In February 2025 I had been having what I thought were severe chronic allergies for months and months despite taking allergy meds and doing saline rinses. I would constantly be sneezing out globs of yellow or green phlegm which was always embarrassing at work! Finally my PCP suggested I see an ENT. I had to wait a month to see Dr. Balaker which was a bit of a bummer but thankfully she was worth the wait! She saw me immediately at my appointed time and she had a caring demeanor. She did an in-office nasal endoscopy which wasn't painful or uncomfortable at all and immediately diagnosed me with chronic severe sinusitis (sinus infection that hadn't been treated or resolved for months). She's very knowledgeable and professional! She prescribed two weeks of doxycycline antibiotics to ensure it cleared out the stubborn infection and said to follow up if my symptoms don't clear up. I didn't realize how much pressure was in my face until I took the first day of antibiotics-I felt immediately better! It cleared up by week 2 and never had to go back. Overall, it was a solid, smooth experience. Thank you Dr. Balaker! read more

I underwent nasal surgery with Dr. Ashley Balaker on 8/21/25. It has now been six months, and I am no better than I was prior to surgery. At my follow-up appointment on 10/24/25, I expressed that my symptoms had not improved. Dr. Balaker performed a brief nasal scope exam that lasted less than a minute and stated that everything "looked fine." When I asked for a CT scan to further evaluate why my symptoms persist, I was told it was not necessary. I left feeling dismissed and unheard. Throughout my visits, I felt rushed and uncomfortable asking questions. During my last appointment, her bedside manner was particularly concerning -- she was not personable, appeared impatient, and at times rolled her eyes when I asked questions. As a patient who underwent surgery, I expected thoughtful follow-up and a willingness to investigate ongoing symptoms. After surgery, no one from the office contacted me to check on my recovery or schedule follow-up care. I had to call the office myself to arrange a post-operative appointment. Additionally, prior cultures had shown heavy growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and I did not feel there was adequate follow-through regarding this finding. Finally, at my follow-up visit I was told there would be no copay. Four months later, I received a bill, which was surprising and frustrating. Surgery is a serious decision. Patients deserve careful follow-up, transparency, and to feel heard when they report persistent symptoms. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. I will not be returning to this provider. read more

I attempted to contact the doctor and her office for over a week regarding a serious and ongoing medical concern. I called multiple times (including early morning and late afternoon) and left detailed messages through both the office and the answering service. Despite being assured that my messages would be relayed to the doctor, I only received a callback from the doctor after hours - one week after I first called her office and after waiting a full day, waiting to get an appointment as her on-call doctor promised me. I sought evaluation at urgent care, and I was advised there to follow up promptly with my ENT specialist. Even with that recommendation, I was unable to obtain any response from this office. When a patient reports a potentially serious issue and another medical provider recommends specialist follow-up, timely communication is critical. One call should be sufficient to at least receive acknowledgment. That did not occur here. Based on this experience, I do not recommend this physician or her staff. read more

After noticing some hearing loss over the past couple years I decided to go have my ears checked so I wouldn't eventually annoy people by holding an ear trumpet and saying "huh?" or "speak up, sonny!" all the time. Making the appointment was simple and doing the usual pile of paperwork for a first time patient was less annoyingly done online. An audiologist first tested my hearing, sending me into a soundproof booth and sticking earbuds into my ears. It wasn't as fun as getting a wet willie but really, what is? Between the testing and subsequent meeting with Dr. Balaker, who was informative and patiently answered my questions, my prognosis was delivered and options presented. I was very happy with my experience and had complete confidence in both Dr. Balaker and her staff. read more

Ashley Balaker, MD - exam room - Ear Nose & Throat Near Me - Irvine, California

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Very rude and didn't even take the time to listen to my sisters symptoms. We would never go back to such a rude person.

I needed a CT scan for a sinus sensation I've been dealing with. I was told I could go anywhere for it, so I scheduled my scan at Hoag Radiology. When I showed up, they told me they couldn't do it because no order had been sent. The front desk staff at Hoag was great and even called Head and Neck Associates for me, but Dr. Balaker's nurse cut them off and put them on hold--for over 20 minutes. I was just sitting there waiting with no answers. No one from the office ever called back, so I had to reschedule and leave. Before my second appointment, I left a message with Dr. Balaker's medical assistant to make sure the order was sent. I didn't hear back, so I called again and got the nurse, who quickly cut me off and said it had already been sent and should be in MyChart. I'm not in the medical field, so when she says "it's in MyChart," I figured that meant everything was set. But when I showed up at Hoag, they still didn't have the order--and it wasn't in MyChart either. Luckily, the Hoag front desk came through again. They called the office, got put on hold again, but eventually reached someone who faxed the order over. I was finally able to get the scan done that day. After a month of no follow up, I called and was told, "Oh yeah, the doctor looked at it yesterday and didn't see anything. If you're still having symptoms, you can schedule another appointment." I'll be scheduling a follow up with a new office. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect basic communication. read more

I found Dr. Balaker to be very knowledgable and professional and took the time to answer all my questions.

