Carol used to do laser tattoo removal which was good. Black is all gone. Now Genevieve her assistant removes tattoos but is inexperienced. I still had some other colors left and Genevieve lasered it which left hyper pigmentation, dark bruising still there for 2 months making my tattoo look darker and red blood spots still there after 2 months. Also, Genevieve looks nervous which doesn't leave me any confidence about her skills bc she had to text carol my tattoo to ask which setting on the machine for my tattoo. I will never come back after the damage to my skin. I am going to pay more at a real doctors office instead. Do not go for color removal. Only black ink removal. read more

I've been wanting to remove a few of my tattoos, but i've seen some many people with bad results. Either their skin looked as if it was burned or with bad scars. Luckily I've found Carol. Most of all my husband's thrilled to see my ex's name off my arm. Thanks Carol, your great. read more

Highly recommend, extremely courteous and a great price. I'll be going back. Everything was done in about 30 minutes.

Great customer service, very kind and courteous. I had a tattoo on my neck and forearms removed from smooth. in total, i've had 11 sessions on my neck and i'm satisfied with the results. Carol is wonderful. She is extremely patient, easy to talk to and down to earth. The pricing is very reasonable, she works with you. A+. They've been in the business for a long time, and she knows what she's doing. Highly recommend Mobeen read more

Good luck finding a better place and a better expert for effective, affordable and almost fun tattoo removal. After a horrendous mistake I thought I would be staring at for the rest of my life, Carol has been a lifesaver with simply the best lasers you could possibly use for tattoo removal. I have a lot of sessions left but I understand the price that comes with removing a tattoo as complex as mine and I am realistic about how many sessions this could potentially take. I'm just glad all of my money and pain is being completely rewarded with ink disappearing from my skin. read more

I've been coming to Carol for about 3 or 4 years now. I've coming once or twice a year to slowly remove a tattoo, , and she is amazing. She's professional, and also...she's funny and kind. Tattoo removal is not the most pleasant thing, but she makes it as nice as it could possibly be. I think this year could be the year the tattoo is only a memory! Thanks Carol! read more

Wen i first went to smooth fr my hair removal i must say it was like love at first sight,,,I walked in wit a beard ,sideburns n more,,,Ketriana and Carol make me feel and look so amazing ,,,I have lived wit embarssmet n shame for years because of the way i looked but Smooth hair removal changed the way i looked n feel about myself,,im more confident now dan i did before,,,So i highly recommend SMOOTH HAIR REMOVAL,,,,,So i thank u again Carol,,, read more

Smooth Is by far the best tattoo / hair removal place on our lovely island. Best of all ...it is much less expensive than the competition. Professional, yet laid back the technician manages to make you laugh during the process. I had a tattoo: GONE! Had hair in many unwelcome places: GONE! Some unattractive moles: GONE too. It definitively took a few sessions, but it was so worth it. This is a small business that deserved its good reputation...and that ought to be patronized. Cherry on the cake: Super conveniently located in the heart of Midtown, around the corner from the 4 train @ 59th St. & Lex. Advise: start your hair removal process in the fall or winter ...because it works better on a "tan free skin" = ) read more

I went to Carol a few years ago for tattoo removal on my leg. Overall I was happy with the procedure. My tattoo that was on my leg just looks like a light bruise now. When I cover it with a little concealer you can't even tell it was there. I was supposed to go for around 3 more sessions, but opted to stop after 4 bc the procedure is very painful- she does give you pain cream though which helped a lot. My tattoo was on the smaller side, so it was around 175 per session. I went to a plastic surgeon before hand for one session and it was around $500 per session and it looked like they were using the same laser and it was even more painful bc they didn't use cold blast. I have heard that when plastic surgeons do this procedure they use less of a frequency w/ the laser and do the removal at a slower speed and also make sure your appointments are further apart to prevent lots of scar tissue. I do notice I have some scar tissue, but it's nothing concealer won't help. I recommend this place for tattoo removal, but im not so sure about facial procedures. As far as the bad reviews go down below, I personally wouldn't just trust anyone w/ my face unless they were a highly recommended board certified plastic surgeon. read more

