Apsara Aesthetic Medicine

I first saw Dr. Ramachandran 7 years ago when I had some skin concerns. I loved her soft-​spoken manner and her compassion. She sets her prices lower than average so that more people can come in, get treated and feel good about themselves. Paris, the nurse is an artist — sculpts your face and makes you feel your most beautiful. She will never oversell a product/​service that you don’t need. This is an ethical and compassionate practice with the goal of making you look and feel your best.

. Unless you want serious skin burns. It’s been 5 years… the burn scars that they said would fade are still here. And they are on my face. This place sucks.
*******UPDATE*********
You reviewed my file? Well how nice of you Rani. You must be blind because I clearly had burns then. You stood over me while I sat in your chair to force me to believe something that was clearly evident, just to save your own ass. What you write in your file is YOUR opinion, so of course it reflects what you think so that you don’t get sued. People are not as stupid as you think.
That is just pathetic. I have scars years later to prove them dear doctor, if you should even be called one considering you were not there for ANY of the treatments. The only time you did show up was when you were suddenly faced with the possibility of a litigious matter. Perhaps you can explain the scars with your expert medical knowledge now.
You can take your file and shove it because we both know what a ramshackle job your office did. And then for you to intimidate me during the follow up visits was deplorable. I suggest you get your story straight. If you’re trying to exonerate yourself from this 1 star review and other serious consequences, look no further than your own lousy treatment.
What have you to say for all the other burns your office has caused other patients? Those were fake reviews too? You’re a joke. You should probably also consider another career. Making people look like sh*t just to make money is underhanded and a unethical practice.

This review is for Paris the nurse at Aspara. I was referred to Aspara, specifically Paris thru a family member that receives treatments from her. I have been going to Aspara for over 3 years now and will only see Paris in that office for my treatments — laser hair removal, fillers, botox and laser treatments for my melasma. I have gone to other medical offices in this valley but the service I receive from Paris is unmatched. She is skilled and trained in the areas I receive treatment for and I trust Paris. Quite frankly if Paris ever left Aspara I would no longer go to Aspara. When you’ve found a gem — you treasure it.

I came here over a year ago when I got a groupon for laser hair removal. Overall I received good service. I came six times and never had to wait long for my appointments, there never seemed to be other people around. the lady who did my treatment was nice. The laser did work for me, I only had six treatments which are not enough to permanently get rid of the hair, but I have noticed less hair. Not giving it 5 stars bc once she cut my lip a little with the razor, but she cleaned it up and it was fine. Also the parking sucks

This review is for Laser Hair Removal. I strongly advise potential customers to look elsewhere. I had purchased a packaged deal through groupon (or so) for LHR at this office. I’ve completed ⁵⁄₆ treatments, but I won’t even bother to use my last session.
My sessions didn’t work at all. I’ve been to multiple other facilities for LHR thanks to the abundance of groupons, livingsocials, etc out there. Apsara Aesthetic uses a very outdated machine. It will burn and hurt you more over newer technology out there, and the results are minimal if not none at all. (My results were nothing.)
Other cons and bad experiences:
— The technician presents herself unprofessionally. It will not appear like she is handling you with care or caution. This should scare you as she is holding a very intensely heated instrument.
— Their scheduling system is inconvenient for YOU, the patient. They use a small calendar book. It is cramped and messy, thus your appointments get confused. I feel like this is an outdated method of scheduling… Outdated, like their machine.
I see that others have written reviews about: a «cold, unfriendly» environment and «untrained front desk» …I would more than agree.

