About Face & Body

Berkeley, United States

3.7

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 510-428-2600
Website:
www.aboutfaceandbody.net
Address:
3190 College Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94705
b/t Woolsey St & Alcatraz Ave
Elmwood, Rockridge
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
120 ftCollege Av & Alcatraz Av
930 ftCollege Av & Claremont Av
0.2 miCollege Av & Woolsey St
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
By Appointment Only
No

Today

Today 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Berkeley) 03:17 Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Tuesday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Wednesday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm

Description

Specialties

We were the original «walk-​ins welcome». We offer a 20% discount for same day waxing appointments. We are set up so you can usually be seen either immediately, or soon thereafter.

We have daily specials of massage, body treatments, facials — AVEDA — and nails.

History

Established in 1981.

Welcome to your neighborhood day spa.

The one-​room, walk-​up salon that I opened in 1981 is not very different from the aboutface&body that you see today. The salon is a lot bigger now and we’re able to offer much more, but the ideals of establishing supportive relationships with clients and providing excellent services have never changed.

Back in 1982 I pioneered «speed waxing» as a way for working women like myself to be able to afford waxing services on a regular basis. Valuing my clients’ time and pocketbooks, I found ways to adapt my services to their needs. The European model inspired me, where people go to their local facial salon much in the same way they engage in other neighborhood activities.

Beauty is an emotional process, which is why my focus is to nurture and rejuvenate. I continue to object to the notion of exclusivity held as a standard in the beauty industry. Beginning with my staff and myself we offer effective, efficient and excellent services at affordable prices.

About Face & Body also recommends

Marija Vidal Photography

2

reviews

Photographers

About Face & Body says,

«Marija is a wonderful photographer. I am uneasy in front of the camera and she made me feel calm. The photos of our staff and salon & me are great.»

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20 reviews of About Face & Body

