Vera Weiler Electrolysis

Vera is professional and gentle.
She took great care in explaining to me how electrolysis works and the best ways to reduce the pain.
I was very lucky to have her for my first electrolysis experience.

I came to Vera for a couple of months while I was in San Francisco from New York. She is warm, caring, knowledgable and wonderful at what she does.
Her method is relatively painless, which was a welcome change for me as my electrolysis in NY is slightly more painful.
I definitely saw a little bit of improvement in the short time I went which was very encouraging (I have a terrible case of post-​laser hair growth to deal with-​I will be in electrolysis for several years).
I will definitely be visiting when I come back to SF-​highly recommended!

When you’re looking for someone to burn hair out of your face, you want to make sure you have a high level of trust that the person knows what they’re doing. I did loads of research, and she did not disappoint.
She is my hairy (er, hairless) godmother — knowledgeable, thorough, charming (really important when you’re asking someone to commit follicular homicide), and reasonably priced.
I follow her instructions, and except for some aggressive redness the day of a treatment (nothing against Vera — my skin doesn’t take kindly to someone poking an electrically-​charged needle into it over and over again), it’s really smooth sailing so far.
Couldn’t recommend her more highly if you’re looking for electrolysis.

Vera is fantastic! I had been going to see her for years until I moved to NY. I recently went back for a treatment while in SF and was reintroduced to her flawless professionalism, her kind demeanor, expertise, and knowledge. Her practice is clean, welcoming, full of light, and the perfect environment for electrolysis. The result of the treatment is flawless too. She is the utmost expert in her field and she always makes you feel cared for. I cannot recommend her enough! I have not found anyone like her in NY or anywhere else.

I would claim that Very might be the best on Electrolysis not only in SF but in US. I think I literarily would fly from Norway where I´m from and get it done by her. Electrolysis is somewhat painful and several times are needed no mater where you go. Vera is a true professional. I did some test hairs on another salon before I found Vera and it literarily hurt twice as much, so at least pain level is as low as it can be at Vera. She is everything they say, kind, caring and knows her field extremely well.

I love Vera! She’s not only excellent at what she does, but she’s an absolute delight to interact with. Absolutely recommend her anyone needing electrolysis.

I have had electrolysis in the past from several electrologists in the past, and Vera is absolutely the best in the business! Period! As a Trans woman, I will say Vera is not only sympathetic to our plight and dilemma, but she has a total understanding of the process that we must go through! Her knowledge of this has endeared me to her in a way I can’t explain! I love her!
I found her on Unilocal and read reviews of her and her work from clients, and the brochures she has on her website! I scheduled a 15 minute initial consultation through her easy to use online booking program! I was excited!
The day arrived and I got their early! She was with a client when I arrived, so I helped myself to the miniature candies she keeps on the coffee table, as well as a 4 oz. bottle of H2O. After her client had gone and she had tightened her space up, she came to the waiting room, warmly greeted me and introduced herself. She escorted into the treatment room and invited me to have a seat at her desk. We talked about my history with electrolysis; where, when, why, and how it was done, and how I’d responded to past treatments. We discussed the area I wanted treated, (beard area) the amount of time it would take, the methods she used, and my skin type. I am sixty-​two and have lack and white thick curly hairs growing out of my delicate caramel complexioned African-​American skin. We discussed the «blend «vs «thermolysis» methods and the pros and cons of each. We discussed the sensitive areas, importance of hydration, and the use and benefits of using a topical anesthetic. We finally talked about realistic expectations, and pricing! I scheduled a two hour session to be done the following week. She had offered to give me a «sample demonstration,» but I demurred; remembering that I had often thought of it, and compared it to. .. Branding! (EEK!)
The day arrived! I got there early! She greeted me and asked if I had put the anesthetic cream on, whichI had. She put pieces of Saran Wrap over the bearded area to be treated, and had me lie down on the treatment table, while she got set up for me! She had great jazz music on. She asked me was I comfortable and asked me was I ready to proceed. I was. She moved around my face methodically, cutting the Saran Wrap to expose the are she was working on! Since I have, need, and want to have this done, I allow myself to completely relax, breathing evenly and deeply. If I find myself tight or tensing up, which seems to cause it to hurt more, Every so often, I have her stop, or she will stop before proceeding to a new area! This is when I stretch my back, leg and limb muscles for a few, reposition myself, and we begin again! Everything you heard about the upper lip, lower lip, and neck being sensitive is true! lol So, two hours was done! My upper lip was cooking, so she handed me a frozen balloon in a Baggie, and I iced the hot spots, and rescheduled for another two hour session! The key is to follow her instructions to the letter! When I got home I threw cold water on my face, gently pat it dry with a fluffy towel. Mixed kosher salt with cold water really well, and then wet paper towels that I rested on my face. Then I removed them and let my face air dry. Did nothing else other than apply ice.
Have had my second session since then, and I have fined tuned the process! Now I slather the numbing cream on an hour before my treatment begins! It makes a big difference! Also, I have her do the upper lip last. Some areas she has to turn the machine up higher, for the thicker black curly hairs! I don’t care, just so I never have to shave my face again! The most exciting part of each treatment is the following day I can see a noticeable difference and. .. Catch it. .. Less hair! Yaaaaaaaaay! Gone forever!!!
Vera rocks! She is awesome!