Update: I dropped my rating by 1 star after I started breaking out in a wave of cold sores in the same area that the laser therapy here caused. Before I got laser therapy here I never broke out in cold sores in that area around my mouth. I guess once you trigger an outbreak due to irritation (the laser) the virus stays in that area for good. The nurse did not make it seem like a concern when I told her the laser was making me break out in cold sores. Considering the aesthetic effects from the laser were negligible, now having to worry about a nasty recurring PATCH of cold sores breaking out puts me at a worse place than when I started. Regret the purchase. Yep, I was stupid not to walk out when the other customer announced, «I’m going to sue.»
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The negative reviews about a «cold, unfriendly» environment and «untrained front desk» are spot on. This is a veeeeeeery unpleasant place to get any work done. Extremely unprofessional with little to no training or emphasis on customer service. It’s honestly almost shocking. It’s like from the top down they just don’t give a damn. Obviously the owner cared enough to make the office aesthetically pleasing as it’s well-​decorated. But beyond that, wow. I totally believe other Unilocalers who say they’ve been threatened over their reviews.
On one of my visits, another patient was talking with Dr. Rani and then she came out into the lobby and said, «I think I’m going to sue». Then she asked me to look at her face and told me to «be careful». It happened so fast that I didn’t even get a good look at the woman but I didn’t see any deformities in the millisecond I looked at her. That, and given the fact there’s always a small risk of adverse reaction to laser, and since I’ve never had an adverse reaction with all the procedures I’ve done myself, and I had no idea specifically what the patient was unhappy about, I went ahead with my appointment. (LOL, yeah I know, I sound crazy.)
The results were meh but they offer competitive pricing. I think the pricing and the fact they are a medical office and have access to some better quality equipment is one reason to overlook the terrible customer service.
Example of above poor service: the nurse would literally walk out as soon as the procedure was over without saying a word. I’ve never experienced this before and found very rude. It was clear she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Once out, I caught her making faces about me at the receptionist who then got a nasty smile on her face at my expense. I thought this was all insanely rude since I was standing right there but you have to have LOW TO ZERO EXPECATIONS for customer service when you come here. I repeat: these people do not give a dammmmmn.
I was focused more on the aesthetic results. And frankly, after reading some of these Unilocal reviews, I did not want to get on the bad side of these people while my procedures were still going. «Accidentally» burn me with a laser? No thank you.
I have been to most of Apsara’s local competitors for services and consultations and also other medi-​spas on the east coast. I’ve *never* left an office feeling the way I’ve done here, which is a mix of different degrees of displeasure.
Maybe you will luck out with good aesthetic results here and maybe for you the prices alone are worth it, but again, do not expect anything in the way of customer service.

Like previous reviewers says earlier, I bought a Groupon deal as a gift for my Mother for photofacial. I paid nearly $ 300 for 3 sessions. She did not see any difference and also found it painful. It’s a HUGE disappointment! She was hoping to transfer the 2 leftover sessions for my sister instead. We were told that too bad it can’t be transferred and we just have to forfeit the rest. Sophia was insensitive on the phone, and says normally they charge $ 350 per session for photofacials so that we already got our money’s worth. That’s BS. I know other photofacial practices providing $ 99 without any discounts. I will be sure to recommend EVERYONE I know against this place.

I am very, very suspicious of this business. I made an appointment (I thought) with Dr. Ramirachandran and learned that I would not see her that day. I was instead informed by the receptionist that fillers at this office are injected by a «nurse,» who was, in fact, herself. I asked for proof of her license as a Registered Nurse and was told there was none available. When inquiring about a product featured in a brochure in this office, I was three times misled by this receptionist who refuted the obvious evidence depicted in the brochure’s before-​and-​after pictures in an attempt to steer me toward a more expensive option. I researched this product and determined that it is, in fact, intended for the use in the brochure, not another. Upon insisting to see Dr. Ramirachandran herself I was allowed to. She agreed that the receptionist had intrepreted the before-​and-​after pictures incorrectly. The doctor also confirmed that she does not inject fillers herself. They are all done by her «nurse.» When I asked for evidence that her «nurse» is a licensed practitioner, I was told there is none. Not even in her personnel file. I left this office glad that I had asked these questions. It is unlawful for unlicensed individuals to practice medicine. I have never met a dermatologist yet who delegates filler injections to a nurse. I have never heard of an office where proof of licensure is unavailable. Avoid this practice until the investigation that I have initiated with the California State Board of Medicine has been completed.