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Berkeley, CA
Lovely atmosphere. Great products and BEST service ever! THANK YOU DOAN you rock! :)
Place rating: 5
Berkeley, CA
My cousin has been raving about her eye brow waxes from About Face for years, so when I decided to try my first bikini and under arm wax, they were my first stop. I saw Laura and was so impressed. I told her it was my first time and feeling unsure. She easily set me at ease with a relaxed and friendly demeanor and guided me comfortably through the steps. While it there was some slight physical discomfort (to be expected getting your pubes ripped out), I was mostly pain free the whole time. We chatted about this, that and the other, and she answered my technical questions thoroughly. Laura brought a positive friendly attitude to her work and I’d give her 6 stars if I could!
Place rating: 1
Oakland, CA
I bought a mascara from this store and I had an allergic reaction. My right eye swelled up, got really red, dry and itchy. My other eye reacted as well. I went to the doctor and she said it looked like a make up reaction so I got it confirmed. I tried to return it and they said it was against their store policy. I understand that, but they were also not concerned at all about my problem and they were skeptical. I’m not asking for you to change your policy for me; just a little bit of compassion and maybe we could find a common ground where we are both happy.
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
Going to a salon or spa is supposed to be a relaxing experience, a bit of time in the day to do something for yourself… About Face doesn’t care about giving their customers that experience at all. I called to make an appointment as a new customer. I was already turned off to the salon when the receptionist on the phone told me multiple times that I would be charged for a no-​show. Yeah, good luck charging someone who has never been there ! What an idiot.
As I was arriving for my appointment, the salon called my phone to alert me that I had missed my appointment window (by five minutes) and would be able to come back in three hours, but also need to pay for my no-​show. Without even walking into the salon they were demanding my time and money.
I will never call or return again. Everything I experienced about this salon is tacky. Can’t believe they’re in business.
Place rating: 5
Albany, CA
Got my big olé hairy back waxed first time in many years, yea it hurt like hell, but that’s the way it goes, it would have hurt a lot more if I went somewhere else… the place is very nice, clean, polite good people, I will be going «back». I trust these folks.
Place rating: 4
Berkeley, CA
I go here for waxing and I absolutely love it. They always do a precise and lovely job on my eyebrows, they’re quick, it’s a pleasant environment, and the staff is friendly and skilled. I’ve never had any kind of rash or burn from the wax here and they always make sure to get those stubborn last little hairs. The prices are reasonable, but it is an inconvenience that you must bring cash for tips. They’re worth the tips, though, I’ll give them that. Just wish they’d fix their system so I could tip with my debit card.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
So, here I am… A man with a hairy back about to go on vacation and be by a pool… I have been getting my back waxed for 15 years. I have had ok experiences with this and experiences that made me beg for the person to stop in the middle of it and leave me with half a waxed back. Then I stumbled upon «About face and Body» .came in at 10:15 am for a walkin appt. and was assigned «Dao» to remove the unsightly hair from my back… She worked with the speed of a …I don’t know what… but before I knew it. no
Pain …and lots to gain ! I had the back of a 12 year old boy… not to sound creepy. her subtle moves and the calming music made this the most relaxing and stress free hair removal of my life.”.I will NEVER go anywhere else in my life to get this done…
Place rating: 5
Berkeley, CA
This review is exclusively for Dao. I’ve been seeing her for years. When I first went to About Face & Body, the eyebrow waxing I received was terrible. However, I believe the girl who gave me that wax is long gone. Since then, I’m a return customer for Dao. She’s fantastic!!! Her Brazilian is the best in Berkeley. She can get it done in under 15 minutes! I don’t know what I will do if she ever leaves or retires.
Place rating: 1
Berkeley, CA
I purchased Aveda’s cuticle control gel last week. I got the product home, opened the box and discovered that it was an empty tester. I call About Face & Body and spoke with Debbie. I told her what happened and she asked if I had a receipt. I told her that I had thrown it away, but gave her my name to look up as I had received treatments on two occasions in one week. She said to bring it in. I took it in and she made a huge deal about the sku on the box not scanning into their system and even asked me if I had purchased it somewhere else (seriously…that was offensive) but reminded herself that their records showed that I had purchased it and literally had me stand there for five minutes to accomplish, I have no idea what. This is a $ 10 item folks. Finally I asserted myself and told her to please share my dissatisfaction with the owner around having to come back to correct their mistake. She then offered an apology. In addition to this very uncomfortable exchange I had already become increasingly unsatisfied with this business. My reservations around this establishment are the following: (1) they have called me to confirm appointments presumably from a private line and got an attitude when I call them back on the same number (2) the wax rooms lack privacy in that the walls do no reach the ceilings and the tables are very high (you feel like you are going to fall off and one side is against the wall)… awkward! I am done!
Place rating: 5
Emeryville, CA
I was originally referred to the salon by a friend for a waxing. Upon walking in the, place seemed very clean and tranquil. I was also immediately greeted by staff. Everyone at the front desk was very friendly and all smiles. I had my appointment with Dao, who was very sweet and soft spoken. She was amazing and this is not said lightly. I’ve had horror story experiences with getting waxed before! She was extremely fast and the whole experience was almost painless. After my appointment I consulted with one of the women at the front, named Ycela. I had some questions about the best skin care for my type of skin. She was very helpful and went out of her way to make many recommendations for me. I ended up leaving with a great new skincare line, which I am very pleased with so far. I highly recommend Dao and Ycela to anyone with skincare needs. I have already made my next appointment.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
I only get my eyebrows done here. The service is incredible, and the setting is relaxing. Their facials are great also, and their waxing services. You can tell that these are professionals, and they know what they are doing. I am a loyal customer of this place, and I would highly recommend this salon.