So before I give my critique, I do want to preface this by saying she is very smart, knowledgeable, professional and had all the information that I gave her and therefore gave me a proper diagnosis for my acid reflux and GERD issues. that being said, I wish Dr. Balakar (as well as other ENTs) should get to the ROOT issue of problems such as acid reflux and GERD in patients. Her solutions to me were just temporary fixes that had no longevity. I ended up going the holistic route and found a solution all on my own that no doctor has EVER stopped to think about. After I changed my water to medical grade water, my issues went away in 2 weeks! It was like day and night! the reason I'm mentioning this is because I want medical professionals to give patients holistic options as well instead of just prescribing medications and providing unrealistic lifestyle changes. Doctors should get to the ROOT of such an issue, no prescribe temporary fixes considering the amount of money from our copay goes to visits in their office. read more

Several years ago, I began to lose my hearing. For a long time, I was hesitant about undergoing surgery. Before making my decision, I read many reviews, some positive, some negative. A few criticized Dr. Balaker for lacking compassion, being rude, or unknowledgeable. However, my experience was completely different. From the moment I met Dr. Balaker, I found her to be a skilled and dedicated professional. I wasn't looking for a smiling hostess--I was looking for an expert who could restore my hearing. And that's exactly what she did! Thanks to Dr. Balaker, I have my hearing back, and I am beyond grateful. May her hands continue to be blessed! read more

My elderly father suffering from severe vertigo for weeks until we finally saw Dr Balaker. ONE treatment was all it took and now he is back to normal. So many trips to the ER and ambulance rides...HIGHLY recommended. read more

This doctor is very unprofessional and inconsiderate. I had 2 back to back appointments for my daughters this past Friday, but accidentally went to the wrong office. By the time I got to their office, I had missed my first daughter's appointment but was in time for my second daughter. However, the doctor canceled both of my appointments and wanted me to reschedule. I totally understand cancelling the first one, but I was in time for the second. I told them that I had already taken time off work and pulled my kids out of school to go see the doctor and I wanted by second daughter to be seen. The front office told me that my appointment was canceled because I did not show up 30 minutes early to fill out paperwork. That is totally ridiculous! I asked her for the paperwork so I could fill it out before our next rescheduled appointment and it was only 2 sheets of paper! The doctor obviously wanted to leave work early on a Friday afternoon and gave me a lame excuse for cancelling. I read other reviews on Yelp and apparently she has a habit of doing this. Completely unprofessional! read more

Ashley Balaker, MD - Paper - Ear Nose & Throat Near Me - Irvine, California

I highly recommend this ENT doctor. She's very kind, patient, and cares about her patients. Although she couldn't cure my condition, she gave me a lot of helpful information, and I would definitely recommend her. read more

It was terrible service and a horrible experience. My wife, MIL, and son arrived shortly before their 11 am appointment. They were turned away because they were not thereby 10:30. Total joke of an office... Dr Balaker should be ashamed of herself and the way she conducts business. On our previous visit, it was a 2-hour wait. If you want total unprofessionalism and lack of care, come here... read more

When I met with Dr. Balaker, I was desperate. I had been to two ENT, my primary doctor and a TMJ specialist to try to determine the cause of my vertigo and ear fullness. It was a tricky diagnosis (two other ENTs either got it wrong or didn't even try), but Dr. Balaker figured it out that I had migraines. She was kind, listened, and was efficient in ordering appropriate tests and referrals. This was a turning point in getting relief. She's a great doctor, seems really up-to-date on current research, and is just an all-around kind person. read more

I had a short list of issues to discuss as this was my first visit. She spent about 2 minutes with me and seemed not to care much as to what my issues were. She basically said "what is your main concern". She said she would write a prescription for a compound medication, but she never did. I waited a week but didn't hear from the pharmacy. When I called her office, they said she'd write it 'today'. A week later, still no response so I called the pharmacy directly. She never submitted a prescription for me. I going see someone else. read more

