raquel has same-day cancelled my appointment & I happily accommodated a new time, where I ended up waiting 20+ minutes in the building lobby for her to show up. Organization isn't a strong suit, as evidenced through the slapdash rescheduling & more importantly, as evidenced through Raquel's management (or lack thereof) of her calendar. She didn't correctly jot down my next appointment time, & had no idea that I was showing up when I was SCHEDULED TO show up. On top of that, she didn't hesitate to charge me $75 should I opt to reschedule. This was beyond dishonest, and I was beyond disheartened by this; Needless to say, I just walked out & gave up the remaining $100 of my pre-paid voucher. As I said before, I've had multiple laser treatments in the past, and I've never paid the kind of money at other institutions as I have at Take It Off! Spa. A $300 "deal" just turned into $1000+ of sunk cost & lost time. Before committing to any treatment, do yourself (and your pockets) a favor & look elsewhere. read more

Here is the deal; I like Raquel, she's good people nothing against her (that's the only reason for the 2 stars) but the service here sucks. If you have any kind of life; 9 to 5 job, happy hour on a Friday, staying late at work on a Tuesday, a pet to get home to then I say stay away. You'll be lucky to get an appointment the first time around with no cancellations or anything. Again she is a very nice person and loves what she does; she is new to having her company and can't manage her clients times and her schedule. My guess is she is busier than planned; I don't know. My story - I bought a Living Social deal via Amazon; 6 laser hair removals for full leg. My first appointment I show up at the place waited for her; I ended up calling her because she never showed up, she said I never had an appointment for that day and we should reschedule. I said fine and got an appointment for another day. I show up the day of the new appointment and she tells me my "full legs" deal I bought is for "half my legs" which I didn't understand because the deal says full legs. She said full legs means below the knee laser on the front and back on the leg. Again, I said okay fine; no need to shave and we start... After this I had 5 more appointments; one she booked me for middle of the day; 3pm which I was not okay with as I have a 9-5 job and can't leave work to get my legs done. Yet she booked it without my approval and calls me saying she is waiting for me. What?!?! The other she called and canceled twice on me because someone flew into town to get their laser done; so I now have no value as a customer? This was done via text... Honestly, I can't remember the last reason for the confusion on the cancellation; she will give you all kinds of reasons; double booked, people flying into town, event she had to run to, left the office because of her parking. Let's just say I never made it to the other three of my sessions and I had to get my money back from Living Social/Amazon. Thank God the deal was with Amazon as they refunded all my money. read more

Raquel is passionate about hair removal, but passion will only get one so far. I bought a Groupon for six visits and mentally made it through two before I was so dissuaded by her business practices that I gave up. My visits were consistently rescheduled and always late. She's never answered her phone when I've called and will take several days to return a voice mail requesting an appointment. If you're lucky. I arrived on my first visit on time, but waited 20 minutes to see her. To her point, my first visit was very respectable as she suggested my hair may be too light and offered to give me a 'trial' to test her 'hair-removal prophesies.' I felt this was kind and fair as the Groupon did not have a caveat for red hair. I committed on my second visit. She rescheduled my second visit twice and consistently pressured me into leaving work early to arrive earlier than 6pm, despite my repeated explanations regarding my work schedule. Up front, she seemed extremely flexible regarding scheduling, which is one reason I was drawn to her initially. But it's not the case. The third visit was the straw on the camel's back in that I sat in an empty lobby on a Saturday for 30 minutes with no response and no correspondence until an hour lost an entire Saturday afternoon traveling and for naught. I ended up leaving, furious. And though I requested a fair refund for the four visits I no longer wanted to manage, Raquel denied it - insisting that I was bullying her into fair business practices. I received no refund. Her decision was also managed via text while I was working and unable to speak on the phone. This 'company' is one person in one room with a cell phone. When she writes "we", she means "she." Although she may be successful at hair removal, she's unreliable. I am patient, I don't have a demanding time frame, but I do value respecting others' time. I believe there are alternatives that may be less stressful. read more