I concur with BOTH reviews written on 3/21/2011. I will try to keep this as short as possible, as I don't wish to spend any more time or energy on this place (bad enough I spent so much money there too), but in a nutshell, I went to this place based on reviews (It's hard to go off of personal recommendations because how many people do you personally know who have had tattoos removed?), and could not have been more disappointed. after a few treatments, i started noticing scarring and white dots where she had been applying the laser. she told me they would go away (why wouldn't i trust her?--she shows you *dozens* of albums with before and after pictures of vanishing tattoos)....and needless to say, 2 years later, people actually think i have a WHITE TATTOO on my arm. the scars have not even faded. i'm writing this review two years later because i have just made an appointment in hopes (but is it hopeless?) to repair her disaster of a job and realized i never wrote a review. (i was too angry to write one back then. and that also goes to show that it is mostly the people who are happy with their experience who write reviews. next time i'll know better. and now i'm trying to help YOU.). this is no joke, people...it's your body so think hard before you go to this place. yes, she might have had success stories (from luck, as i see it), but her work is one-dimensional and she does NOT know varying skin types or how to work with skin of color. she didn't even think to stop when we started noticing white scarring/hypopigmentation, and NEVER took any responsibility, nor did she discuss an alternate treatment plan. please...go to someone who is qualified. pay more if necessary. otherwise, after having spent money on your regretted tattoo, you will spend too much money to remove it, and will have to spend even more money to fix the damage from the removal. so much for keeping that short. too much to say. ah well. good luck... read more

Carol is extremely nice and professional. She makes the removal experience so delightful. Her machines are state of the art and her office is clean and comfortable. I would recommend anyone contemplating on getting a tattoo removed to go see Carol for her expert advice and service. I am very pleased with my progress! read more

I have gone to Carol 5x so far for a small tattoo removal, it is a lengthy process but definitely works! Carol is very professional, accommodating with scheduling appointments, and talks you through the process. Definitely use numbing cream prior to appointment. Very likely to recommend to others! read more

If you stumbled across this page because you're curious about how to get rid of that nagging mistake you committed to years ago, you found the right place. When I found Carol's office, it was a revelation. I thought laser tattoo removal would be too expensive for someone like me to afford. Smooth is not only affordable, but Carol is highly knowledgeable about what she does. The location is convenient and she'll do whatever she can to work around your schedule. You just can't beat it. Stop letting that tattoo bother you every day and take care of it now. read more

Smooth is amazing! I had a large sun spot and after one laser treatment it went away. Prices are very affordable and it is a very professional place! read more

After my second treatment, I decided to seek another opinion on my (now) very scarred tattoo. Everyone that saw my pictures immediately called me asking WHO did that to my skin! Apparently no one else in the industry advises on doing treatments in two-three week intervals. No wonder my skin was damaged. Glad she was completely rude to me for rescheduling, prompting me to look elsewhere. I would have never known. Beware of people who are laser happy. People like me who have no knowledge of the field would agree to anyone who sounds good. read more

I had my tattoo removed by Carol. She carefully explained how painful it could be and that there is a risk that the entire tattoo might not be fully removed. Lucky for me it was completely removed. While it did hurt, Carol was gentle and knowledgeable about what she was doing and I am so happy when I look at that spot and see that my mistake is gone. I would highly recommend going to Carol. read more

Let me preface this review by saying I have not yet been to this establishment, and first and most likely ONLY experience with Smooth will have been via telephone. I called in for some general information and to speak with a knowledgeable professional, and instead got a seemingly irritable receptionist who did not seem very interested in having an in depth conversation with a potential client. The best response I received was "I don't know", was curtly put on hold in the middle of our "conversation" (which was mostly one-sided), and was spoken to with a tone of disinterest. Carol, if you want to save your business, I highly suggest you find better staff. Shame, because with the amazing reviews on Yelp, I would have love to get my tattoo removed here! read more

I had a tattoo the size of a quarter on my wrist. In our first session, Carol took her time to explain the process in detail; She said it will take time and patience and even some pain to remove it, and there was going to be blood and scabbing in between. I understood clearly that there was a possibility I might have a slight scar or discoloration after completing the series of over 10 treatments. Carol showed me dozens of before and after photos some of which had slight scars and that was a risk I was more than willing to take. I gladly signed a consent form which clearly mentioned scaring as a possibility. She also explained to me that, in order to completely remove the tattoo, the laser needs to be set to the maximum energy several times because otherwise the deepest ink will NEVER come out. I am grateful that I understood this fully and wasn't misled by any unrealistic promises of it coming out faster or easier. Carol was true to her word. It took me over a year to remove it and I definitely felt some pain and I experienced scabbing. I was in her office once a month every month, and had to take good care of my healing scabs in between. It took me over a year to get rid of it, but it was all well worth it as it IS completely gone! My tattoo was brand new and solid black. Going through the rest of my life with this highly visible tattoo on my wrist would have felt dreadful every day. Having a small scar or discoloration in that area would not have been traumatic in the least bit so the decision was easy for me to make. I felt safe and comfortable with Carol 100 percent of the time. If you're looking for a quick fix, laser is not the way to go. But if you are willing to be patient and follow Carol's instructions well, you will see desirable results. read more

