WARNING!
I never imagined I’d be writing a review like this, but I feel a responsibility to share what happened to me at Indulgence Med Spa so that no woman ever goes through what I had to.
I went in for (what should have been) a routine laser hair removal appointment. Instead, I left in agonizing pain with severe, second-degree burns all over my legs. Within hours, my legs were burning, blistering, scabbing, itching, and there was raw skin exposed.
I'd like to preface with the fact I had gone to get 10 laser hair removal sessions at multiple different med spas before this incident, without ever facing any issue. I also do not have "sensitive" skin.
After seeing my legs for the first time, the laser technician immediately started crying in front of me and looked mortified. She referred me to the owner, Anu, who also teared up and said she couldn’t imagine something like this happening to her daughter. I thought they had empathy, but unfortunately, I was wrong.
As an insincere apology, the spa offered me an ointment and red light therapy sessions, but the reality was that I was the one dealing with the physical damage, the emotional toll, and the financial burden of trying to heal. Not to mention this forced me to commute back into the med spa, incur additional transportation costs, use PTO, and constantly be reminded of the incident. I had to beg for weeks to get a simple refund on the appointment, to the point my mother had to get involved because she was so livid with their lack of accountability. They gaslit me for months, saying "it will be better in two weeks", "it will be healed in a month", "it will be gone next time you come in". It is almost two years (and thousands of dollars) later and I am still not fully healed.
The laser technician was undertrained. The laser machine ran out of coolant and beeped the entire appointment, but she still continued my treatment. I was told that the technician who performed the treatment had been let go, but I later learned from others that she was still working there. I even saw her there myself when I came in for a rescheduled red-light appointment, which confirmed they were lying about letting her go and just scheduling her when I wasn’t coming in.
The months that followed were some of the hardest I’ve experienced physically and emotionally. I spent thousands of dollars out of pocket on dermatology visits, prescription creams, healing products, and treatments trying to repair the damage.
I am not someone who cries easily, but for months I cried every single day. When I looked in the mirror or caught a glimpse of my legs. When I thought about the possibility of these scars being here on my wedding day, or what I would have to tell my kids when they asked me why my legs looked different. One day at the gym, someone actually asked me if I was a burn victim. I can’t describe how humiliating that felt. This also led to further expenses, as I had to buy more clothing to cover my legs because I was so embarrassed.
I eventually explored legal options — something I had never done before in my life — because of how serious the injury and expenses were. My attorneys attempted to contact the spa multiple times, but their outreach went unanswered, confirming their lack of pity or sympathy.
I looked into some of their other reviews, and unfortunately, it seems like this has happened to a lot of people - not just me.
This entire experience left me feeling drained, embarrassed, and ignored. A cosmetic treatment that was supposed to improve my confidence instead left me dealing with over a year physical healing and emotional distress. There are so many great, ethical med spas in the area run by trustworthy staff. Please do your research and give one of them the business instead.