Shobha

Went here for the first time a few weeks ago. I have been getting my eyebrows threaded since age 14 and never have I ever become this red. I was completely red when I left — the person who threaded my eyebrows had a very heavy hand and was not gentle. I would not recommend this place. It is also extremely over-​priced for mediocre service. Try Village Studio or Maya instead and save yourself some money and redness.

today was my second time here and I need to comment about it because I have never been more irritated at an eyebrow place. first of all, I booked with Manju a «senior specialist». the first time she listened, cleaned me up and told me to let my eyebrows grow. the second time, today, a little over a month since my first time here (bless you Castor Oil for helping my eyebrows grow quickly) and again I spoke to her about what I like. showed pictures of defined eyebrows with great arches. I specifically said to her I don’t like round eyebrows — and none of the pictures I showed her were round. ALL pictures had an arch– which I reiterated several times was what I wanted. what did she do? the exact opposite of everything we discussed. She rounds out my right eyebrow to the point that there is no arch whatsoever. think Christina Aguilera in her dirty phase but a little thicker. round. which is not at all what I told her i wanted. she showed me and I said to her this is not what we just talked about. it looks not at all defined or like the pictures — it’s round. she says no it’s not round it’s just you. it’s JUsT Me?! it’s just my face I’m looking at in the mirror that other people look at as well. it’s round. she immediately says she can’t make me happy and for me to get a second opinion. so a colleague comes and I — for the third time — go through what I’m looking for show the pictures and end with so is my eyebrow round? she says yes. I asked her if she understood that I don’t like it round with my explanation she says yes. by this time Manju is already with another client — not even bothering to rectify the damage she caused. so this colleague gets to work on my left brow and it doesn’t look as bad. she listened. it doesn’t look great but it doesn’t look bad.
my issue with customer service jobs is that many just do what they want to do. but I’m the customer it’s my face and I’m paying for something that should be done the way I asked for it to be done. Manju charges 33 $ for 15 minutes of her time. that’s a lot of money for me to leave completely dissatisfied with mismatched eyebrows and to top it all off she tells me I’m seeing things.
I’m furious and really irritated at this horrible service and the fact that she didn’t listen. so home I go to get my castor oil to start this growing out process alllllllll over again to hopefully find someone who listens.
the one nice thing they did was not charge me since they could tell I was truly upset. they offered to only have me see Sima (who did my left eyebrow semi nicely) from now on. she seemed to understand but I’m not sure I want to go back.
they may have lost a client and all my referrals.

Rimal did my Brizilian wax and she was so sweet and gentle. The staff was very professional and the salon is spotless. Rimal made sure that I was comfortable during our session and did an excellent job. This was my first time here and I will be back! I used the Unilocal deal ($ 45 for $ 60) without any issues. Tips are cash only.

I have been going to the cheaper threading places in Queens for a while. I did love it until one day my regular didn’t show up and this new girl took half my eyebrows off. I decided to try something near my job. Nawina was amazing. So professional, listened to me and showed me what we would have to do to get my eyebrows where i want it. Currently suffering having to grow it back out which is not fun but I’m so looking forward to the end product. It’s $ 22 for threading but you can buy the package of 6 visits which works out to $ 18 each.

It was my first time in shobha. I told them that I have sensitive skin. I am all red and swollen. I get waxed all the time in other places. But it has never been this bad. Terrible terrible.

After 9 yrs of not being at shobha it’s still the very best hands down. I used the new customer deal which is $ 45 for a $ 60 value and got a Brazilian wax by Promila. She was soooo sweet and gentle with me considering I haven’t been waxed in 9 yrs. definitely worth every cent.

So… it had been more than 6 months since my last Brazilian wax when I wandered into this Shobha location.
Needless to say, I was dreading the inevitable pain to come, and holding on to nothing but a glimmer of faith and a Unilocal voucher.
Then I met Nita. And my skin found hope once again. This woman is amazing.
What should have been a ridiculously unbearable experience was quick, pleasant, and thorough. She didn’t make a big deal about my ingrown downstairs, or about how long I’d waited for a wax, as many waxing stylists do. Instead, Nita was professional. And she only recommended Shobha’s ingrown hair cream after I’d asked her for her input, (rather than trying to nickel and dime me.)
The women at the front desk were also nice and professional.
Overall, a great experience. I’ll be back!