I went for a consultation with Vera because as far as I could tell, she was the only electrologist in San Francisco who *only* did electrolysis, actually went to a school that focuses on electrology and has a profile on Unilocal with well deserved great reviews! However, for your peace of mind, you should do lots of research to find all the electrologists in your area (which may not be listed on Unilocal) and compare price, equipment, certifications/​experience, and location. Even Vera will tell you that you should go meet many electrologists and make sure you feel comfortable with them, because you will spend a lot of time in their office since electrolysis is a long process.
Vera was very polite and patient, and thoroughly explained everything for the consultation.
If you’re worried about the type of equipment, just ask her! She will tell you. As of this writing (october 2014) she was using the latest Ultrablend model from Clareblend. Doing some research to know that your electrologist is using the right equipment will save you the exhaustion of not knowing.
I ended up pursuing laser because I wanted a very large area treated, have lots of hair and am lucky enough to have the right skin+hair profile for laser. Vera was honest enough to tell me this was the way to go, given my situation.
I did try getting a couple hairs removed, but it was too painful for me because I didn’t prepare! I’d like to try to save anyone else from this mistake. I had had laser in the past, and while the improving technology always makes the pain less, I think electrolysis is just inherently a more painful process for people that have it particularly easy with laser. With laser hair removal, I am so white I can just about sleep through it. But electrolysis is a more invasive and permanent process. Depending on the individual, as Vera explained, the pain can vary a lot. She was expecting the pain might be a bit much for me without any creams due to my young age of 22 and the thickness (?) of my hairs (or something). She was right! Here are my recommendations for your first visit:
1. Have the expectation of pain so you will be mentally prepared, and prepared to focus on relaxing. If you aren’t expecting the pain, it will surprise you, and you won’t be able to tolerate it as well. Don’t freak out beforehand, just be healthily mentally prepared! Research how to tolerate such pain from other people who talk about their electrology experiences online.
2. Follow Vera’s recommendation to buy and apply numbing cream beforehand. She can’t advertise or sell these to you as per the rules of the State of California, Consumer Affairs/​Cosmetology Board, and she runs an honest business, so you’ll need to get some yourself. Even if she could sell them, they have to be applied an hour beforehand anyway. So, you may want to do your own research on creams. Here are some things you can look up:
Products with 5% lidocaine (Apply at least 45 minutes before treatment. Available over-​the-​counter. Can be purchased at
):
LMX lidocaine 5%
Greencaine
Lidocream
A prescription drug:
emla 2.5%. Contains both lidocaine and prilocaine. Apply at least 1 hour before treatment.
For any of the above creams, apply a thick layer and don’t let it dry out. For example, on the legs you can cover the cream with plastic wrap and wear compression shorts.
Making an appointment is easy on her website. She will try her best to return your calls as soon as possible or contact you by email, but most of the time I’m sure she’s busy doing electrolysis. Her office is clean. Everything checks out. Would recommend!

Vera is a true professional and the real deal if you’re looking for permanent hair removal.
I’ve been seeing Vera for about a year now, and I absolutely and unconditionally recommend seeing her if you’re considering electrolysis.
Vera is extremely kind, patient, caring, and smart (not to mention her great sense of humor), but what really sets her apart is the passion she has for her work, and the quality with which she performs it.
She works quickly, her equipment is indisputably sterile, and her location is very clean and comfortable. Also, being on Union St, there are multiple garages in the immediate vicinity, street parking, and numerous muni bus routes which run through.
I’ve seen a few other electrologists and have had several laser hair removal sessions in the past, and nothing has even come close to the overwhelmingly positive experience I’ve had with Vera.

Since my older review was for her old location on California, I wanted to add that her current location on Union is just as convenient (maybe more so), in the heart of Cow Hollow. Buses like the 22 Fillmore, 45 Union, 41 Express, and 43 Masonic are all right there in front of her office, or a couple blocks away. And street parking is free before 9 a.m.
Vera is simply the best and I’m so glad she’s still practicing in San Francisco. I look forward to visiting her, which I realize is an odd thing to say about electrolysis. But she’s so fun to talk to, and you just fall in love the smooth results and the lasting effects of the progress you make.