So this is a confusing review to write, hence it is a novel. I wrote two other reviews that were quite negative [we can talk offline if you have questions]. For the most part I am very happy with their improved service since then– I appreciate if someone can improve their services. TAKE HOME: The nurse ended up being great, and my results make me very happy. The doctor can be very uncomfortable to interact with, but you may not have to interact with her. The 4 stars are for the nurse and the results. I understand the mix of high and low reviews!
Just a note: I consider this a medical office, but I do think personal interactions are very important since this affects how comfortable a patient is discussing their treatment with the healthcare professions.
RECAP of previous visits: Groupon over-​scheduling, uncomfortable personal interactions, major communication problems.
UPDATE:
So I am removing my old reviews because the nurse (or another title? I’ll use this title for this review) was very good to work with in subsequent visits. I actually feel bad about the earlier bad reviews. So, notes:
1– Staff personal interactions: The office was understaffed at my original and second visits, and the nurse was being the receptionist and possibly more jobs– not cool IMO. I think I met her on a bad day, and she shouldn’t have to do that stuff. Since then, she has been very warm and has been great to work with. Overall, I think the nurse is great!
2– The treatment: If you use the numbing cream, you feel little pricks during the treatment– not too bad (apparently you only need the cream on for 10 – 15 minutes– I was concerned when this got cut short before). I had a few hair that kept showing up thick, and the nurse said she could use a higher setting (or some other term), and to let her know if it hurt (this happend once, she was very responsive). I felt like she was being thorough and informative, but also had my safety in mind. I never burned from treatment (FYI I very rarely burn in the sun, if that matters). I believe they have a very good machine.
3– The results: I have lost 95% of my hair, so I am very happy! Note: I am of hispanic origin and my head hair is a mix of fine and coarse hair. My underarm hair is what I consider coarse. I still have a ‘shadow’, but I don’t even feel the need to shave and am always soft.
4– They honored the full six appointments with the Groupon, though originally they said they could not have me do all 6 appointments by the expiration date. Glad they fixed this– really important to their integrity.
5– The doctor: I hate to be negative, but…
On 3^rd visit, she adressed my Unilocal review (note on the obvious: many places will read your Unilocal review and if you see them again might bring it up: P) At the end she told me that I should come to her first with complaints– but ironically I felt uncomfortable doing that since she did not acknowledge any of my complaints. There was no «sorry you did not have any way to contact us» (what if I had a medical question!!!), just excuses about their website. She told me repeatedly how I should have a schedule organizer, since I was confused about the date of my second appointment. Um, it’s called a mistake and I did MORE than my due diligence for calling 5+ times to find out what the correct date was. This was very condescending and ludicrous. She also argued with whether I had been given a medical cover-​up, which I had not. If I say that it happened, and you were not there, how can you argue with me?
I am giving this 4 stars because the nurse was great and my treatment was great. I do not think one will usually interact with the doctor. Maybe she is good in other ways, but I do not feel you should criticize your patient or say they are lying, as it makes for bad doctor-​patient interactions.
I understand the range of other reviews and ratings out there, and totally respect each one since there can be a range of service received here. I hope Aspara can keep the recent good service up!

What can I say. The second time I went here I just got a blank stare of the front desk staff, not a smile or even simple hello. I informed them what I was there for and as she proceeded to take me to the back another woman came through the door. Front desk/​nurse person asked her «Are you here for Botox?» I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t just bluntly shout out things like that, it’s called HIPAA.
One thing that changes was the gown. Other than that same cold feeling and unfriendliness.
We booked a 3^rd appointment for me, that I later called and rescheduled. The nurse/​receptionist called me, while I was out of town and really couldn’t talk at the moment, and said that she had to talk to me about my Unilocal review. I informed her that we will talk when I’m at the office for my appointment.
The third time I came in I was asked to proceed to the room and was told that the doctor wanted to speak to me. «Finally, a personal touch, they listened.”-I thought to myself. Little did I know, the doctor was unprofessional and ethically and esthetically unpleasant woman and continuously interrupted me while I was talking. She called me a racist because in my first review I referred to her front desk/​nurse lady «Persian». Persian is not a race, just FYI. Apparently lady was crying all day when she read my review. I don’t know whether she was crying 15 other times when other people referred to her by her ethnic background in their reviews. The nurse lady also told me that it was rude of me to tell her that we will talk about my review when I’m in clinic. I’m very sorry I didn’t stop everything I was doing to talk to you about it.
–!And finally, doctor told me «We don’t want to mess up your treatment» and walked out of the room.
Not only she took 25 minutes of my precious time she also insulted and threatened me. This is the most unprofessional clinic!!!

Paris hands down does my Botox better than anyone in town I have been doing Botox 6 years and this is my favorite spot

GO TO PARIS!
(Second to best thing next to the one in France).
She’s incredible and knows what she’s doing when it comes to working the Laser.
I am definitely going back for ALL Laser treatments. Make sure you go to her if you are interested in getting any hair removed.