Full disclosure: I used to work here back in the day, and even though that was a few years ago it’s still my first choice for eyebrow threading. I’ve been to other well rated places but Shobha is hands down the best at taking care of my sensitive skin. I tend to break out after getting my brows threaded, but not here. They always generously apply rosewater and hydro-​cortisone to help minimize any irritation. I think the thread they use is of a better quality then at other salons. Rizwana, Shashi, Jamuna, Nawina, Minu– really everyone here is fantastic and will customize your brow threading based on what you like and what looks best with your features. I just like to get «cleaned up», without a pronounced arch, and I have left happy every single time.
Also for those with sensitive skin who like to wax, they offer a sugar gel alternative. I’ve done this myself a few times and was absolutely shocked that my skin was able to tolerate it. It’s also slightly less painful than waxing, so there’s always that!
They offer some great products, both from outside companies and things made in house. Their rose water freshening cloths are perfect to keep in your purse during the summer and are bikini area safe. They’re also the only brick and mortar store I know of that sells Truly’s natural deodorant. Other favorite brands they carry are Zoya nail polish and Acure skincare products. Most things Shobha carries have natural ingredients.
It’s best to make an appointment, and they have an easy to use site where you can book online. Tips are cash only so keep that in mind. Brow threading appointments are scheduled in 15 minute increments, so try to be on time, and it helps to be understanding if your lateness means you need to be rescheduled. The women who work there work really hard– respect their time!

I will never again be tempted by Groupon deals to stray away from Shobha. The experience here is well worth the price (and you can purchase the $ 45 for $ 60 first time deal on Unilocal!)
I have gotten a regular Brazilian wax here, but I prefer the sugar wax. Each time I’ve come here, I’ve been impressed. 5 stars for:
— Cleanliness; in the lobby and waxing room
— Hygienic practices
— Friendly and informative staff
I have had nothing but positive experiences here. Getting waxed sucks, but the ladies here make it easier to deal with! They are professional, personable and patient. This is the first place I’ve been to where I actually laughed during a wax, and that’s saying something! This location in particular is convenient for me as it is walking distance from my work. Many of the women in my office come here and I would highly recommend checking it out for yourself!

This was my first visit and I will definitely be visiting here again! It was extremely easy to make an appointment online. The studio is beautiful and clean. The receptionist was very friendly and helpful. I had my eyebrows and upper lip done and my specialist was awesome! I was in an out in 15 minutes and gave me exactly what I wanted! My eyebrows were completely naturally shaped and my upper lip was smooth with no irritation afterwards.
The only note that I would make is that the address is also 5 Columbus Circle — I wandered around the area for about 20 minutes looking specifically for 1790 Broadway… it was in smaller print underneath the huge 5 Columbus Circle!

I have been getting my eyebrows done by Nawina for a few months now and she is amazing. I have very thick, difficult eyebrows to thread/​wax, so I had been searching for months to find someone that could fix the mess I made of my eyebrows. To fix my mess, I went to a few cheap threading places and they always did a terrible job. My thick eyebrows kept getting thinner and thinner, until finally a woman literally ripped half of my eyebrow off.
I am not even kidding, half of my eyebrow was missing in the center. I was so upset I couldn’t even talk. So they start growing in, I go to a different place and a different women re-​threaded (is that even a word, idk…) the part of my eyebrow I was growing in. I actually started to cry after she did it. So after that I searched for a higher end salon and came across Shobha. Nawina was mentioned as being great at her job (via Unilocal,thanks Unilocal!) and she has managed to almost fix my eyebrows. They really look great, almost back to the way they were before I destroyed them years ago.
Seriously, if you are looking for someone who is great at threading look no further. If she can fix my eyebrows she can fix yours!

Great place, highly recommend! Great attention to detail when waxing. You will definitely get your money’s worth. Will return!

All of the specialists here are very good at eyebrow and upper lip threading/​sugaring. But Promila is the ONLY woman in NYC I will go to to have a Brazilian Wax done by. She’s fast and it’s the least painful the experience can ever be!
She’s also just as great for eyebrows and upper lip– but if you’re looking for someone to do your Brazilian or bikini line, Promila is the best.
Great studio, always clean and consistent.

Shobha is the absolute best waxing place, and Nawina is the best technician. I’ve been coming for 5 years to Nawina specifically, and I never will go anywhere else or to anyone else again. I’ve tried other places and other technicians when I was in a pinch, and no one is as good. When I get waxed by Nawina, it doesn’t hurt (and this is for a brazilian)!! I have no idea how she does it but it seriously is painless and fast. She was even written up in a magazine! Shobha is a little pricey, but it’s worth it — and they have packages. I wouldn’t trust my delicate regions to anyone else ;) (and neither should you).

Before coming to Shobha, I had only gotten a Brazilian once and I pretty much decided to never do it again. A couple years later I saw a Unilocal deal that convinced me to give sugaring at Shobha a chance.
When I showed up for my appointment, the salon was modern and, most importantly, clean inside and they offered guests water and tea.
On my first visit the technician warned me that my hair might not be suitable for sugaring, but she still tried it out. She was right… most of the hair remained. At this point she let me decide whether I wanted a regular wax or to just go home. I went with the wax, but I really appreciated the option. The wax was as painful as I remember, but the technician was really nice and significantly faster (which helped a ton).
I now purchased the six pack (buy 5, get one free) and my second experience was infinitely less painful and the technician was just as good and fast.

