I came across their facial services through a Groupon which offered them at a 50% discount. Their website looked professional and it was easy to schedule an appointment over the phone, so I thought things were going to go smoothly. I was sorely mistaken.
The first hiccup was the Groupon itself. It mentioned "Bellaesthetic by Thesiger Plastic Surgery" and provided the address you see listed here on Yelp. When I arrived to the office I saw no mention of "Bellaesthetic" or "Thesiger." I only saw a sign with Dr. Tavallali's name and a laser center (I uploaded a photo).
I was confused because the addresses matched, so when I went inside I asked the receptionist if I was at the correct office. I even handed her the Groupon. She briefly glanced at it and told me I should have gone to their Chevy Chase, MD office. I informed her that the address listed on the Groupon was off of Boone Blvd and also mentioned my appointment. She looked again (this time actually reading the paper) and went to speak with the esthetician. The esthetician came over, asked my name to confirm the appointment, and then handed me a stack of forms to fill out.
The main focus of the forms was medical (history, primary physician, etc), but I was only there for a facial so I just filled out the skin related questions keeping everything else blank. I've never had any other Spa or MedSpa ask for so much info for a simple skin treatment. Once I was done, she whisked me away to her room to get started.
The room itself left a lot to be desired. Clinical is the best way I could describe it. Bright fluorescent lights, a table that barely fit my six foot frame (my feet dangled a bit over the edge), and there was not a single ounce of soothing or relaxing elements within it. The walls were paper thin to boot. Her room was right by the waiting room, so I heard every door close and conversation out there. I also heard (in startling clarity) the conversation of a patient in the next room, from her scar concerns to the doctor's description of treatment options. The lack of privacy is frightening.
The esthetician herself wasn't much better. Her bedside manner was horrible. I'm not sure if it was because of the language barrier (her accent was thick and she sometimes had trouble speaking) or because she was constantly trying to upsell me. The facial itself was like taking your car to Jiffy Lube - it was serviceable, but you're not going to rave to anyone about the quality.
When it was finally over I went back to the front desk to see if I needed to sign anything else or what options they had for me to leave a tip. The esthetician got behind the desk (the receptionist was nowhere to be found) and asked me in a passive-aggressive tone, "what else do you need?" I assume she was upset at my lack of interest in all the additional services she tried to sell me, so I promptly responded "nothing!" and left the place.
I won't go back for any of their skin treatments, won't recommend the place to anyone, and will warn any potential patients about the paper thin walls. read more