When it comes to appointments, Dr Balaker's office is very unprofessional. They cancel appointments that were previously scheduled, they re-schedule appointments because Dr is not available on a pre-scheduled appointment. I recommend that you use another company other than Head & Neck Associates of Orange County. This team of doctors needs to fire their staff and establish a legitimate business profile. read more

Dr Balaker is great. I had a lingering hearing issues after an ear infection for a couple months and went to urgent care multiple times and also went to two separate ENTs prior to coming to Dr Balaker. She was thorough, patient, knowledgeable, and clearly explained what was wrong with my ear in a way that other ENTs couldn't explain. Although there wasn't anything that could be done, other than wait and let my hearing get back to normal, it was after seeing Dr Balaker that I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I highly recommend her. read more

A lack of care and concern. I was referred by my primary care. Dr Balakers office referred me for more testing and did a poor job with follow up. I received calls from her assistants who were not able to fully explain results and I had to pay to have a telephone call with the doctor. The neurologist they referred me to never called me back. Will be finding a new provider. read more

No way to get a hold of anyone. Only thing that can be done over the phone is initial appointment. No chance of a follow up or connecting with anyone that has information on your case. You can leave voicemails, try different options, nothing helps. Hello, anyone there?! read more

I cannot believe I gave Dr. Balaker a second chance. My first appointment with her she barely gave me 5 mins of her time after I waited 30mins when I was the first appointment of the morning and blamed my deviated septum on allergies and told me to go see an allergist. I cannot breathe out of my right nostril and after seeing an allergist I don't have any major allergies. I made a follow up appointment because I have been having weird symptoms. She spoke to me like I was an idiot like my symptoms didn't make any sense. She said that "your ear pain has nothing to do with your nose." Funny because your ear is connected to your nose so if you're having nasal problems it can cause ear problems. I may not be a doctor but I do work in the medical field and the way she treats her patients is heartless. She has no compassion and it feels like she just wants to rush out of there instead of trying to fix what might be wrong. I highly recommend going to an ENT who actually cares about their patients and their ability to actually breathe. I wish I read the reviews about her before wasting money. read more

I waited an hour for a 2 minute check on a deviated septum. Dr. Balakar is a great ENT, it may be worth checking out yourself but my experience left me questioning coming back. read more

Honestly, I didn't even want to go back to Dr. Balaker for a follow up appt. The first time I saw her she didn't give me the time of day and told me to see an allergist so I did that. Had an allergy test, I had 4 acute allergies, none of which could cause my severe symptoms. When I finally went for a follow up appt with Balaker, she told me it was allergies and blamed me for not taking allergy medicine and told me there was nothing she can do. What am I supposed to do with that? She was rude, unknowledgable and kept me waiting for 30 minutes when I had the first appt of the day. All western doctors want to do is give you a script so they can make money. I've never felt so unheard and ignored by a doctor in my life. I would never recommend this shitty doctor. read more

No response after trying to reach out for appointment. This extra sentence will help me reach the character limit.

I saw Dr. Balaker for problems with equalizing during airplane flights and diving. She was professional, kind, explained my options in clear and understandable terms, and offered cutting edge treatment. Her office staff were nice, made me feel at ease and comfortable. I would definitely recommend Dr. Balaker for ENT problems. read more

Ashley is awesome. So thankful for her work to help me breathe better. Caring and skilled. Thank you Dr. Balakar!

My son is 12 y/o and ruptured his eardrum playing water polo. I was referred to Dr. Balaker bc she did a fellowship just for ears. She was amazing from the start - had wonderful bedside manner, took the time to answer every question and had a very conservative approach (thru ear canal vs behind ear). I was told my son had a rupture in a challenging location and she did a great job. He is 2 months out from surgery but healing well and was able to get back in the water (with the ear protected) at 5 weeks! Highly recommend her:) read more