Let me tell you about Ms. Raquel. This woman has passion to get rid of you hair more than you having the unwanted hair! She is just true joy and comfort while treating embarrassing facts of a hairy woman's life. She fully explained the process, which I was clueless about and walked me through every step and question. After having thick course hair on my upper and lower lip after one session is a dramatic difference I bought 6 months worth but can't imagine this even taking all those months Phenomenal results! Go here now! read more

Take It Off! Spa is absolutely amazing!!! I had never had any hair removal treatments prior to my experience here so I was nervous going to my first visit. From the moment I met Raquel I felt at ease. She is a wonderful person that is incredibly passionate about her work. She is a true artist with her craft. She is also incredibly knowledgeable and thorough. The spa is extremely clean which was very important to me. During my last visit I was in the waiting area and encountered another client and she shared her personal story with me. This woman was absolutely beaming because her life had been forever changed due to her treatments. She said she comes in from quite a distance for her treatment and even makes an effort to arrive early just to insure she never misses an appointment! Is an incredible gift that Raquel gives her clients. Honestly the people on here that have given negative reviews due to having to wait a few minutes are absolutely ridiculous!!! I would gladly wait to have such a experienced and knowledgeable professional doing my treatments. I have never really had to wait though. I do not think the negative reviews are fair or warranted I am extremely shocked and disappointed that people would attack this business in such a nasty manner! I urge you to give Take It Off! Spa a chance, you will not be disappointed!!! read more

I am very pleased with the service I received. She was thorough on evaluation, expectations, explaining pricing, etc. Long-term illness took a toll on my skin. Her service and results so far have me hopeful that my skin and control of hair growth will make significant improvements that will give me the overall confidence boost I need. The place is clean, quiet, and comfortable. She also did a great job easing my anxiety as a first timer. read more

I'm really not into the Yelp reviews. I feel a lot of people who write reviews are very bias and unfair, their not 100% correct, especially some of the rants, but I had to give the kudos to this business. I found Take it Off Spa from Groupon. I decided to look online to find some more information first before buying the deal. I have had other experiences with laser hair companies such as NuMed Spa that was horrible. With NuMed Spa I did not see any results, I paid over $300 for 6 sessions, the machine broken down every 2-3 months, the staff was so unprofessional,and I felt that I was in a car dealership at my last session with them trying to get to get me to buy another laser hair removal package. Back to the story here..... Right before I called Take it Off Spa I called American Laser Center and I had to leave a message for someone to call me back because no one was available to answer any questions at that time. So, I left my message and decide to call Take it off spa. I ended up speaking to Raquel, she was very professional and answered all my questions. Long story short...I ended up booking an appointment with her and buying a package. On my first appointment I did not have a problem with locating the building or contacting her office to get buzzed in. There are signs located in the lobby with instructions to assist you on how to use the intercom system on the weekend and after work hours. Raquels assistant had me complete some paperwork and was very informative on the process , so I was aware of what was going to take place. When I met Raquel she reviewed my target area and discussed my options. She gave me hope and promised that I would see wonderful results. I trusted her and started my session. I started to see results in a few days... A couple of weeks passed and things have improved even more. I am now at my third appointment and I see a BIG difference. I love take it off Spa!!!! Now I have co workers, family members and friends that want to get serviced here, she does wonderful work. You will not be unhappy . Also ,I have never had a problem with her time or booking appointments. I have to meet to see a Doctor , beautician, etc. for service , but the most I have had to wait at Take it Off spa was about 10 mins. I work I very business schedule (sorry no 9-5, more like a 7-7). So know that she has flexible hours and really will go to any mile to assist you in your pendant hair removal. She was a wonderful personality , very educated on the process , good communication and business Sense. Overall I LOVE MY RESULTS!!! I am going back to do my under arms next month. Please give this business a try, I am sure you will be SUPER happy with your results. Thanks you... Great service... Beautiful results!! read more

