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Lavinia Borcau Skin Care
Category: Beauty and Spas Skin Care Skin Care [Edit]
29 Harvard StBrookline, MA 02445
Neighborhood: Brookline Village
(617) 734-5523
- Nearest Transit:
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Harvard St @ Pierce St (66)
Harvard St @ Linden St (66)
Harvard St @ Kent St (66)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 8 pm
Sat 9 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
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$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
If there's anything we've learned from fashion magazines and reality TV, it's that everyone loves a makeover. But trade Photoshop for everyday lighting… read more »
15 reviews for Lavinia Borcau Skin Care
15 reviews in English
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Review from Rose K.
New York, NY
Updated - 4/24/2009
Returned for another facial and brow shaping with Lavinia. It was amazing! She's such a pro. She added on the hydrating seaweed mask (also included a mini massage), which really does leave you with an afterglow. I was in a daze for about an hour after I left because I felt so relaxed.
I don't care much for the space itself (very sparsely decorated, thin walls, slightly gloomy bathroom), but I think that probably helps to keep her prices down and in a good location. I find it reassuring that my payment is going towards the quality of service and her products.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/2/2009
Lavinia is amazing. I've had a facial and brow shaping with her and will be returning. I'm also… Read more »
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Review from A. P.
Los Angeles, CA
12/3/2007
I have been getting plucked and waxed here for about a year. I go to other places in between trying to save money, but always wind up back at Lavinia Borcau, paying a lot for some very good hair removal services... However, had Lori at Mechanique not left the world of removing hair right around the time I discovered her, I would never have come back to LB.
Anyway, despite the (normal for Boston) high prices, LB provides AMAZING eyebrow shaping, and fantastic bikini waxes. They use hard wax, which I find to be about a million times less painful than the wax+strip combo and all of the staff seem to hail from the Eastern Bloc.
Now, you should know that one of my life rules is that one should try to be waxed only by eastern European women. They know what they are doing, they come, for the most part, from the land of hairy women. These women are no exception. They are tough, sympathetic, hygenic and capable of giving a lasting wax. Be aware that when they are done with your nethers they will spray them with rubbing alcohol. You will scream, and then you will fork over between $40 and $70 depending on how much bushwhacking you had done.
LB also offers barre method pilates and skin care...neither of which I have tried at this juncture. Though, I am planning a facial soon!Listed in: Why I will live in Brookline…, Lady Needs
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Review from Jeannie H.
Boston, MA
5/29/2010
I wish 0 stars was a choice.
1) I got a gift certificate that was expiring in one month. I made an appointment, confirmed it, and when I showed up, they told me I didn't have an appointment. When I asked to reschedule, they said their next available was....go figure...the day after my gift certificate expires. What a bunch of conniving jerks.
2) As the other part of my gift certificate, I had my legs waxed. They were double dipping in the pot of wax with the same stick. I assume they do that with their bikini waxes too. GROSS!
I am so done with this place! They should be reported as a health hazard.Comment from Lavinia B. of Lavinia Borcau Skin Care 6/9/2010
Thank you for your comment and we apologize for any… More » -
Review from Natalia T.
Newton, MA
5/3/2008
I had a facial with Irina (?) and I was not impressed. For the price that you pay, you can definetly get something better.
My friend used to work in the shoe store next door, and she said that all the women were crazy happy with Lavinia ... well, not me.
If you want to go for a relaxing afternoon, with lots of nice smells, have someone put some cream on your face and shell out 100 bucks, then this is your place.
If you want to see some results, there are MUCH better places out there
They concentrate more on your relaxation than on your face and treatment of your problems.
PS: they suggested I get some chemical peels (at age 22!!!!) and do them in the beginning of september (probably so I burn my face off and come back to them to fix it) -
Review from Laura C.
Medford, MA
5/27/2010
I got the groupon and went for the bikini wax and use of the sauna.
WORST WAX I have ever received. It was like the woman (forget her name) had never done one before. She kept going over the same areas at least, no exaggeration, 3 times. It took so much longer than it ever should have. (I've gone to places like Interludes Salon and Day Spa in Malden, where it has been quick, relatively painless, and easy, so I know its not me that was the problem) When I was finally out of there, they told me that they were using a new wax, which is why it took so long. Doesn't explain waxing the same spot 3 times. Awful.
It was painful, and I would never go back.Comment from Lavinia B. of Lavinia Borcau Skin Care 6/9/2010
Thanks for your comment and patronage. I'm terribly sorry… More » -
Review from V. t.
Cambridge, MA
2/8/2010
I went for a facial and i was not impressed at all. I let them know it was my first facial, there was little to no communication through out the process, people were chatting by the door about cleaning up, and they started to vacuum right outside the door while i was suppose to be relaxing with some kind of mask on my face, not the most relaxing atmosphere.
