You want less shaving. You also want to know how many appointments, what laser feels like, and what it costs. Here are five questions to ask before starting laser hair removal in South Austin.
How Many Laser Hair Removal Sessions Do I Need?
You want less shaving. You also want to know what you’re signing up for before someone hands you a treatment plan. Fair.
At Prickly Spa in South Austin, your first appointment starts with a consultation. We explain how laser works, do a hair and skin analysis, and answer your questions before treatment. These five questions are a good place to start: how many sessions, how long results last, whether laser works for dark skin, what it feels like, and what the whole thing costs.
Why laser takes more than one session
Plan for 6 to 12 or more sessions at Prickly, spaced 4 to 12 weeks apart depending on the area. Your technician will explain the schedule for the areas you’re treating. Six appointments is a planning starting point, not a promise that every hair will be gone by appointment six.
Here’s why one appointment doesn’t finish the job: hair grows in cycles. Laser works on follicles in their active growth phase, and your hairs aren’t all in that phase together. A series gives us opportunities to treat different hairs as they become ready. Cleveland Clinic explains the hair-growth cycle behind multiple treatments.
Scheduling more often isn’t a shortcut. We set the spacing for your treatment area and progress, rather than booking the same interval for everyone. At each visit, your technician does a fresh hair and skin analysis. We want to know how your skin reacted and how the hair is changing.
We also try to keep you with the same technician as much as possible. Every Prickly technician has at least 10 years of laser experience. Familiarity with your skin and a fresh analysis both matter; one doesn’t replace the other. Read why we try to keep you with the same laser technician.
Is laser hair removal permanent?
Laser provides long-term hair reduction. It doesn’t guarantee that you’ll never see another hair. Maintenance appointments can be part of keeping your results, especially when hormonal growth is involved.
Laser light targets pigment in the hair and becomes heat, damaging the follicle to reduce future growth. It does not treat the hormonal cause of new growth. Mayo Clinic explains the difference between reducing hair and treating the cause of excess growth.
At Prickly, we’ll discuss what that means for your treatment plan before you start. We don’t sell you a fixed number of sessions and call it a lifetime guarantee. You pay for the appointments you have, including maintenance if you need it.
Treated hair sheds over the next weeks after treatment, not immediately or within days. Give it time. For instructions on what to do between appointments, see our laser hair removal before and after care guide.
Hair color matters, too. Laser hair removal does not work on blonde, red, gray or white hair. Your technician checks the hair you want treated during your consultation. We’d rather tell you clearly when laser isn’t the answer than have you pay for a treatment that won’t do what you want.
Is laser hair removal safe for dark skin?
Yes. Dark skin can be treated with an appropriate laser, settings and an experienced technician. At Prickly, we use the Lumenis LightSheer Quattro with both 805 nm and 1060 nm handpieces, so we can choose the wavelength and settings for your hair and skin.
Skin contains melanin, too. That makes the choice of laser and settings especially important for deeper skin tones. Being able to treat all skin tones is not a reason to skip a consultation or a fresh analysis. Mayo Clinic describes why experience and settings matter for black and brown skin.
Our technician does a hair and skin analysis before treatment and asks about medications, recent tanning and changes to your health or skin. Tell us what’s changed since your last visit, even if you’ve had laser plenty of times before. Naturally dark skin and a recent tan are different treatment considerations.
The Quattro’s ChillTip sapphire contact cooling helps protect the skin during treatment. We chose our equipment thoughtfully, and we put just as much thought into who uses it. You can read more about the wavelengths and cooling in our LightSheer Quattro equipment blog.
Does laser hair removal hurt?
You’ll feel the treatment. Our laser’s built-in cooling helps make it more comfortable. The sensation varies with the area and your sensitivity. We won’t promise you a Brazilian feels exactly like an underarm appointment.
The American Academy of Dermatology describes laser pulses as warm pinpricks or a snapping sensation. The LightSheer Quattro uses a cooled sapphire tip that stays in contact with the skin. Lumenis describes ChillTip’s continuous contact cooling for skin protection and comfort.
Nervous? Say so. Your first consultation includes time for questions, and you can ask about a test spot if you’re cleared for treatment. Let your technician know how you’re feeling during the appointment so we can check in and pause when you need to.
Comfort also means being treated like a person. Especially for intimate areas, we understand why seeing a familiar technician helps. You don’t need to pretend you’re relaxed if you aren’t, and you don’t need to apologize for asking us to explain something.
How much does laser hair removal cost in South Austin?
Prickly’s laser hair removal prices range from $79 to $299 per session for one area. Underarms are $79, Brazilian is $199, and full legs are $299. You pay as you go, with no required package to buy upfront. See our full laser hair removal pricing and area list.
To think about your total budget, multiply the price for your area by the number of sessions. For example, six underarm sessions at $79 each total $474; twelve total $948. Six Brazilian sessions at $199 total $1,194; twelve total $2,388. These are calculations at standard session prices, not packages or a prediction of how many appointments you’ll need. Specials and maintenance can change the total.
The appointments are spread across your treatment schedule, rather than paid for all at once. Our owner, Shar, remembers being a college student pressured into a $4,000 laser package. That experience is a big reason Prickly does things differently. Read Shar’s story about pay-as-you-go laser.
If you’re starting with both areas, our new client special is Brazilian plus underarms for $197, regularly $278. You can book the Brazilian and underarm new client special directly in SimpleSpa.
Ready for your own Laser 101?
Prickly Spa is a female-owned boutique laser hair removal spa at 2605 Jones Rd Unit 102, Austin, TX 78745. We see clients by appointment only.
Your first visit starts with the consultation, including what to expect before, during and after laser. Once you’re cleared, we do your treatment the same day. Allow about an hour, depending on the areas you’re treating.
Book your first laser appointment, or text us at 512-540-5498 if you want help choosing an area. We’re happy to talk laser before you commit.