I am so disturbed by some of these negative reviews on here! I absolutely LOVE Take it Off Spa! Small businesses are the soul of Chicago and while it may be a one person business, she is good at what she does! You all will wait 2 hours to eat at a restaurant but you can't wait 15-30 mins for an appt? Doctors, lawyers, hairstylist run behind schedule....do you give them bad reviews? I've waited in the lobby before but let's be honest, it's laser treatment. I rather wait for an expert in laser treatment with reputable professional experience and training. I have had 3 sessions of facial laser hair removal with Raquel. I am a person of color so I was very worried of pigmentation effects but my fears were put to rest! I didn't even need numbing cream as I have a low tolerance of pain. Her equipment is very little to no pain. I look forward to continuing my laser treatment with Raquel! read more

I'd give 5 stars, but I've only had one session. Due to the negative reviews, I was hesitant to try Raquel, but I'm happy that I gave her a chance. She simply has a great personality, cares about the client and results, and is clearly knowledgeable about her field. I'm not sure why only the negative results show upfront, but this should be fixed as it's misleading. If you can read, then you can find the location with ease. Let's not be extreme. I'm looking forward to continuing my laser hair removal process with Raquel and feel that my initial meeting is a good indicator of great things to come! read more

Let me say that I created a Yelp account specifically to give Take It Off! Spa a five-star review. The business of laser hair removal and general beauty procedures can be a really intimidating, personal experience, and some of my previous experiences have told me people in beauty can be judgmental, haughty, and mean. Raquel was the complete opposite, and made me feel extremely comfortable around her and about the sessions. Raquel was both extremely professional AND warm, friendly and easy-going, which sounds impossible but she did it. Not only am I very happy with the outcome of her work, she also repeatedly went the extra mile for my patronage in telling me about other deals she was offering, and making sure I felt like when I came back, I was coming back to a business that legitimately care about me. Thank you, Raquel! You are amazing! read more

I bought a Groupon for Laser Removal in 2015 for my lip and chin area. I started receiving treatments in March and I decided to wait to give a review to ensure this would be a long term solution for my "hairy issues". I must say that Raquel is the "Queen" of hair removal! She educates you first about hair growth patterns, post skin treatment, and misconceptions about permanent hair removal options for brown -skinned people. Since purchasing my original deal I have decided to also remove my underarm hair and build up courage to tackle a Permanent Brazilian treatment. After only TWO sessions, no hair has come back in either area and my skin feels 'baby soft'; possibly because I also use her self-branded exfoliating scrub or due to the fact I no longer have razor bumps and ingrown hair issues---it's about time! I have used two other laser treatment facilities in Chicago and neither could compete with Take It Off! Salon. Raquel is very knowledgeable about skin care and hair removal and caters to those populations that may have not had the best results at other places. I am a dark-skinned female who has dealt with excessive, unwanted hair growth for 38 years and finding this salon has allowed me to become more confident in the skin (minus all the hair) that I'm in.....thanks a million Raquel! read more

Bought a Groupon for the Aqua Massage. After leaving 2 messages with no return call I contacted Groupon for a refund.

I wouldn't go back here, despite having one of the best laser machines. I was kept waiting twice, for 15 and 30 minutes respectively, once because she was on a personal phone call. I had been buzzed in, so she knew someone was waiting. This was during my work day, and should have been a 5-minute treatment. I was also directly asked after I was kept waiting once not to write a bad review. To me that was completely unprofessional to ask. Getting her on the phone and scheduling appointments always seemed very difficult in terms of the back-and-forth required. Finally, I once had to reschedule an appointment weeks in advance once, and she said that counted as using up one of the treatments. She said it said so on her website - but it wasn't on the deal voucher I used. Like others have said, she seems like a nice person, I just can't deal with someone being all over the place and unable to manage the schedule. And of course was did me in was being told that MY having to reschedule meant losing a session. In fact, I argued the deal site I used for a full refund after my 3rd session, and they completely agreed. read more

Its so weird to see the below posts. I have been two other laser hair removal establishments, non of which gave me the results that Take it Off Spa has given me. I bought a living social deal October 2011, and since have been blown away. I am from indian decent, and have thick coarse hair, that I have been working on for years to get rid of. Raquel scheduled me in, at the right times, and zapped every last bit. My face became clearer, I had less ingrowns, and it was like a magic. She was never late for our sessions. She is a one woman shop and her boutique style office is cute and comfortable. I love this place, and recommend it to all of my friends. This girl knows her stuff, and the best part about it, is that she cares! Thanks Raquel for making me a hairless girly! Its been a long time coming =D read more