I too purchased the Groupon that so many people have complained about in their reviews. But I do not have any complaints, only praises… I did not have one single problem booking, keeping, and showing up to my appointments on time — and therefore have not had any issues. Procedures take time and prep, if you cannot be on time to your appointments, call and reschedule yourself, don’t expect the staff to 1^st — read your mind, and 2^nd — push everyone else to the side because you cannot be timely. Just my $.02 on that…
The front desk person (Sophia) has always been nice, responsive, and very professional; I always leave with a future appointment booked that works for my schedule.
The RN has not tried to sell me anything (ever!), in fact she has been very informative on procedures that I have asked about — and has even told me that I did NOT need certain procedures (thanks for saving me money!).
The RN and Sophia always remember me and ask about my daughter/​husband, etc… they are both super friendly and down to earth.
My first visit was informative and pleasant — the staff was attentive and even gave me a tour of the Spa and information about their different services. Again, I didn’t feel like they were trying to sell anything — more of making you feel at home (here are the restrooms, rooms for facials, procedures, water/​tea, etc…)
During my last visit, I even had to bring my 5 year old nephew in to wait for me (last minute emergency baby sitting) and they even gave him some paper and pencils to color with in the waiting area — totally above and beyond! :-)
Bottm line: I am impressed, will continue to go to Aspara, and would LOVE to purchase another Groupon from them.

Very friendly staff. Totally exceeded my expectations. Very reasonably priced and generous with giving some more attention when needed.
Every time I leave this place, I have a smile on my face.
And… I hardly have any more hair to remove. Yes, they are THAT good.

I have been coming here for a couple of years now. I love Dr. Rani! She treats me well and takes very good care of me. I leave looking 10 yrs younger thanks to her immense talent and professionalism. The receptionist Sophia is wonderful. She is so sweet and professional. And from what I can see, handles all customers, appointments and phones on her own. I always enjoy seeing and talking to her when I come in for treatments. I will never go anywhere else!
Thanks Apsara

I can only speak about their customer service. I purchased a groupon for a 6 session treatment and called to make my first appointment. Their manager informed me I could not have all 6 treatments because they do not have enough time available before the coupon expired (in 7 months) She stated 400 people bought their coupon and she couldn’t schedule everyone. The earliest I could schedule an appointment was 2 months away. What a rip off.
Contacted groupon and got credit for what I spent on this coupon. Strongly advise not to use this business just on how badly they treat their customers.

I purchased a groupon for 6 sessions of laser hair reduction in the beginning of June. I probably called to book my first appointment about 2 weeks later. They couldn’t fit me in till mid July because I only could only come in later in the day as I work full time and they aren’t open on the weekends.
When my appointment came near I called to reshedule thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal since the groupon doesn’t expire until December. I was informed that I needed to fit all my laser reduction sessions by December. If I pushed my first session to August, I would end up pushing my last session to January and would have to pay additonal money as in their minds, the coupon would have expired by then.
I find a lot of errors in this logic.
I still planned on going to my first session, maybe plea with someone and not have to pay additional. When I got there no one greeted me, the office manager just ignored me. I stood around for about 10 mins. Then I spoke with the rude Perisan woman that other people here seem to also be complaining about. I gave me speech on how there shouldn’t be a cap on sessions based on the groupon’s expiration date. That as long as you use your first session before that expiration date, then you have already begun using your deal. They said a lot of people who bought the deal will have to pay for their last or last two sessions. They said it was my fault that i booked late. How did they expect to fit the 400 people would purchased the groupon, 6 sessions each, in a 6 month period of time? They didn’t factor in personal life schedules or the fact this business isn’t open on the weekends.
They wouldn’t give in and told me to get a refund from Groupon. The office manager, Sophia, said should would call groupon from me right there to see if I could get my money back. All she did was call their sales contact at groupon. Not customer service. After they discussed other matters not pertaining to me, he said I would be able to. But I didn’t feel confident about that.
When I contacted groupon, they wouldn’t give me a refund, only credit. They said I was right in that customers shouldn’t have to pay for extra sessions and that you are guaranteed all six sessions as long as you use the groupon before the expiration date.
This place has horrid customer service, ill and unfair business practices. Do not be tempted by deals from this place. They’ll rob you.