Place rating: 3
Oakland, CA
Inconsistent. Depending on the service and the technician, they are either great or standard. The massage quality is highly dependent on who they happen to be employing at the time. I suggest a short chair massage to scope out their current masseuse before going for a full table massage.
Some of their aesthetician you can tell are good and have been there a while, some seem like airheads who are between other gigs.
I highly recommend Dao, she has been very good across beauty treatments.
Place rating: 1
Berkeley, CA
I don’t typically write such a scathing review about a local business, however I had a particularly terrible experience here.
I got my first fruit mask here and my skin reacted terribly. I had burn marks all over my face which turned into large scabs. I was terrified my skin was going to scar. I went in the next day to ask about my reaction and was in tears as my skin had never reacted to a treatment so poorly. Not one of the three employees I dealt with told me it was a normal reaction, including the manager. They simply advised to use aloe and etc. The woman who did my facial told me she had never seen anyone’s face react to a treatment like this and did not know what to do, she was noticeably freaked out about the reaction as well. After my skin healed, I sent them an email to let them know and they informed me that «oh, we should have told you that was a normal reaction.» In reality, they had no idea what they were doing.
They gave me an account credit for a «free facial» when I went back for the free, and last, facial they informed me that they would be giving me a vitamin c treatment, but did not indicate that it was an additional charge. I was very happy with the service, however upon my way out the door they attempted to up charge me on a free service. They had no concept of customer service.
Place rating: 5
Sacramento, CA
Love the products and the atmosphere. The prices are reasonable. Great customer service. Thanks Morgan at the front desk for giving me a tour and showing me what I was looking for. Sure to return.
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
I called to make appointment, was telling the girl who picked up everything I wanted and what day and time, and then on the background I hear a phone ringing and she asked me can I hold. I was very hesitated and said sure. I wait a minute or so and it pissed me off why was somebody else’s call more important then mine! There is so many other places to go get waxed! No thank you ! They just lost a customer !
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
This is the first place I ever got a wax and I’ve now been going for four years. The service is great, the waxing is so relaxing that I almost don’t want to get off the table. They always do a good, thorough job. I always go drop-​in and it works for my schedule and my budget.
Place rating: 3
Oakland, CA
This review is purely on Brazilian waxing.
I have been coming here for over a year now for waxes and I am torn on whether I love or hate this place. The estheticians here have a good bed side manner and the waxes are quick which makes the whole experience less painful. AF&B used to charge more for appointments but recently changed their pricing to reflect a walk-​in price of $ 55 for all appointments. The receptionists are friendly and I have never had a bad experience when interacting with the receptionists of the estheticians.
You may be wondering why I am only giving three stars and I’ll tell you why. I consistently get a wax every 6 – 8 weeks as recommended and I noticed that I was getting more ingrown hairs and that I was seeing more leftover strays than normal. I was exfoliating and applying a homemade version of Tend Skin and I was still getting ingrowns. I suspect the ingrowns are occuring more frequently because of the waxing process, since the strip is ripped so quickly from the skin, I think my hairs are breaking off at the surface of my skin versus being pulled out from the hair follicle. To top all of this off, I see regrowth in less than a week and I have read other reviews that have stated they have gone WEEKS without any regrowth. Maybe I’m missing something here?
I have now switched estheticians and will hopefully be able to change my rating soon. Is it so much to ask to be hair free?
Place rating: 3
Philadelphia, PA
Went here for a Brazilian wax because it was convenient and I was desperate. Got an appointment fairly easy and was even presented with a $ 5 off coupon for my next visit upon the end of my treatment… not a bad start!
Although the wax itself was completed by a very nice and professional woman, the results did not last long at all. I’ve been getting Brazilians for about 2 years now and I’m used to them lasting at least 3 weeks before I start grimacing whenever I look «down there.» Not even a week after my wax here and I noticed hairs growing back. I’m sorry, but for $ 55, I expect my wax to last more than a week. The coupon expired within 3 weeks of my wax, so I guess that should have clued me into how inefficient my results would be. If this place were cheaper (say $ 35 or so), then I might not care about some hairs here or there after a week. But this place is just too expensive for the not-​so-​long-​lasting results.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I got in for a last minute appointment for a Brazilian Waxing when I was visiting Berkeley. I got Dao, and she was totally experienced, efficient and it was a quick, sweet, painless experience.
Thank you! I will be back when I visit again.
Place rating: 5
Orange County, CA
Having been part of the Brazilian wax scene for going on almost two years now, I had taken a lengthy business trip up to Berkeley and was now curious about the spa locales for such services… Thank you a MILLION times Unilocal for leading me to AF&B!!!
First of all, the walk-​in wax offer? NO JOKE. I got there 20 minutes early and already someone was in line. AWESOME. So not only are they used to this type of queue-​ing but they basically expect it. Best Saturday morning ever.
Second of all, my esthetician, Dao, reminded me so much of my maternal grandmother that I couldn’t help but smile. Lots of giggles (roughly 80% nervous, 20% humorous) from my little room. Dao was so kind and patient with me – and without going into gory detail about hot material being poured onto and subsequently ripped off of my preshus flower (TM Princess Buttercup), let’s just say that you really do need kindness and patience to deal with what I got!
Lastly, it’s been at least a couple weeks now and my skin ‘down there’ is noticeably IMPROVED. Again, lest I have this Unilocal review sent to Penthouse Forum, I won’t go into more specifics. But the wax job has lasted a REMARKABLY long time and I seriously felt no aftereffects as I am wont to do with my regular spa down here in SoCal.
AB&F (and specifically Dao), I will be back up there to see you all for sure! Thank you so much for a top notch experience :)