Awesome. I initially found Take It Off Spa on Groupon. What a find. I have dealt with unsightly (well unsightly for women) excess facial and body hair all my life. Raquel has helped me achieve beautiful sexy skin. She's very passionate about her business and it shows in my awesome results. Flexible appointments and convenient location are a plus. read more

Just had my first appointment with Take it Off! spa and found the whole experience very pleasant. Having had laser hair removal treatment before it is very clear Raquel knows her stuff. She takes time to make sure you understand the procedure and everything that goes along with it. She is very friendly and the environment is calm and comfortable. It is also very obvious that she cares about her clients and wants to get the best results possible. I am so pleased I took the chance despite some of the negative reviews on Yelp and went to Raquel! read more

I have to say Raquel is great. She has passion for what she is doing and she does a wonderful job. She rocks. Initially my face was a white hot mess. I had a mixture of grey and dark whiskers, with ingrowns thrown in for good measure. With Raquel I am now beginning to see the light of day. Raquel has been TERRIFIC. Now I've been rescheduled at Take It off Spa. But really, is this the first time you've been rescheduled or you've rescheduled. Relax people, Raquel is so worth it. read more

worst place!!! WILL NEVER RECOMMEND IT. If i ca give it a negative stars i would! this people ripped my sister and I off I had schedule and appt for the both of us back in the beginning of august and this people gave me the wrong date I show up on the day they told me I waited with my sister in the lobby with the security guard for almost and hour! 45 minutes to be exact! and no one ever came!!we left and I called raquel because thats who I made the appointment to see and they never answer i left voicemails and email and they reply more than an hour late saying they had me schedule a week later! I was on my way back home very upset because I live an hour away and she had agreed to give me a refund back that she will send me an email when it was done $250 dollars to be exact and I waited 2 weeks for that email that never came through! I called and spoke with the receptionist and I had told her what happen all over again and it was a Tuesday and she said she was going to see what happen and she will call me back before Friday and I'm still waiting on that call a month later! this people have no professionalism whatsoever! poor communication skills and they don't even know whats happening in their own spa it was a big mistake thinking because they were located in a good location they would be a little more professional but wrong! don't fool your self no wonder what they have that rule on their website that "no refunds" well no shit you like to tell your clients a different day then screw them over and keep the money! and not including all the tolls I pay and gas and parking and babysitter! IF YOUR SMART YOU WONT EVEN CALL THIS PEOPLE! read more

I bought a living social coupon for this place. I tried to contact them on numerous occasions and they did not answer the phone. When I finally got in touch with them they refused to honor the voucher, which had not yet expired. They told me "good luck with getting a refund." They are clearly running a scam with the living social vouchers. read more

Do not buy - very unreliable service here. Do not purchase any of their Groupon or Living Social deals.