The place is clean and efficient. Super close to where I live. I like to do my eyebrows there.

I could have sworn I wrote up a review, especially since I’m one of their oldest client. A veteran from their Grand Opening days.
This place is hands down, one of the Best Waxing Salons in NYC. And not just for its qualified waxers, but mainly because of the wax itself. I have never felt such a soft wax any place else, and I’m speaking of the hard wax. They also offer sugar wax, but doesn’t have the same effect on my hair — I have thick, tough follicles, only hard wax for moi.
I first explored Shobha when I went to their SoHo location, then I tried the Madison Avenue location [when I was working in Midtown] — I had a waxer whom I fell in love with, Jamuna, and when she moved to the Columbus Circle location, WE moved to the new location. I have been a loyal customer for 10+ yrs, and I go nowhere else. Even when I lived out of state, I would fly up every 2 – 4 months to get cleaned up. When you have a Gem like Jamuna, you have my loyalty (and it doesn’t hurt we share the same birthday, which I didn’t find out until 10+ yrs later).
They are a bit pricey; however, price depends on the Expert Level (ranging 1 to 5) of each specialist. The frontdesk staff are very polite, friendly and accommodating on short notice bookings, I have gotten in quite a few times on short notice. The place is very clean, colorful, with a beautiful scent of their amazing wax perfuming the air.
The Shobha Retail Wall consists of mainly all the products they use on you, that you can use at home. Shobha is big on exfoliating — Jamuna asks me all the time, «have you been exfoliating?»
They provide complimentary tea and water, along with sweet candies.
If you are looking for a Waxing Home, look no further, SHOBHA is that!
Hairless and Fearless.

No place like Shobha! I return here again and again for several reasons:
1) No double dipping! Thank you for consistently using gloves when waxing/​sugaring!
2) Prompt appointment scheduling and no waiting time upon arrival.
3) Staff is professional, informative and greats clients with a smile.
Great job guys, just keep that music bit lower, I don’t want to feel like I’m in a disco club.

I don’t often get waxed, but when I do, I want my experience to be as comfortable as possible and I don’t want to pay expensive spa prices. I’ve been looking for a good, affordable bikini wax near my office so that I can pop over quickly (when I’m feeling brave) even on busy days, and I think I’ve finally found my place! Getting ready for my beachy bachelorette weekend, I’ve been too busy to plan ahead but needed a bikini wax TODAY. After buying a Groupon for Spa Ela Bonita but not being able to get through on the phone all morning (and not receiving a call back from the voicemail I left) I canceled the Groupon (what good are phone-​only reservations if nobody answers the phone?) and found Shobha’s Unilocal deal for first-​timers: $ 45 for $ 60. Totally reasonable when Shobha’s full Brazilian costs $ 60. I called in the morning and was able to get a same-​day appointment for my lunch break.
Promila was my technician. She was so sweet and friendly and made a not-​so-​fun-​by-​nature experience as good as it could be. She took the time to ask me exactly what I want, and kept asking to make sure I was okay throughout. (She could tell I’m not a regular, so I think she was extra patient and gentle.) She was very thorough and threaded the shorter stubborn hairs the wax ignored, which other places I’ve been to in the past have not done. And yet I was still out of there within a half hour!
Clean place, friendly staff, good products, quick & attentive service, not cheap but fair prices. I already scheduled my next appointment.

I’ve been pretty happy since I moved to Shobha Columbus Circle, but still I have to right this review with a heavy heart after losing my beloved Specialist at Shobha SoHo. After being left in the dust following the sudden disappearance of my former specialist, bewildered and confused I decided to give another Shobha location a chance. Could they ever replace Rachana? Turns out, no, but Arisa at Columbus Circle is a very lovely substitute specialist non-​the-​less. She’s incredibly pleasant and never keeps me waiting, and though she takes a bit longer to complete my services than Rachana used to, she is really great with the TLC aspect of things.
I’m pretty particular about hair removal places-​you should be too!- and Shobha is at the top of their game when it comes to sanitation, customer service, and salon ambiance– water and tea are offered in the waiting room as well as about 50 plug options in case your phone died! Prices are comfortably in the middle of what I’ve seen among reputable hair removal places. So the company is great, the only thing you really need to think about is choosing your Specialist, which is a matter of personal taste as well as price (new specialists often offer services at discounted rates, while a few top specialists are more expensive). It’s hard to go wrong at Shobha, so I’d recommend checking out a new specialist discount, asking the receptionists who they go to, or browsing Unilocal for happy clients!