How to ensure satisfaction with a list of London’s top aesthetic clinics
There are thousands of skin and laser hair removal clinics in London, all claiming to be the best!
From the small clinic at the end of your local high street and clinics in the more genteel parts of London, to large franchises based in the most expensive shopping centres – how do you know which to choose?
While we have an obvious bias towards Brigstock Skin & Laser, we’re not going to be as bold to include ourselves in this list. You can look at our own independent Google reviews here and judge for yourself where Brigstock Skin & Laser ranks.
This guide to London’s top 5 skin clinics is designed to help those who we are unable to accommodate, perhaps because we can’t provide you with an appointment time that suits your schedule or simply because you’re looking for a clinic closer to home. Whatever the reason, we still want to ensure you receive the best possible results from whichever clinic you decide to go with.
To help you make the right choice we have put together this list to help you compare what’s on offer, what technology is used and the transparency of 5 laser hair removal clinics based in London, some with clinics nationally. For the purposes of this comparison, we’re focussing on laser hair removal but also referencing other treatments.
We’ve included a selection of reviews from different review sources. It’s always important to look at these carefully. For example, customer or employee reviews can vary in number, taking an overall score up or down.
Destination Skin
Services
• Laser Hair Removal
• Anti-Wrinkle, filler and other injectables
• Skin treatments
Locations
National business with 7 London clinics and clinics in many major cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and Manchester.
Hours (London): Available 7 days a week. Mon-Thurs open until 8pm.
Laser Hair Removal Equipment
Three different kinds of laser technology: Lumenis Lightsheer Diode (810nm), Cynosure Alexandrite and Cynosure ND YAG (1064nm).
Reviews
96% client satisfaction rate (figure posted on website)
Trust Pilot 409 reviews: Excellent 72% / Great 6% / Average 2% / Poor 4% / Bad 15%
Trust Score: 3.8 out of 5
Positive reviews highlight friendly staff, great customer service and professionalism.
The negative reviews refer to confusion with bookings, disappointment with results and lack of refunds during the pandemic.
A number of comments about not being able to speak directly to the clinic but having to go through a call centre manned by people without knowledge of the treatments.
Employee reviews on Indeed: currently 2.9 out of 5
Pricing
Free consultation
Price guarantee
Finance options including a 0% finance
Discounts for students and NHS
Pricing available on the website
Expertise
Comprehensive clinical team for facial procedures including doctors and injectors
Our review
“Destination Skin is an established clinic with good reviews from many clients. Their marketing tends to focus on low prices as we can see with their price guarantee. There are several negative reviews which suggest this focus on low prices does not always guarantee clients achieve the results they were hoping for, meaning that purchasing additional treatments could be necessary to achieve the desired results.
Whilst job satisfaction is rated above 50% by this clinic’s employees, some of the other clinics listed here are rated much higher by their team members. The best customer service is normally provided by happy teams, and we can see this mediocre employee rating borne out in some of the customer satisfaction ratings.
Destination Skin uses established laser machines that work well, although they are not the quickest or most comfortable machines to receive treatment from.”
Therapie Clinic (includes clinics formally known as Skinsmiths)
Services
• Laser Hair Removal
• Anti-Wrinkle Injections
• Clear Braces
• Coolsculpting
• Skin Treatments
Locations
National business with 17 London clinics and clinics across the UK including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin and Glasgow
Hours: Some clinics open as late as 11pm, others 8pm.
Laser Hair Removal Equipment
CYNOSURE ELITE+ high-powered, dual-wavelength system
Reviews
Trust Pilot 3,029 reviews: Excellent 92% / Great 1% / Average less than 1% / Poor less than 1% / Bad 5%
Trust Score: 4.7 out of 5
Reviews are frequently posted.
Positive reviews refer to the skills and knowledge of the staff, feeling comfortable and success of treatments, as well as feeling the clinics were safe and clean.
The negative reviews often refer to Botox failures, less than satisfactory customer service, hard sell on packages and a no refund policy.
Employee reviews on Indeed: currently 3 out of 5
Pricing
Free consultation
Guaranteed results (laser hair)
Special offers / refer a friend
Scaled pre-pay packages
Pricing available on the website
Expertise
Reference to leading medical experts with 100 doctors on the team, no specifics
Our review
“Therapie recently took over Skinsmiths whose main focus was selling membership packages. Since this take over the marketing emphasis has now changed, and all clinics now focus on promoting the medical standards that are maintain at the clinics. These medical standards assure you of good standards of delivery, training of staff and periodic inspections by the Care Quality Commission ombudsman.
Whilst the CYNOSURE ELITE laser machines used at the clinic are not necessarily the quickest or most comfortable machines available, they are excellent machines and there is a hair removal guarantee. Although this guarantee does not guarantee your satisfaction it does assure you of successful results.
Employees give the clinic a 60% rating which is okay, although some of the other clinics listed here are rated much better by their staff. This may be a result of the disruption that has occurred during their recent merger, so whilst an important factor for contributing towards the customer service levels you receive, should hopefully only be a temporary issue.”