Like almost every review before me I too had a terrible experience at Take it off spa. I was referred to the groupon to this place by one of my friends and soon after purchasing the groupon I called Raquel and made an appointment for both my friend and myself. The day of the appointment my friend and I show up on time and are told by the lady at the front desk that Raquel has not walked into work yet. Ok no big deal it's only a few minutes late right? Wrong. Rakel shows up 30 minutes late, takes us up to her "spa" and has us sit and wait while she gets settled. After she is settled she starts working on my friend while I wait for my turn. After finishing with my friend she completely ignores the fact that I too have an appointment and tries to rush us out the door. I explain to her that I too had an appointment and she realizing that she over scheduled asks me to be "flexible" and wait another 30 min while she attends to another waiting customer and that she would see me right afterward. Even though she was late, already had me waiting, and over scheduled people over my appointment, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt (maybe she was just having a bad day) and so I waited til she was ready to see me. 40 min later it's finally my turn to be seen, I go over what areas I paid for (upper back and shoulders) with her and she begins to work on me. After she is done I make an appointment to see her in a month and I finally leave. Next month comes around I show up at her office again on time and she again is running late. After waiting in the lobby about half hour she finally calls for me to go up and see her. She begins work on me and only does work on my back completely disregarding that I had also paid to have my shoulders done. I remind her and she tells me that she again has over scheduled and that she would again like for me to be flexible with my schedule and wait while she takes another patient. So first this lady is late, she has me waiting, she forgets what I paid for, and now she wants me to wait once again because she can't schedule people right? But ok, I once again give her the benefit of the doubt and decide to wait again while she tries to catch up on her work. Again I go back in and make another appointment for next month. A week after making an appointment with her I realize that I have to reschedule and so I call her 3 and a half weeks in advance to let her know that I need to reschedule and get no answer from her. I leave her multiple voice mails and still no response. 3 days later I finally get a hold of her and although she accommodated my schedule change she gives me an ear full on how she's doing me a favor and making an exception for me because she does not like to reschedule appointments. Ok that makes perfect sense it's ok to keep customers waiting hours at your "spa" but you can't accomidate a schedule change 3 weeks in advance. But ok, keeping myself calm I simply say ok and reschedule my appointment. When I show up to this third appointment, surprise surprise once again Raquel is late, the lady at the front desk tries multiple times to call her and let her know that she has customers waiting in the lobby, but there is no answer from Raquel. 20 min later she strolls in like nothing and she finally begins to work on me. After the session she tells me to call her in a week to schedule another appointment because she was going out of town and wouldn't schedule me until she got back. At that point I was done, that place was a joke and I no longer wanted to do business with someone so unprofessional when there are a ton of hair removal spas in Chicago with real spas and real hair removal technicians that actually value customers. This so called spa is a tiny room with one person who takes peoples money and schedules them for appointments which she is late for or simply doesn't show up for. She has no consideration for other people and simply schedules patients so that they can waste time sitting in a lobby. I would not recommend this place to anyone, and would instead recommend that Raquel gets a reliable clock. read more

Hi let me share my first time experience with Raquel lol a total nightmare. Buiseness was handled so unprofessional I wouldn't refer my worst enemy there. My fiancé who had just lost her parents, and a son was going through some ruff times when she did buiseness with Raquel. Confined in her to help her get her mind off things for awhile wanted to pamper herself and feel good about herself again. She was totally takin advantage of actually paid Raquel $3000 upfront, worst mistake anyone can every do is pay her upfront, but again my fiancé was not thinking straight at the time. Raquel wouldn't return calls to set up appointments, she'd set appointments two months apart then cancelled. Again it was my fiancé fault for giving Raquel money in full and upfront. But you'd think this company would take care of clients that had no problem in paying upfront WRONG.I will tell you the worst part,She then changed voucher to my name since there was so many problems between her and Raquel including no money back refunds balance was left at $2900. In which Raquel then made a proposal to us gave us one day to agree on it that's when we knew she was totally bad buiseness. So we signed why because she had our money in hand already we even called the attorney general on her but there was nothing we could do to get money back. So her proposal was to give me 3 treatments at a spa called Tiffany Kim's spa also in downtown by the way Tiffany spa is awesome. Raquel made it sound so professional saying that she was gonna send me to one of her associates, buiseness partners were her words lol.Come to find out Tiffany Kim spa new nothing of take it off spa,she was just someone who would but groupons for her clients when she wasn't able to fulfill there services they paid for. I didn't agree to 3 treatments $2900 is nowhere near 3 treatments so I said 6 I had to try to get what we were able to out of her. So I show up to Tiffany Kim's spa they give me my first session I tell them I had a 6 visit voucher from take it off spa (Raquel). They tell me nothing is on file so we call Raquel I put Tiffany Kim's tattoo removal specialist on the phone with Raquel her name is Tanya by the way if anyone needs services she's so awesome. Raquel had the nerve to tell the young woman on the phone NOT to let me know how much she paid for sessions lol. So I ask the young lady how much did she pay for my sessions come to find out she purchased 6 visits on groupon for my sessions the cost was $300. I'm very upset disappointed etc she pocketed $2600 this place is a scam. If someone says they do tattoo removal then send you somewhere else to get work done charge you $3000 then buys you groupon sessions for $300. I don't know but that's a total RAT move but karma will come back to her. Her buiseness will not last scamming on people weak women who only want to feel good about themselves. Please people before you even give this person money think about this. Only thing good that came out this is are hands are washed with Take It Off Spa, and I would have never gotten introduced to Tiffany Kim spa.Yeh we found out the hard way took a big hit in money but Raquel will not last scamming people. I truly recommend Tiffany Kim spa the reviews tell it all. Raquel has the nerve to say yelp is used to bully owners or there buiseness. No it's a place where they can share your experience. In our case help others not to throw away there money going to Take It Off Spa .Thank everyone for reading and taking my advice we will still pursue small claims for the remainder of our $2600 we cannot let a person like Raquel keep getting away with this. Bottom line is if there's 3 or more people telling you the same thing about this buiseness obviously there's a problem. read more

