Provides outstanding services and very quick and very experienced in providing waxing. Also, I have used her for waxing while I was pregnant and she knew exactly what to do. I only go to Maria for waxing and it has been for several years now because I trust that she will always do a great job and provides outstanding customer service. read more

I've been going to Maria since she first opened up in Crystal City. I have nothing but good things to say about her. Maria is a wonderful person and very conscientious about her work. She is like family to me! I now get full body waxings and Maria is very patient with me and always checks to see if "i'm ok". As i read some of the other negative reviews one thing is consistent. Those folks are "gamesters" and are just looking to get something for nothing... The aphorism of "you get what you pay for" has never been more appropriate. Maria is just a small business owner trying to support herself and her family. I actually think Maria does not charge enough for the level of service she provides! Maria, don't let the dogs get you down! You're a wonderful lady and a wonderful esthetcian! I'll feel sad if you ever decide to relocate or retire but will always wish you well! read more

Ive been goin to Maria for years! She's amazing and her homemade sugar wax does wonders for ingrown hairs!

I love it here. Maria is so personalable. The sugar wax is much more tolerable, and it's perfect for those with sensitive skin.

I go here once a month and she does a good job. She will keep you entertained with her stories while you get your wax

Maria is the best! I had my first body wrap with her and I felt like a new person afterwards. Maria is really affirming and warm. She is willing to chat if you want or be quiet when you would like quiet. I also got a massage with her. She mixed some lomi lomi techniques (which I LOVE) into her deep tissue massage, and it was heaven. I wish I lived closer so I could go back more frequently. I highly recommend. read more

Great service and Maria is great. Started as a dare with my wife, I tried getting waxed. Once my wife noticed that I was not screaming like Steve Carell in 40-year old virgin she was curious to try it herself. We've been hooked ever since. Maria's method of sugar and honey is very unique and not as painful as wax. read more

You know when you're happily devoted to one company/person/lady for your personal (waxing) needs and they go off on vacation? Yes, it happens, every once in awhile. Oh wait, that's me. Because my amazing lady went away on vacation and this LivingSocial deal happened to pop up (I should've known better). Booked my appointment online 3 weeks beforehand (because I called during business hours and no one picked up). I got a call several days later late in the evening saying she was very apologetic but that she would be out of town the day of my scheduled date, BUT could see me the day before, the day after, or any day after. Really? You're going out of town for just one day? Here's a clue, block off those days and don't allow (new) clients to pick those dates. I'm sorry, just had to cancel my appointment and not even bother. If you're looking for a reputable consistent place, this doesn't seem like the place to go. They have lots of room for improvement though (i.e. hire a receptionist to pick up your phone or just pick up your phone, update your website, establish what dates you are really in business, etc.) *Don't try calling the business phone. They never pick up. What kind of business that means, I have no idea. read more

Today was my second and last visit to Maria's Home studio. While my first visit was wonderful aside from her not accepting my Spa and Wellness gift certificate (where she is registered...that's how I found her). However she did give me a special price to make up for the price inconvenience. Today, prior to showing up, I purchased her Yelp coupon. After my waxing I informed her I bought the Yelp and she immediately became hostile with me. She said it was for new customers only and I explained I did not realize that. I was hopeful she would understand my mistake but she refused to honor the deal so I ran to my car to get more cash all while being told if I can't afford her services don't come back! At that point I said now I understand your terrible reviews and I won't be coming back. While holding her payment, she then forces me out saying "you know what just leave!" I told her I don't understand why she was fussing with me about a coupon but now wants me to leave with zero payment. She angrily said "I'll take the stupid coupon!" and escorted me out. Aside from this encounter, Maria needs to work on many aspects of her service. Both times I've gone, I've had to knock numerous times and call just to be welcomed in. In addition, the cleanliness of the home studio needs some work. Needless to say despite the decent waxing, I won't be visiting Maria anymore. What a disappointment. read more