They made no comments or even asked any questions about skin, or told me what there were doing. -
Review from Jessica L.
Brighton, MA
4/6/2010
So, the first two times I went here, I had Irina, and I loved her. I loved her even though the walls are so thin you can hear crazy noises (people laughing, talking, running up and down the small hallway) outside. I loved her even though these noises were disturbing the peacefulness of my facial.
More recently, I had an awful experience and will never go back.
(1) I call and make an appointment with Irina. Great. They schedule it. I call the day of to confirm - with Irina. I call 10 minutes before to let them know I might be running 5 minutes late. "Who is your appt with?" the girl asks, "Irina." "Great. See you soon." I get there - Lavinia asks me - who you are here for? I say- Irina. Great, she smiles - she'll be right with me. Lavinia gets me settled into the room, and 5 minutes later, who walks in? Some woman named IRA, not Irina. Irina no longer works there.
I was really upset by this - it would not have upset me if the girl had just told me at the time of my booking - Irina no longer works here.
(2) I am their last appt that day, so through the ENTIRE facial, I hear crazy talking outside the door & movement back and forth, doors opening/closing, etc. Absolutely nothing relaxing at all. IRA actually tells me - oh yes, you are our last appt, so they are being noisy. Yeah, I waned to say - it's always like this - or at least close.
(3) She asks me what kind of facial I want. I ask for a rec. She tells me that I have normal (not too dry, not too oily) skin - so she recommends this Vitaminic High Frequency one - I say fine. She DOES NOT tell me it's more $$ than a normal facial. I then say - isn't there one with an extra long massage? She says yes - she'll give me the Vitaminic with a long massage. Fine.
(4) I am def irked that of all the $80/85 facials they have to offer, she gave me one that was $95 without mentioning the price to me.
(5) I am INCREDIBLY irked when I get home to read the description of the Vitaminic facial, I see that it is for VERY DRY skin. I do not have very dry skin - if anything, my skin is more oily than dry. And she told me - oh, you don't have dry skin, i will give you this facial . . . she clearly had no idea what kind of skin type that facial was for.
I will never go back. I wish I knew where Irina was working.
I've had great facials with Marianne Zula on Harvard Street near Coolidge Corner. I'm going back to her. (I only switched cuz my mother-in-law got me a gift card to Lavinia's.) -
Review from Jenny F.
Boston, MA
7/29/2007
This place is a gem! I made a last minute appointment for a lip wax & they fit me right in. My aesthetician was "Erma" or "Ema," -I can't remember her name exactly but she was an older woman with very short, curled blonde hair. She was wonderful, it was quick, painless & she treated the area w/ an electricity wand to close the pores & minimize redness. I have never looked so normal after getting a lip wax! And at $14 it was definitely worth paying a little extra for the extra special treatment.
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Review from Derek S.
Swampscott, MA
4/2/2009
As one of few male clients to the day spa, I was a little hesitant to try some of the treatments...however, the new line is creating quite a buzz and there's nothing else like it! The staff is friendly, knowledgable and attentive. Lavinia is very friendly and will certainly ease you through any reservations about the products/services Not to mention, the soap makes a great gift!!
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Review from Nicole B.
Burlington, MA
Updated - 5/4/2010
After talking with friends who know more about facials than I do, I've found out that I probaby had a bad reaction to the mud mask because they left it on WAY too long. You are not supposed to leave it more than 5-8 minutes. She was probably gone from the room for about 15-20 mins. That is why my skin got over dried out, extremely irritated and almost infected. I was very disappointed and I did not expect my skin to look worse after a facial than it did before. It is a good thing I tested this out many weeks before my wedding rather than the week before. I would have been devastated to have my skin in this shape at my wedding.
I am giving them the worst possible rating because being a salon, they should have known better. Take my advice: GO ELSEWHERE.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/5/2010
I went to Lavinia Borcau for a facial because of the discount deal on Buy With Me. I've always… Read more »
Comment from Lavinia B. of Lavinia Borcau Skin Care 5/10/2010
We try our best to provide ideal customer service to our… More » -
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Review from Amy R.
Brookline, MA
11/16/2009
I've been a client almost since the moment Lavinia opened her skin care clinic. For years, I have always had the best service and attention, but lately I've felt Lavinia has been a bit distracted. She sometimes leaves me during the treatment to check on something going on some place else in the salon. I know she's the owner, but I find this an interruption and unsettling. I also find that when we chat, she doesn't listen. This, too, is unsettling since I don't feel I have her attention.
I was disappointed in my last facial with Lavinia, not because it was bad, but because I felt her attention was elsewhere and for the first time ever with her, I felt as though she was running an assembly line. -
Review from Katie W.
Boston, MA
9/27/2008
great bikini wax with Erma! Quick, virtually painless, relaxing atmosphere and very clean. They use hard wax as well which I find much better than the strips. Highly recommend!