Take It Off Spa is the absolute truth!!!!! The customer service.... my results were immaculate. Raquel changed my life! Seriously. If you are on the fence...... please go for a consultation. You won't regret it. I promise. read more

it's not really a spa, it's an overly enthusiastic, kind of strange woman with a laser machine. However, I do think she knows her stuff and knows how laser works. However, her bedside manner makes me not want to return. read more

If you look at my reviews, I am not one to yelp about the negative - but after my experience here and what else I have read, I feel the need to warn others. I bought a laser hair removal package on a groupon for "Take it off! Spa!" aka Raquel thinking it was a legitimate spa. By legitimate, I mean that it was its own stand alone building that might possibly be looking to build business or maybe a new owner of an exsisting business that wanted a turn-around. Well, at the time there was no yelp on this business and since I was educated on the laser she used, I took the chance. I googled the business and saw it was on Michigan Ave - a good sign so I thought. My first bad experiece was finding the place. I was looking for a spa but instead of telling me it was in an office building, I walked past the address about 10 times before realizing it was in a large office building. Once I went in and figured out that I had to "buzz" my way in to get to the 5th level that this "business" is on, it took about 10 buzzes before I was greeted. Once I got upstairs, thing got more akward. It was not a suite, but just a little room with her and the laser. So Raquel is a very intimidating woman, she is very pretty but she looks like she could beat up anyone so when she told me that she was training another girl, I felt like I had no choice to say no. I was having my bikini done, and it was 2 women lasering my cooch. It went fast so I made my next appointment. The second time I went, It was just Raquel and she didn't have me in the "book' even though I had watched them write me in at my last appt. She was very annoyed I was there and made me feel like it was all my fault that there was a mixup. I told her I had a groupon and she started yelling at me "Stop talking!! I will find your stuff! I felt like I was being yelled at by my mother, but the fact was that this was Raquel's fault. She gave me my service but it was fast and I could tell she was in a hurry. My third time was the last straw. I went in to have my service and she was a half hour behind. Now, there is no waiting area since its just the room so you have to wait for her to open the door. When I went in, she started telling me about what a real psycho she is. She told me a personal story of hers that I won't repeat, but it made me truly afraid of her. It was inappropriate and unprofessional. I had 3 treatments left that I basically will never get the money back for, but that's ok. Raquel won't try to contact clients as you can see from previous reviews. This isn't a business, its a shady woman who takes peoples money and is extremely unprofessional. I would avoid this place at all cost. read more