Vera is like the hair-​removing grandmother you’ve never had.
I’ve only been once (I’ll update the review as I go) and I really loved her emphasis on after-​care in addition to the in-​depth explanations of what she was doing. I’ve had electrolysis at a different place where they just kinda started and didn’t explain what was happening. All the swelling went down after about 24 hours (I listened to her instructions and wore no makeup afterwards, just aloe vera) and the results so far are good. It is pretty painful, so expect that.
Her studio is super clean and she is easy to get a hold of via email. Since permanent removal is a long process, it’s important to have someone you like.

I have always like Vera’s work and her space is clean and well organized. I only go in for15 minutes, but it is the best.

I have been seeing Vera since last year and I have to admit she is great. I got the recommendation to see her from my friend and I have been telling all my friends about her now. She is very clean, polite and very quick.
I have been seeing results already. She is located in a nice neighborhood so I am always looking forward to driving to SF every 6 weeks to see her. Her rates are very reasonable, too. I hope others could give her a try as I think Vera cares for her clients a lot and she really know what she is doing,

Great service!
I’m going to vera a little bit more then a year now…
It’s a long process for me but I see great result.
Vera is always very nice, professional and she explain about everything.

I have been going to Vera for years; now only for clean-​ups, as I call it. She does my chin, upper lip, and eye brows. I love the way I look after the clean ups — no excess hairs sticking out! Vera is a true professional: efficient, thorough, and a very lovely person, as well. She is the best in this city. Her rates are very reasonable, too. If you are looking for an electrolysis, go to Vera; she’s great!

Love the space, both beautiful and calming and filled with natural light! Vera is wonderful as well!

My upper lip hair is very fine and light but has bothered me for years. It seems to be getting darker with age but still won’t respond to laser treatment. I’ve seen Vera twice now and have seen major permanent reduction with minimal pain or reactions. She is very clean, precise and sensitive to my needs. I appreciate her expertise that comes from years of solely practicing electrolysis!
Making an appointment or consultation is very easy because she is super prompt over email.

Vera did not remove a single hair from my body, but instead advised me that for my skin and hair type, laser hair removal would be far better than electrolysis, even though I almost insisted that I undergo electrolysis, based on the excellent reviews I had seen on Unilocal.
I found her honesty to be refreshingly ethical in an industry permeated by the desire for a quick buck. Also, the consultation was free.
So while I can’t speak about how modern her machines are, I can say that Vera was of an impeccable ethical standard.

I’ve been going to Vera for 9 months and did not see much improvement at all. The hair grew back just as thick or even thicker and it does not lessen. What she will tell you is that the hair will never go away but can get much lighter and less thick. Not true! I’ve had other electrolysist tell me that it should go away completely!
Her machine is not the newest or top of the line and I find that it takes much longer to remove the hair therefore you don’t get much removal in the appt time. She also charges for what you normally go in for if you miss an appt! What a rip! She is really anal about you arriving on time and rushes you out when your time is up so she can see someone else. However I was even early once but she took so long with a customer that it cut into my appt time. She was just chit chatting away even though she knew I was waiting outside. It definitely seemed that she values some clients better than others.
I’ve since changed electrolysist and saw a drastic improvement within 2 – 3 months. She has a digital machine which works a lot better than Vera’s old machine that uses manual turn dials and removes hair much quicker therefore lessening the time of pain as well. I don’t want to sound like I’m advertising so message me if you want to go to someone more effective.
Vera only accepts cash or check which is a major hassle for someone who doesn’t carry their checkbook around or carry much cash.
I would have given 0 stars if Unilocal allowed it.
Update: I’ve been going to someone new for 10 months and I would have never gotten the results I did if I were to stick with Vera. My results have gotten better and I wish I came here in the first place instead of wasting all that $ at Vera’s. Many of you have messaged and told me how helpful my review was. I’m glad I could share my experience and help prevent yours because I would have saved so much $ if someone had told me otherwise.
2^nd Update: My last appt at the other electrolysist was in August and since then (5months) I have not needed to return. The results are permanent just as she promised!
Response to Comment:
I have never once mentioned any doubt regarding Vera’s sanitation or sterilization of her equipment.
My experience is proof and I would have no need to damage her reputation. If I saw results why would I have stopped going? Also I am not the only client with a negative experience (see Jill B.‘s review). I’ve also had many people message me who are not seeing any results w/​Vera. Unilocal is a wonderful site that lets real customers share their experiences (whether good or bad) regarding an establishment they have visited. Although Vera has made a comment here she has never once reached out to me regarding my experience and how she can provide a better service/​experience which any good business should.

I love Vera! I’ve been seeing her for years!
She is the sweetest woman you will ever meet. She cares about her clients and goes out of her way to make you feel at ease and explain everything to you.
She is extremely professional but also friendly. I trust her completely, and that is why I keep coming back. I drive all the way from the East Bay to see her!