This review is for Raquel and the work that she did with me in the past. I came here back in 2009 when I was having really bad acne problems. I had gotten off my medication and was looking for another alternative to help with my skin condition. I had found Apsara through a search and made an appointment to see their esthetician.
Raquel was very sweet and nice and seemed really sympathetic with my condition and said that she would make sure that my acne wouldn’t come back. I had gone through numerous treatments of facials, deep pore cleansing, microdermabrasions, blue light therapy, and the occasional chemical peels with Raquel. Didn’t really improve the condition of my acne, but I did see an improvement in the way my skin felt to the touch. She really tried to push for me to buy her ridiculously expensive products, guaranteeing that it would miraculously heal everything, but alas it didn’t. I left the place with no improvement in my acne whatsoever.
This review is in no way bashing Raquel, because she one of the nicest estheticians I have come to know. I’m just saying that this method didn’t really help to improve my condition. Then again, every person is different. So if you come to this place looking for a miracle, don’t put your hopes up. Be very cautious, especially since it will cause you to burn a hole in your pocket. Eventually, my acne improved to where it isn’t so embarrassing to go out in public anymore using Proactiv. However, the acne scars did leave some unsightly marks on my face. I’ll probably consider coming back for a microdermabrasion or facial because I liked the gentle work that Raquel did with me.
Just sharing my experience. Hey, what didn’t work for me might work for some of you. Just say you weren’t warned.

My regular nurse Kimberly has changed jobs, and I like the new nurse. She’s very professional and skilled, and has a nice personality to put you at ease before zapping you with a laser! :)
I have had only one gripe with this place over the past year and a half – they had to frequently reschedule me and also whenever I showed up, there rarely was a receptionist there, just the nurse, who would sometimes not know that I was there while working in one of the rooms in the back.
They seem to be doing okay as a business, but I always get a feeling like the office is understaffed and I have never seen the same receptionist twice.

The first time I heard about Apsara was on the TV program «Best of the Bay». The segment and the Dr.‘s interview made me feel confident about going there. Big mistake.
Around that same time, there was a special on laser hair removal. $ 75/​area. I decided to do half legs and was told only the front of the leg is considered an «area» the back of the leg is a second «area». Really? A person would only want to laser the front of their leg? Already I felt like I was being ripped off but $ 150 for lower legs was still less than I would pay at BluCocoon. I expected the numbing cream would be included, but it was not. It cost an extra $ 50.00 (for 5 treatments).
I’ve been there four times now for laser hair removal, with one more appointment left. t I feel like Kimberly gives me exactly what I pay for (if that) and nothing more. This is in such contrast to Lisa at BluCocoon where I feel she goes above and beyond and gives me more than I pay for.
For example, Kim doesn’t inspect my legs to make sure I’ve shaved properly. Sure, one could say that’s my responsibility but its possible that I miss something on the back of my legs. At this last appointment, I noticed I did leave a patch. We stopped the session so that I could shave that patch because the laser hair removal won’t work well without shaving. Kim didn’t look to make sure there weren’t any other stray patches and I wished she would have (Lisa would have :).
I’ve also had weird reactions to the laser when she administers it that I don’t have with other nurses like blisters, numbing, and swelling. Instead of putting hydrocortesone on my legs, Kim tells me to buy my own and apply it myself. Don’t they get that stuff for free? Shouldn’t that be part of the service?
The receptionist is untrained, unprofessional, and lacking in common sense. During this last visit, I called to let them know I was running 15 minutes late. When I got there, the receptionist still hadn’t tidied up the room I would be using. Someone’s used gloves and used numbing cream with the tongue depressor still in it sat on the table.
The receptionist asked me to use the USED numbing cream (I have to apply it myself – they don’t put it on for you). When I told her that was unhygienic she made excuses and grumbled when washing out the bowl. In the process, she cut herself, started bleeding, and asked me to continue the process of washing out the bowl that I would need to use. Why they don’t just put the cream in disposable, one person use containers I don’t know. Why they have a bowl that is from someone’s kitchen set, is also pretty weird.
During a different appointment, the receptionist put me in a room, gave me the numbing cream to put on, left the room to get the seran wrap and never came back. I had to go out looking for her.
The laser hair removal chair is flimsy, unstable, and if you sit on one end of the chair, you’re likely to fall off. I’ve never been offered a magazine to read while I’m numbing for 30-​minutes, or even offered water. I’ve seen magazines sitting around, but they are the travel section for AAA, nothing interesting.
While the laser is good, after my last session I won’t be going back. I don’t feel comfortable or taken care of when I’m there.