I have to agree with the review about the owner having issues with being on time for her own appointments. Groupon usually has a few different businesses offering hair removal packages at any given time. I was frustrated with a couple because I simple could never reach anyone or a receive a call back. I wanted information on the hair removal process and the company's policies before I spent money buying the Groupon deal for any business. I was very happy that I was able to get Raquel on the phone AND that she really spoke to me, answered my questions and put me at ease about the hair removal process and my specific concerns for treatment for me as a woman of color (will my skin burn, hyperpigmentation worries, etc). One thing that made me wary while we spoke over the phone was that she told me NOT to purchase the Groupon special before coming in. She wanted me to come in to see her so she could test to see if laser hair removal was right for me. If so, then she would honor the Groupon price and let me buy the package from her on site. Sounded fair enough, but still felt wary about it. I was going to book an appointment for at the beginning of the month since in my line of work I am very busy the last 2 weeks of every month. She said she wanted me to commit and would accommodate seeing me at 8am the next morning just before work since she needed to get in early to meet someone who was going to work on her other laser machine. I even stressed to her why I wanted to wait to book and how I needed to be in the office by 9am because it was hectic at work for me. This is why she chose to accommodate an 8am appointment. Her offer, not me pushing for it. So I thought again, how nice it was to meet someone open and accommodating! Great! Day of the appointment - After confusion of where to enter because the building is undergoing renovations and the scaffolding blocks a clear line of sight, I get to the lobby at exactly 8am. I am mad at myself since I figured I should have gotten there earlier in order to fill out some paperwork prior to the appointment. Its another 2-3 minutes before the security man at the front desk is able to assist me. It's while I am waiting that I realize Raquel never explained anything about how to get to her office when we spoke. She gave me an address and told me to ring her once I got there so she could buzz me in. I'm looking around for a keypad that I couldn't find. The security guard says to call her, meaning on the number I called yesterday. I call and she answers "hello". I then realize this is her cell number. No problem. I let her know I'm in the lobby and apologize for not getting there before 8am and making her wait, but was unaware that there was construction and no keypad in the lobby to ring her. She tells me not to worry about it and that she was "on Lake Shore Dr in some construction traffic and to sit tight" and she will be there as soon as she can. Ummmm, okaaay.... I hang up and then look at my watch, and quickly process what just happened and the situation. Never mind that I didn't get a call to let me know she was running very behind. I also know how long it takes to get from LSD to downtown on Michigan Ave in morning traffic, then have to park in a garage, navigate construction zone to get to the lobby, then take more time to get settled because you're just getting to work and need to prep, check messages, get coffee, chit chat, etc. etc. No, I didn't have that kind of time. I knew I would be lucky IF she started on me at 9am -- the time I told her I needed to be in my office by, at the latest. Nope, I called back and cancelled explaining why I was cancelling and that I may consider calling back in the next month when I had more time. I have not and will not call back. If you cannot respect your client's time in your business, then I don't want to start dealing with you in business. If you have lots of free time on your hands and can get treatments whenever, then Raquel will be the person for you. She is knowledgeable and friendly from what I can tell in my initial conversation with her. However, if you need to be on a schedule, keep looking. read more

I would never recommend Raquel to anyone. I bought a six package deal and she only did 5 sessions b/c I had to reschedule since I was deathly ill. I even asked her if it was okay and she said yes, that's fine. When I went in for my session, she said I had used it up by rescheduling. She even made me wait for 45 mins for my appointment. That's not the only thing, when she does the laser, she skips over spots and doesn't do a great job, b/c she wants you to keep coming back. She is horrible. I will never go back and would not recommend her to anyone! read more