TL;DR You see that Yelp deal? Don't buy it. Don't go here. I first went to Maria Body Image when Maria was at a location off of King Street in Old Town. As you can see from the other reviews on here, she changes locations quite a lot. This was back in 2012 or 2013 -- there was a Groupon or a Living Social deal, I didn't have a lot of money, so I bought it and made the trek from where I was living at the time in 16th Street Heights in DC. I don't remember much of the experience but I thought she was fine. I continued my one-off use of Groupons/other deals over the next few years, so I was going to different waxers in and around DC based on where the deal was. As a result of that one visit, my email address ended up on Maria's mailing list, and she actually became active with it in 2015 or so. I got an email from her with a PayPal deal offer -- three Brazilian waxes for $99. Basically, it's her using her own PayPal account to create this offer, with a limit on the number that can be purchased. I had previously tried to buy one that sold out before I got it, so I jumped on the new one and paid the $99. I scheduled my first visit with her for February 2016. Maria had changed her location to Del Ray, which is a short bus ride from the Braddock Road metro station, but it's a hassle to have to transfer from the metro to the bus and hope that you don't end up waiting for 20+ minutes. I liked the new studio and the neighborhood, but the trek involved definitely made me less eager to go there for my 2nd and 3rd waxes. Also, I was trying to stretch out my use of the 3 waxes. When I went to see her and she knew that it had been more than 3 months since my previous wax, she gave me a really hard time about it. Every time I winced in pain from the wax, she said, "You know if you come more often, it won't hurt like that." Look, I have been getting waxes for a long time. I know that you should get it done every 6 weeks. I wish I had the disposable income to do that, but I don't, and so I will suck it up and wince in pain a little when I come back less frequently than is ideal. It really annoyed me that Maria said this to me multiple times a session, every single time I went. It made me dread going back because I knew another lecture on the frequency of my waxes would be the feature of the 20-minute session with her. As other reviewers have noted, her professionalism has really suffered. Her room is at the end of a hallway that is shared with other small businesspeople, including a therapist and some kind of energy practitioner. The door of her waxing space opens directly into this hallway -- and yet there is NO screen between the door and where you are sitting on the table with your pants off. Maria does not hesitate to go in and out of the door without checking to make sure no one is standing on the other side. The doors are thin, so maybe she assumes that she would hear anyone in the hallway -- but it made me so uncomfortable to have the door opened again and again, knowing that I would be visible to anyone who stuck their head around the corner and looked down the hallway or walked up from the steps at the opposite end. And because the doors are thin, I have also heard Maria on personal phone calls while I waited on the little bench in the hallway. She saw me in the hallway, noted that I was on time for my appointment, and then went back in the room to place a personal call that I was not comfortable hearing in that much detail. I want to point out that one reviewer on here claims that negative reviews for Maria are only as a result of issues with Groupon/other deals. Not so. I haven't had any issues with the deals I used to see her (with the PayPal deal, she kept track herself of the number of times I used it). My review is negative because I had a negative experience with her as a service provider and business owner. I was so happy when I finally used the last of my three waxes and knew that I would not have to go back to Maria Body Image Studio again. Her waxing itself is fine and I have nothing to say against her technique or cleanliness of the space and tools. But her (lack of) professionalism, her manner with customers, and the inconvenience of getting there are sufficient for me to say good riddance. read more

Do not go here. She either isn't well informed about the process of hair removal (as she states) or she cares more about money. I went in a few months ago for a Brazilian sugaring. This was my first time sugaring and had no idea what to expect. I now realize, after speaking to other reputable companies, that essentially everything that happened at the appointment is not how it should be. First. She did not wear gloves. Even though it was before COVID, I think it's dirty to not to wear gloves, even if you do say your hands are washed. Second. She didn't use any talc-free powder. I now understand this helps the sugar to not adhere too much to the skin and solely to the hair. This makes more sense as to why it hurt so much and why I was swollen and in pain for days. I do realize your first time is supposed to hurt, but again, I was in pain and swollen for days and no amount of ibuprofen or aloe Vera helped. Third. The last time I shaved was 9 days prior. She asked and I answered honestly. She said it was fine and that we can continue. I now know that you have to wait a minimum of 3 weeks before you can sugar so as not to cause breakage, damage, or ingrowns. I have never had an ingrown before and for months afterwards I had extremely painful ingrowns (luckily now I go somewhere else and they're helping me with that) . Fourth. She was constantly warming the sugar. She told me this is how it is. I now know that you should never constantly use hot sugar on the body. Warm is fine, but to constantly heat up the sugar is damaging to the skin and follicles. Fifth. I was bleeding a lot. She said this was normal because it was my first time and because of the type of hair I have. All businesses I have reached out to, without telling them a back story of why I'm asking, tell me that you should never bleed. Bleeding means that the hair is too short and that breakage is occurring and that pores are being damaged. If there is blood you should immediately stop. I really regret coming here. It made me scared to get sugared again. Luckily I go somewhere else now where they have helped me get rid of my issues. I allowed myself to wait 3 months (which is like starting from square one in sugaring terms) and did not have any of the above issues after my first appointment. It hurt during and even about 20 minutes after. But nothing like at this place. Maria does not seem to care about her patients at all. All she cares about is getting paid, even at the expense of her customer's well being. read more

I was a faithful client dating back to 2012. Maria does an excellent job with waxing, no complaints there. My issue with Maria is she needs customer service training ASAP! She can be very nasty and rude to her paying customers. I refuse to give a business my money if they're going to be rude to me. With that being said, I won't be back. There are plenty of business (small businesses is what I prefer to support.) in the area that provides excellent customer service. Because I want to see other women win, I really hope that Maria sees this review and finds it fit to take classes to improve customer service skills. It will definitely take you a long way. I really hope you improve so you can grow your business. read more