Several months ago, my left ear started having a rustling sound anytime I would move my head, so during a visit to my normal doctor for a physical I asked him to take a look, unfortunately he said he couldn't find any issues. Since the sound would come and go (and of course wasn't making the noise when I saw my doctor), I didn't pursue it further at the time. A few weeks later when the sound returned, I bought an ear camera device from Amazon, and was able to confirm that there was a piece of hair stuck in the ear. So, I decided to look for an ENT doctor and hopefully take care of the issue really simply. After trying to find a good ENT doctor that were part of my insurance network and even calling a medical group that didn't call me back even though they promised to do so, I tried calling the group that Dr. Balaker was a part of (Head & Neck Associates of Orange County). They were able to get me an appointment within two days (exactly what I was hoping for), and they even had a very convenient online portal where you can fill in all the prerequisite paperwork prior to the visit (helps greatly especially during this pandemic era). When I went for my appointment, I found it to be in a nice medical building with plenty of parking. The only thing that I wasn't too thrilled about, was that the waiting room was a bit on the small side (though they tried as best as they could to still have social distancing), but I found that some people would simply wait outside the office where there's plenty of space to stand around. Because I filled out the paperwork online, my time at the front turned out to be fairly minimal. Once with the doctor, she was very nice, pleasant to talk to, and as I expected she found the issue immediately and pulled out the stuck hair within seconds. If you're looking for a good ENT doctor, I highly recommend Dr. Balaker. read more

I really like Dr. Balaker. I have suffered from Sinus issues for years and she is the first doctor that is taking a healing approach I can do instead of telling me I need surgery. She took her time with me, layed out a pro active healing plan and I left feeling that she really cares and wants to help. read more

I have seen several doctors for a complicated problem, having had multiple diagnoses, and Dr. Balaker was the first to actually listen carefully and provide what was ultimately the correct diagnosis. She's very smart and has a wonderful bedside manner. I wish I had found her sooner so I could have gotten treated for the correct diagnosis much earlier. I would not hesitate to recommend her. read more

She is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend her. And the office staff were very friendly too.

Very thorough, professional, kind. Got me underway with appropriate tests quickly. Feel like I'm in good hands.

Very personable, listened well and didn't rush. She gave me quality time and I trusted her suggestions!

5 star no question. I had a surgery and everything is working great.

My mother (92 years) is suffering with intense pain on the right side of her face. Dr Balaker ordered a CAT scan and told us tgere was a sinus infection on that side and treated her with a bout of antibiotics. we came back after a month because she still had pain. Dr Balaker ordered a new CAT scan of her face to check for changes and we had it done on 10/14. I schedule a new appointment to see Dr B about the latest scan results. her office called ne on the day of the appoubtment (11/1) to tell me the doctor could mot see her due to an emergency. So we re-scheduled for next day in the morning. Then I got another call from the doctor's assistant to tell me that my mom had a tooth infection that was travelibg upwards to the sinus and we should see a dentist instead. It seems like doctor Balaker did not look at the scans until it was time for the apointment. Basically she let over a month pass before telling us this diagnosis. She let my mom's infection progress and the pain remain for all this time. I find this as very poor care. Not going back this dictor. read more

Office visit was prompt, efficient and thorough. All concerns addressed with comprehensive explanations.

Dr Balaker is good but haven't been receiving proper response from her assistance . It has been more than 10 days that the appointment is done and the prescription has not been sent to my doctor nor to the pharmacy. I have been calling almost every alternate day but no one responds. Response is being received only if we need new appointments. Totally disappointed on this part.I would be happy if i get my prescription sent at the earliest. read more

Dr Balaker and her staff were great! Very professional yet caring. I was having a surgical procedure done on my throat and was nervous. I felt at ease with them because they were so kind and everything was explained to me in laymen's terms. I was so impressed that I took cookies to the surgery center the next day to show my appreciation! read more

My appointment with Dr. Ashley Balaker went well. She was on time, professional (yet friendly), and informative. Her staff was great as well. read more

Dr. Balaker was able to explain the upcoming surgery in a clear down to earth manner that was easy for me to understand. She was able to give me a series of options that allowed me to make my decision with comfort. read more

Went in for a CT temporal scan but was concerned with how much it was going to cost. I had called beforehand to ask about pricing, which the front desk told me I only had to pay for the office visit. I came in for the scan and Balaker gave me papers to sign about billing. I told her I called the front desk and they told me I only had to pay for an office visit and for her to confirm that. I explained if the front desk gave me wrong information and it was going to cost hundreds of dollars that I wouldn't be able to do the scan. She assured me I wasn't going to get a bill for anything and I just had to pay the office visit. Couple weeks later I got a bill for hundreds of dollars for the scan. I called and sent an email reiterating what she AND the front desk had previously told me and she replied back saying she didn't know what I was talking about and the front desk wouldn't say anything like that. I feel this is extremely scummy and very telling of how their office works, so I won't be coming back here again. read more