Carol is just awesome. Sweet, professional, knowledgeable, honest, friendly, and great at what she does. I came in to ask some questions before I booked an appointment and she took the time to sit with me and answer all my questions as well as give me an honest and thorough consultation. I have had one session so far and there such a huge difference in my tattoo already that I'm confident this will be a relatively fast and easy removal. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE follow her instructions and get the numbing cream- laser tattoo removal hurts!!! but you can literally make it (mostly) painless by using the numbing cream about 2-3 hours before your session and taking ibuprofen/aspirin, like Carol suggests. If you don't, it will really really hurt and you'll probably never want to come back, so why not make this experience as painless as possible for yourself? The location is great, the office is super clean, Carol's work gets serious results, and the price is right- what more can you ask for?? read more

Carol is attentive and patient. She doesn't try to rush the process and was very caring. I've gotten laser treatments several times prior to going to Carol, and she's by far the best and even followed up with me later in the day to make sure I was ok. Highly recommend her. read more

I found Carol to be personable, professional and knowledgeable. We sat together and she explained the whole process to me and made it very clear what progress I can except. I appreciate the fact that she didn't sugarcoat things. I'm committed to a year of monthly laser treatments and the evidence in her photo albums suggest that they will be successful. Smooth laser was recommended to me by one of the best tattoo artists in the city, Chris O'Donnell. Chris is a good friend and someone I trust completely when it comes to anything relating to tattoos. I was also really impressed with Carol's attitude and down-to-earth personality. She understands that tattoo removal is a slightly sensitive issue. She understands that the reason why we got the tattoos we did are sometimes not pleasant to remember. I'm not sure what to think about the extremely negative review on this site. The length and tone of the review itself suggests that woman would have a bad experience wherever she went. It looks like she got her husband to write a further bad review seeing as the first letter of both surnames is "S". Either way, tattoo remove is serious process and should be taken so. Visit Carol and make a decision based on a face-to-face conversation. Maybe this is best, maybe it always is. read more

I got a small tattoo removed. Carol did a great job. She was thoughtful, really nice, and set a fair price. I would highly recommend Smooth. read more

I am currently going to Smooth to get a very large STAR tattoo on my right shoulder removed. I have completed my third treatment and I am very optimistic of my results thus far. Carol is amazingly personable and makes the session fly by with wit and wisdom. My tattoo is visibly fading with each treatment. Carol made me aware of the pro's and con's of the procedure and i dived into the sessions with my eyes open. There is a process that goes with the healing of such procedures, so you have to have an open mind and know that it is a step by step process which begs of you to have a positive mind set. I am very excited and grateful to be able to remove a mistake i put on myself years ago. I will keep you posted on my success. read more

I highly recommend smooth laser for any tatto removed.great prices and personal service the doctor and staff are very supportive and well reformed. read more

Carol is fantastic. I spent over a year and over $1000 at another spa to have a tattoo removed, with little progress to show for it. I switched to Carol, who uses a stronger laser and has made more progress in my 4 visits than twice that many at the last place. I highly recommend her. She is straightforward about how many treatments she expects the removal to take, and so far she's been right on point. She is even able to remove green ink!! read more

I currently going to Smooth to get treatment from Carol for tattoo removal. The tattoo is on my inner wrist and I have been there twice so far. After the first treatment there was a huge difference and yesterday was my second treatment and again amazing results. Of course, the treatment is painful; but Carol helps you through it and the treatment is finished before you know it. I recommend Smooth (& Carol) to everyone out there that thinks they have to live with a tattoo they don't want anymore - you don't and Carol can help you move on and make that permanent decision to get a tat not so permanent. Especially when it's your ex-husbands name!!! read more