I really loved this experience. It was my first time going to Maria for a service and I cannot say enough good things. You can tell she had read the reviews and responded in kind to the concerns. For example, she now has a screen that blocks the door, and she was very sensitive about making sure I felt covered and my privacy protected. The space was very clean, the service was prompt, she was very sweet, and the Brazilian was almost painless. I will definitely go back! read more

Love Maria!!! So friendly and personable and she always does a great job. I have gone to many places in the dmv area and none do a great job like Maria does. I haven't been brave enough to see her during lockdown but I've gotten a gift card just to help out. Can't imagine going to anyone else. You won't regret going to her. read more

Sugaring with Maria is the only way to go! Maria's method of sugaring is painless, quick and clean. I've been going to Maria for several years and here are my tips: 1.) Before your appointment, make sure that you have the most recent office address. Over the past few years, Maria has moved to different offices in the Alexandria-area because of the high rent. But she's a small business owner, so I deal with it. 2.) Take an ibuprofen prior to the appointment. 3.) Be flexible with your schedule. Arrive early in case you need more time to find parking or the office. Don't overschedule because you may not want to do (or wear) something immediately after sugaring. 4.) Don't use the Living Social/GroupOn/Amazon deals. It's not worth the discount, and most of the negative reviews are related to that...not the quality of service. 5.) Tip in cash. (And the standard 15-20% tip is based on the ACTUAL cost of service...not the discounted internet deal!) read more

Maria is awesome. She was very patient with me. I felt comfortable in the room. The place was clean and cozy. Even when she was booked for the weekend she found a way to squeeze me in for a appointment. The price is great. Thanks Maria read more

Maria is wonderful, she did my first every Brazilian wax and let me tell you she made me feel so relaxed and comfortable. I've been to her store front and at home studio. Maria takes her time and makes sure she leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. read more

I think Maria is amazing... I have been going to her every month for a few months now. The waxing is painless and she does a great job!

Amazing service! Maria is so nice and makes you feel so comfortable. Would totally recommend her! And goes an excellent job

Why I am no longer a client and will not be again: My experience with Maria began back in 2009/2010, initially for sugaring services. At that time her business was conducted in her Crystal City apartment in a small room dedicated to clients. She was cordial, professional and skilled at sugaring. Then, she moved to her current location in Alexandria where the atmosphere was not as laid-back. The reason for the change was that Maria was in the process of growing her expanding business, which I understood so I let meager service slide. I continued to see her quite regularly for sugaring services, which I was always quite satisfied with. At the end or 2011/beg of 2012, I started to see Maria for eyelash extensions in addition to an occasional sugaring. During this time she had revamped her marketing efforts and it seemed to be working as she was increasingly busy and hiring staff. Maria was my first eyelash stylist for individual extensions and I was impressed with the look and low maintenance. In hindsight, I realize that Maria's lash styling was okay and she certainly did not use quality products or techniques. For example, she would place regular paper tape under my eyes instead of moisturizing pads. In mid 2012, I went to get yet another lash refill and Maria was frantic and behind schedule. After waiting for some time, she had an employee take me to a room. I wasn't sure if the employee spoke English because she was communicating to Maria in Spanish. It quickly became clear to me that this woman did not know English and could not understand what I wanted out of the service. Moreover, it was also evident that she had no clue what she was doing let alone a certification for lash styling. I am certain that I did not let that lady continue to work on me and if memory serves me well, Maria either told me to come back to get the lashes done or she did do the lashes but not the sugaring I had scheduled afterward. Either way I was terribly upset she stuck a loyal client with someone who had no idea what they were doing and couldn't even communicate with me for such a delicate service. When I called to reschedule the service that was not performed, she advised me to go online. This was straw that broke the camel's back. I already felt so demeaned that she put me in such a precarious situation for the lash service and instead of making up for it to a loyal client by fitting them in or taking an appointment over the phone, she just directed me to go online. If this sounds too harsh for a one time slip up, please recall I said earlier that I tolerated a lot of sub par service issues. Not only was her scheduling and timing becoming more inconsistent but her professionalism in general was on a decline. It's hard to explain but I no longer felt I was being treated like a client, and not a friend either, almost like a family member that she was comfortable with and had to do a favor for. Services would be interrupted by her leaving the room or yelling to someone, she would get into too many details of her personal life, criticize her employees, etc. Most of the time I felt sorry for her and how many stresses she had so I didn't hold it against her and continued to give her my business because truthfully she was fairly skilled and creative. Ultimately though, the time came that I felt I was no longer getting what I was paying for and didn't feel my business, time or loyalty meant anything to Maria. I never did find a replacement go-to for sugaring since I know how to wax myself. However, I I am in the market for a Brazilian and since I am still on Maria's email list, I considered trying her again knowing she now has a Tysons location, which is convenient for me. I called and began to say that I wanted a Brazilian and had received an email, when she cut me off and said, "yeah it's no longer available". I asked if she had any current promotions and she quickly retaliated, "no". I did not identify myself as a past client and could not believe someone would be so brash to a potential new client. I do realize that she probably receives countless calls like this a day but that's no excuse when she could hire a receptionist to be accommodating and friendly to gain and keep business. I gave 2 stars because Maria does a decent job but I would not recommend Maria's Body Image Studio. read more