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Review from Danielle D.
Allston-Brighton, MA
11/7/2010
AWFUL customer service. Rude and racist technician, please read on.
I came here with a groupon for a brazilian wax a couple of months ago and will never return. For one they took me 20 minutes late, which wouldn't be so bad if that wasn't the original appointment time that I asked for. They made me book an earlier time, though, so I rushed to get my morning errands done, just so I could sit there and wait. I asked about the salon portion of the groupon, too, but was told that really doesn't go with a wax, they only put it on as advertisement that they have it.
Now for the horrifying experience, the wax:
I wouldn't have minded waiting so much, but during my wax the technician was extremely rude, unprofessional, and blatantly RACIST. As other yelpers have noted they talk to you during the whole thing, just don't make the mistake of admitting you've been to other salons. Even though the salon charges significantly more then the $30 I'm used to paying, I was intrigued by the European wax they use (it's put on very thick, hardens, and this is what they peel off, no strips) and was honestly considering coming back sometimes. This was before I was asked about my past experiences, though. This is when the conversation turned to a one way rant about how the industry is being ruined by such practices and, since yes my usual waxer is of Asian decent, all sorts or racial slurs about how their credentials can't be validated since they all look the same and how disgusting it is how many of them cram into one apartment. I'm sorry if it offends anyone that I wrote that, I'm not saying it's true, but that is literally what she said to me! I couldn't believe how blatantly racist she was or how completely unprofessional it was for her to be saying this to a first time customer. I didn't know how to react and was extremely uncomfortable.
Needless to say, she was not nearly as gentile during her rant as during the start of the wax and was less then polite when it was finally over. Mind you, I never insinuated that I wouldn't return and was honestly thinking of coming back at first despite the steep price. I had originally been asking questions about the wax they use since it's so different, that if she'd concentrated on what makes them better instead of ignorantly spewing racially offensive comments I might have returned.
Ignoring the customer service failures, I'd give the wax technique a 3.5. Not as thorough as I'm used to and more painful then I'd like, but that might have just been because she was ranting. Whichever way you look at it though, for the price they should be doing a better job with a MUCH better attitude. -
Review from A S.
Newton, MA
4/13/2009
Went here for a spa week facial. Perhaps it is a more pleasant experience for regular clients?
Natasha was so rough, I kept waiting for the relaxing portion to begin. There was little to no communication throughout. It all began with the press of a button where my raised bed flew downwards, prompting me to white knuckle the sides, she scrubbed to get off my mascara (isn't the eye area the most delicate?) and put the hot steam so close to my face I flinched (she pushed my head back in place and told me if I don't stay close up to the steam, the extraction will be more painful). She came back after I was steamed and threw on the light which blinded me (again, I flinched) and she told me my eyes were sensitive. Extraction was painful as usual, yet she did not seem to feel my pain. Usually they say something like, "dont worry it is almost done". Then a clay mask that hardened into a concrete like substance. I think she was doing a bikini wax while my mask was on... I could hear them next to my room. No massage at any point which is a bummer.
Anyway, yes my skin is clean and glowing and I am sure the products are top of the line. But a relaxing facial it was not. I prefer a combo of both. Sounds like the owner is much better... -
Review from Jessica C.
Lexington, MA
10/23/2009
Seriously, I wish there was a rating of less than 1 star because this spa deserves it. I just moved to Boston from PA this summer, where I had a facialist I really liked. I felt gross from moving, so I poked around online and found Lavinia Borcau, which appeared to be well-rated. The lobby wasn't that nice/wasn't as nice as I was expecting, which should have been my first clue to run out of there. The woman who did my facial was not very friendly. The facial went as follows -- she "cleaned" my face then put the steam on me. THEN SHE LEFT THE ROOM FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY! I've had steam facials before, and I've NEVER had the facialist leave the room. They always sit there and monitor the process. Anyway, then she came back and proceeded to tell me she was going to do extractions. At that point I spoke up, because I am luckily blessed with pretty great skin. I told her that my face already looks in pretty great shape so if she saw something to squeeze out fine, but she started telling me she was going to use the edge of a razor to prick my skin and I was like I don't think so. Needless to say, she placated me but then DID IT ANYWAY! Then she proceeded to moisturize, which consisted of her literally dumping a bottle of lotion on my face and getting most of it in my hair. Then it was done. I was in such a daze, paid, and got the heck out of there. I looked in my car mirror, and my face looked awful... it had little nicks from her extraction razor (meanwhile, like I said, I had NO BLEMISHES on my skin so I don't even know what the heck she thought she was doing) and I looked like a homeless person who hadn't showered in weeks with the lotion all up into my hair. I went home and showered immediately. $90ish dollars down the toilet. Seriously, SAVE YOUR MONEY AND YOUR FACE - DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