After six years (yes, SIX years) of laser hair removal, I have to say my experience at Take It Off! Spa, with Racquel, has been the BEST!! I am a new resident to the Chicago area, and I would fly all the way back to the east coast to have my hair removal done. I did this because, like finding someone to give you a great haircut, I don't trust just anyone to perform laser hair removal on me, and for it to actually be a decent experience. I found Take It Off! Spa on Groupon and was mostly attracted to the type of laser (Candela) listed. This is the laser I was used to from years of removal and I wanted to stay as consistent as possible. I called to make my appointment, and Racquel answered the phone. She was informative and professional over the phone, and came across as genuinely interested in MY hair removal "mission" - I didn't feel like another number. On the day of my appointment I was welcomed into Racquel's warm and quaint office. Literally within 5 minutes of being there, I felt as if I knew her for years. For many people, hair removal is a very personal experience and there's a lot of value in landing a treatment spa where you can breathe and relax. Racquel asked me some preliminary questions about my daily health and prior laser treatments, as well as my personal goals with treatment. While over the years I have had treatments in various areas, I've had most done on my face (I hate face fuzz). I figured it was normal for people to see less hair, but no one ever achieved COMPLETE removal. (Obviously I thought this after SIX years of "good" laser removal and STILL having a small amount of fuzz.) NOT with Racquel!! She told me that was not how laser hair removal works, and that she would make it her personal goal to forever rid my face of hair. She advised me that she would start me and closely monitor my hair gorwth and adjust as needed to achiever OUR ultimate goal. While she was treating me, she focused on my problem areas, and didn't just do an overall, blanketed treatment. In the past, laser hair technicians have used ice or topical cream to help numb me. Suprisingly, I didn't need anything with Racquel's machine, which apparently has a great cooling system built in. (This isn't everyone's experience depending on the treatment area and hair growth, but it definitely made me feel more comfortable.) She also spoke to me about some of the personal reasons she does laser hair removal, and some of the public outreach goals she has for young people and communities. She's truly passionate about helping young people feeling confident and beautiful, and knows that in some cases, laser hair removal is a HUGE helpful step. After my FIRST treatment, I have less hair growth in a few months time than I have ever had! IT IS AMAZING!! Racquel studied my personal situation and conquered it. She really cares and understands how laser hair treatment can totally change a persons life, and she wants to be an integral part of that change. I highly recommend Take It Off! Spa for hair removal, mostly for the laser hair removal treatment, but also for information on beauthy wellness. read more

I have had multiple sessions with Raquel. I haven't had an issues at all. She's always ready for me when I arrive for my appointment. She always greats me with a smile and positive attitude. She cares about her clients and makes you feel at ease. She's really funny too! read more

Take it off! Spa is an amazing experience. The facility is in a great location, it's clean and staff is professional. Raquel is amazing! She means business when it comes to getting rid of the hair, for good! Timely appointments and great flexibility in appointment scheduling. I've had amazing results and am in love with my smooth and sexy results! read more

I'm shocked at these reviews. I have had the best experience with her at this location. She has gone out of her way to be accommodating and flexible. She's done more for me than the other two places I've gone to and she's wonderful to talk with. She really knows her stuff, is genuine and wants to share her knowledge with others to help them succeed within the same field. Again, I'm very surprised because I have not had a bad experience. I've had 3 to 4 sessions now and I could not be happier with her work, scheduling or the results. read more

I bought a Living Social deal for three laser tattoo removal services. After cancelling 3 appointments (one with me physically at the location) the "owner" raquel begged me to get laser hair removal so that she wouldn't feel so bad about cancelling so many times. I guess the construction in the area knocked the laser off track?.. I don't know. I declined her complementary service and stated that we could reschedule when her laser was working. One week later on the day of the 4th set appointment she called and stated that she could not treat my tattoo. I was angry because a month before she had marked the voucher as "redeemed" even though she had not treated me. So she offered me complementary hair removal service for my trouble, but stated that she would offer a refund. I figured I had already driven downtown and paid for parking, so why not? I went in for one complementary hair removal treatment. The next day I contacted Living Social the for my refund. They stated they could not give me a refund because she stated she had treated me. I went back and forth with this crazed "owner." Living Social said their hands were tied because she marked the voucher as redeemed. If your time and energy are worth ANYTHING to you, don't deal with this place. Not worth it!! Worse experience ever! read more

Eek! Methinks not is right. Raquel is completely unprofessional. I took the train out from the north suburbs one Saturday morning because I did not want to drive into the Loop and pay for parking. Raquel called me and cancelled the appointment when I was five mintues away from the office. She promised she would give me a free hair removal session because of this "inconvenicence". When I went to my last session, I asked to schedule my free session and she pretended like she had no clue what I was talking about. She never honored the session and I wasted a whole Saturday morning on the train because of her unprofessional business practices. She also cancelled or had to reschedule other sessions and was always late. All around UNPROFESSIONAL. This woman does not know how to run a business. This is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and she needs to get it together otherwise I don't see her surviving another month in her situation. Good luck to you Raquel. We'll let the Karma Police take care of you. read more