TL;DR I just want to emphasize that this place isn't worth it, even without the coupon and the below incident. I don't know where the shining reviews came from, but I feel as if there's some exaggeration. Waxing, they're ok at best, if not unmemorable. I've done many a waxing and let me just say, this was perhaps the second worst experience I've had waxing-wise and THE WORST experience I've had, customer service-wise. I had my first foray at Maria Body Image Studio in the spring of 2014 at their Alexandria location. I don't remember much about the appointment, just that I had made it because of the amazing reviews on Yelp. Fast forward to last winter, I see a deal go up on Amazon Local. I'm excited because again, I remembered Maria Body Image had great reviews on Yelp, not realizing that I had already been a customer at their Alexandria location. I go ahead and buy a two visit voucher for their Tysons location. I want to emphasize that no where on the voucher does it state for New Customers Only. There's wording for one voucher per customer, per transaction, ect, but no limitations on returning customers who had NOT used a coupon of any sort. That's the kind of thing I look out for. I had been burned once (bought two coupons from different vendors, used them at the same location, then got called out) and decided never again. There was no mention of limitations to new customers only, and if even there was, one could argue that I had never been to the Tysons location and therefore was a new customer. Anyways, I digress. I book my first appointment for the Tysons location online. I later receive a call asking to reschedule, which I do - no problem. When I show up, the place is hard to find. It's actually in the back of the building and shares a space with a salon. There is no advertisement for Maria Body Image that is noticeable in the front, so you have to hunt for it. When I finally get to the appointment, the waxer (perhaps it was Maria?) was very friendly. I strip down and she gets to business. It. was. so. painful. Perhaps it was her style. She kept doing patches at a time, rather than the one long pull that I was familiar with on other appointments I've made around town. When it was finished, I was satisfied with the work but not blown away. I've had better and worse with far less pain. Come time for the second appointment, I dawdle a bit because I remembered how bad the experience was. However I had one more appointment that's set to expire in May and damn it to hell if I throw away money like that. I call, as instructed clearly on the voucher, but was told that I had to make appointments online. Ooookay. Again. No problem. So I make the appointment for the next day. At 9:48pm, I received an email stating that my voucher will no longer be honored as I was a repeat customer. I may come, but I would have to pay the full price of the waxing. I'm thinking, OH HELL NO. I would never pay full price, in fact, was even reluctant to go at a discount, on the waxing job alone.I'm working with Amazon Local to get a partial refund. So far, they've been responsive and are working with me to resolve the issue. read more

Unfortunately, my experience with Maria wasn't that great. She used to have Nora working for her who did a decent job. It's such an embarrassment for customer to ask Maria where to wax and where not when you precisely requested full Brazilian. Sorry! Maria is nice person though. read more

I received a promotional e-mail saying Maria was moving to another location in D.C. and scheduled the appointment. On the day of the appointment, I drove all the way out to Georgetown and the address she gave in the e-mail was incorrect and the people had never even heard of her. I tried calling Maria several times and left a voicemail and I got no answer nor did I receive a call back. I normally don't write reviews but this was HORRIBLE customer service as I scheduled that appointment 2 weeks prior. If there was a location change she could have easily called and let me know. I will not be going back to her ever again! read more

Sugaring is thorough, fast and nearly painless (recommend an Advil beforehand if you're super-sensitive). Maria always does a great job!

I have been a client of Maria's for over six years and am very happy with her services. I suspect that there is more to the story on any negative reviews she has received on this site. One-sided reviews from customers who are trying to game the system by using vouchers they are not eligible for (i.e., a repeat customer who attempts to use a voucher meant only for first-time customers, and then becoming angry when the voucher is refused) are unfair. If one of your customers attempted to negatively affect your livelihood in a similar fashion, you wouldn't allow it either. Small business owners need to be patronized and supported--not slammed because a customer didn't get everything on their terms. read more

I have been seeing Maria for back waxing for a few years now and I have had nothing but good experiences. She is very professional, does excellent work, and is a very nice person. read more

I love Maria! I have been coming here for over 3 years and have never had an unpleasant experience. She is kind, patient & knowledgeable about waxing. She makes you feel comfortable & at ease. Aside from that she has great conversation! I would recommend her to anyone in a heartbeat! read more