i've been meaning to give my review on caroll and her services for a while now and finally am taking the time to put down my story. Around 2 years ago i got a tattoo on my arm in the wrist area below my hand where you check your pulse. The artist that gave me the tattoo didn't pay close attention to my directions and it came out way too big and ended up going around my entire wrist. There was also more black in the piece than i had expected. Long story short , i hated the tattoo, my boyfriend at the time hated the tattoo and it just looked like a big blob of a mess at the end of my arm. I started thinking that maybe i can try to get the tattoo removed before the ink really starts to set in. So next morning woke up and immediately made an appointment with carrol. She was recommended to me by my skin doctor friend that i go to for facials sometimes since he was aware for her many services using laser. I went into her office panicked. I was ready and willing to do whatever i had to do to get rid of that tattoo. I was willing to spend whatever kind of money i had to spend to start taking off the ink. After i explained to Carol how desperate i was to get rid of the tattoo the first thing she told me was that i have to wait atleast 30 days to start the process of tattoo removal and it wasn't going to do any good try now because whats done is done and you have to wait until the ink sets in first. Then she took a close look at the tattoo and i remember her saying "Ya know its really not bad at all. The tattoo actually has some brilliant detail to it and its actually a nice piece. you sure you wanna get rid of it?" She then went on to say that she see's awful looking, horribly done tattoos all the time that people are begging to get rid of and that my tattoo did not fall into the same category. She went on to say that she couldn't in her right mind put me through the pain and discomfort of starting laser treatment on the tattoo. She said due to the placement, and size of the tattoo it is also in a place where there is not a lot of circulation of the arm so the procedure would be "barbaric". She also pointed out that the aritst that placed the tattoo detailed everything with white (which turns black when hit with the laser) and would be impossible to remove so there would always be part of the tattoo existing. I truly respected her honestly. There i was , beyond desperate and pleading to get rid of a tattoo, practically having an anxiety attack. She was in a position in which could have totally taken advantage of me. God knows i would have dropped a lot of money right then and there if she told me she was ready to start working on it. Our conversation forced me to look at my tattoo differently and now i accutally like it. I will forever be grateful for her approach. Since then i have gone to carrol for laser hair removal. She always gives me a fair price and i'm very happy with the results. In the laser business whether its tattoo or hair removal , God knows there a lot of people that try to take advantage of you and your wallet. I'm very grateful that i found carrol and i would recommend her to anyone that asked me. read more

I went in to have some very annoying brown spots or "pigmented lesions" removed. I heard of Smooth through a friend of mine and then I looked at the before and after pictures on her website and I was sold. Carol O'Brian is the owner and does the treatments herself. She is very nice and her prices are very reasonable. The laser itself stings a little but not bad at all. The worst part is that you have to live with a dark brown, very thin scab on the area for almost a week BUT when it falls off, it's amazing. No brown spot. When I had my first treatment, the brown spots came back but after my second treatment, they were pretty much gone. My husband was amazed. Note that there is a $25 off coupon on her website for 1st time visits. I missed it but I don't feel bad because I am very happy with my results and she is very fair with her pricing. I just went in to have some more spots done and I can't wait to see what I look like after these spots fall off! read more

I can't say enough great things about Carol. I went to her to have a tattoo removed because of a recommendation of a friend (who had hair removal). I come to NYC often on business and am on my fourth treatment. I was really impressed how professional and detailed the original appointment was, especially since I had already decided to use her services. She went over the entire process and explained the various steps that would be necessary due to the multiple colors of ink. I had done a lot of research over the last few years and Carol never made any claims or suggestions that were not in line with what I had already learned. Even though I knew there was a possibility that the entire tattoo may not be removed I decided I really do need to try. Because I anticipated it hurting and that there was a possibility of scaring, I was a little nervous. I am so thrilled with the results. Carol made me feel so comfortable and relaxed. Yes, it hurt a little, but nowhere close to how much it hurt to get the tattoo. Having each step explained to me really helped with the nervousness and, by the time the second treatment was finished, my trust in Carol really made any apprehension disappear. My results are fabulous. Unless you know where to look, you can hardly see the original tattoo. I will probably only need one more visit for the tattoo. After that, I intend to continue going back to have a couple of skin bumps removed and a few "problem" hair areas addressed. read more

carol is awesome. she removed a tattoo on my arm ,i had two more ugly ones and she never tried to push me into spending more $. i never got the idea that she was fake in any way. she was incredibly informative and made me feel so comfortable throughthe whole process. and.. she is a great fun person to chat to keep your mind off of what is happening. not painful at all. definitely going back! oh and who really cares how fancy her office is or not just read the reviews!! read more