Skn Clinics
Services
• Laser Hair Removal
• Acne
• Dermatology
• Skin rejuvenation
Locations
National
14 clinics in London, plus clinics in the Midlands, North, Scotland, Wales and the South (laser hair removal, 13 in London over 50 nationwide)
Hours: London clinics open 7 days a week, to 8pm Monday to Thursday
Laser Hair Removal Equipment
CYNOSURE ELITE Lasers and Gentle YAG Lasers
Reviews
Skn Clinics are rated an average of 4.9 out of 5, based on 9568 reviews across the clinics
Trust Pilot reviews 5,050: Excellent 75% / Great 13% / Average 3% / Poor less than 2% / Bad 7%
Trust Score: 4.3 out of 5
Positive reviews refer to warm, friendly, professional staff, being made to feel comfortable.
The negative reviews often refer to inflexibility on timings if a client is late, sudden cancellations of appointments, poor customer service and not getting the expected results
Employee reviews on Indeed: currently 1 out of 5
Pricing
Free consultation (laser hair removal)
Special offers / refer a friend
Interest-free payments spread over 6 months
Pricing available on website
Expertise
Comprehensive list of named medical and aesthetic staff, filtered by area of expertise and clinic
Our review
“Skn is undoubtedly one of the UK’s largest aesthetic services which gives a good indication that they are doing many things right. They offer a wide range of treatments, are CQC registered and have many positive reviews from their clients.
Despite their size they are scored the lowest out of the clinics listed here by their own employees, achieving just 1 out of 5 on indeed. This low score seems to be reflected in many of the negative customer reviews which often mention poor quality service.
The laser machines are good quality although not necessarily the most comfortable or quickest.
Skn do not offer any guarantees on the results they provide, and some clients have mentioned in their reviews that they are not completely satisfied with their results. Despite this, this is a very professional service with established and standardised processes that most clients are very satisfied with.”
EF Mediaspa
Services
• Laser Hair Removal
• Other non-surgical face and body treatments
• Surgical treatments
Locations
3 London clinics (Kensington, Chelsea, St John’s Wood)
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, hours vary clinic to clinic but all are open into the evening (from 6pm to 8pm)
Laser Hair Removal Equipment
Soprano Laser
Reviews
Trust Pilot 30 reviews: Excellent 63% / Bad 37%
Trust Score: 4.0 out of 5
Doctify 142 reviews 4.95 overall patient trust rating (quite short reviews)
Reviews are frequently posted
Positive reviews refer to the knowledge, warmth and professionalism of staff, good explanations and advice on which treatment is best
The negative reviews often refer to bad results from treatments, though not specifically laser hair removal
Employee reviews on Indeed: currently 5 out of 5
Pricing
Free consultation
No pricing or offers, but invitation to sign up for newsletter for special offers
Expertise
‘Esther’s Experts’ includes a list of specialists in the cosmetic and aesthetic sector
Our review
“This is a very good aesthetic service which invests in the most advanced laser machines and offers a wide range of other treatments.
The clinics have a strong emphasis on looking after their team members and are rated very highly by them. As you might expect this emphasis on the team seems to be reflected in the quality on the customer service they provide.
Reviews often mention the warmth and professionalism of the staff and whilst this clinic does not attempt to compete on price it does focus on customer satisfaction and the results it delivers. Results are not however guaranteed and the clinic is a little coy about their pricing. This can make budgeting a little difficult before you engage with the clinic.”
London Premier Laser
Services
• Laser Hair Removal
• Facial treatments
• Injectables
• Body treatments
Locations
7 London clinics plus Surrey and Virginia Water
Hours: 7 days a week: Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm
Laser Hair Removal Equipment
GentleMax Pro, Cynosure Elite MPX and Cynosure Revlite SI
Reviews
Website reviews unverified, all 5*
Trust Pilot 75 reviews: Excellent 65% / Great 16% / Average 1% / Poor 1% / Bad 16%
Trust Score: 4.3 out of 5
Little interaction from the company with the reviews.
Google reviews differ clinic to clinic, for example Fulham, lots of nice reviews for the staff, Soho, concerns about unclear information. Positive reviews generally refer to good results.
Pricing
Free (complimentary) consultation
Digital pricing brochure on website
Packages prices, course of 8, 50% discount, course of 6, 40% discount
Pay monthly over 12 months 0% for purchases over £280
Special offers plus sign up / refer a friend
Client charter with a promise to manage expectations
Expertise
No list of individual practitioners, but a pledge that they “search high and low to find only the very best practitioners around – who love what they do.”
Our review
“An established clinic with an extensive range of treatments. Although it doesn’t appear to be registered with the CQC it does provide access to clinicians for injectables and other clinical aesthetic services. Clinics are primarily located in prime London locations.
Some clinic locations seem to be significantly better than others so it is important that you check out all the reviews for the specific clinic location you’re considering, to ensure you’re receiving the best possible customer service and results.
The clinic uses good quality laser machines although not necessarily the most comfortable or quickest.
No guarantees are offered for either results or satisfaction and some of the treatments offered, particularly the fat reduction treatments, provide limited efficacy. This is why many other clinics often choose not to offer these expensive treatments as the results they provide are limited and satisfaction cannot be guaranteed.”
