EmmaMac Beauty — Local services in Philadelphia

I had high expectations for this place given all of the five star reviews but I felt so uncomfortable the second I walked in. A woman asked if she could help me so I told her my name and that I had an appointment and she seemed totally confused saying they didn’t have anyone there named Michele. I clarified that I was giving her my name and that I had an appointment and she still seemed really confused but I figured maybe she was just having a busy morning. She never introduced herself or said she would be doing my injections so I wasn’t sure if she was the receptionist or a nurse. She had me sign a standard consent waiver and I asked her about the section that gave consent to allowing staff trainees to do my injections and just clarified that I didn’t want that. She again seemed confused but told me to just cross it out. There was never any type of basic medical history or med rec done.

She walked me to an injection room. At this point I asked her if she would be doing my injections bc she still hadn’t properly introduced herself. She very briefly let me explain what results I was looking for but then never really said anything to indicate she heard me or that we were on the same page. Then she did the markings on my face which usually I’ve had the injector show me with a mirror to confirm before proceeding. I told her I was feeling kind of uncomfortable and didn’t really feel like there was enough communication happening. She said no one has ever told her that before and that she could just wipe the markings off and I could leave. I asked if anyone else was available to do my injections and she said no. Honestly I should have just left at this point because I was so uncomfortable and this woman and I were clearly not vibing and she was getting a little condescending. The whole thing was awkward and the customer service was just non existent. I again tried to communicate that I was feeling super uncomfortable and would just like clarification about exactly where on my face she was injecting and what the result she was going for was. She said she doesn’t normally have to explain that to people but that she would if I wanted her to. I will say that once she did explain I got the impression that she was knowledgeable in what she was doing. It’s too early to see results so I can’t speak to her technical skills but I think she’s probably pretty good. All of that was overshadowed by the way she conducted herself though so at this point even if the results are excellent I wouldn’t go back to this place.

I don’t know if she was having an off day or if this is just her personality but based on the interaction I had with her I would say that she lacks the ability to communicate clearly and professionally. At one point she actually said she was “going to be piercing my face with sharp objects.” She just constantly seemed confused and that’s not a quality that instills confidence.

Also, the website advertises their injections starting at $5.50 per unit but the actual price is more than twice that. She was upfront about this before proceeding with the injections and I agreed to the cost but it would have been helpful if their pricing was more transparent on the website.

Very confused by the owner response to this review since I told her when I checked out that I had felt very uncomfortable and would not be back so I’m not sure why this review is shocking. There was never any attempt to follow up with my concerns even though I made them known to her...

I would avoid this place at all costs. For some background, I have tried to work this out privately and am only writing this review because the owner is refusing to take accountability for what transpired at her studio. And if you read other negative reviews, my story unfortunately lines up quite similarly to many of theirs so it does not seem that my experience was a 'one off'.

I will never go back here and suggest that you do not come here either.

About a month ago, I decided to try Botox for the first time. The owner texted me herself to ask if I had any questions. I shared that I was pretty nervous but excited to try this out. She told me there was nothing to worry about..

When I went in initially, the injector, Melanie, made me extremely nervous. She kept talking about how if she injected too much or in the wrong spot she could cause droopy eyelids and other concerns. She made so many comments like this that when I was in the chair I actually said maybe we shouldn't go through with this, to which she assured me everything would be fine. We proceeded.

A week or two later, I notice that something is wrong. I look angry. All the time. Part of my forehead moves and it is changing my facial expressions completely. I send pictures to the owner (see below) and she says come back in, we'll fix this up for you - probably just 2 or 3 units.

I arrive at the studio and Melanie says, 'are you sure you came here? I've never seen someone respond so minimally'. She suggests I might be resistant the toxin and makes other similar comments that show she took no accountability for her work. She then proceeded to inject another 20-30 units in my forehead seemingly without much care, and as she walked me out said 'if this doesn't work, I don't know what to tell you!'

The 'angry' facial expresses subsided somewhat but not completely. It was much more subtle so I figured maybe the second treatment was okay.

But now it has been 1 month since the initial treatment, and I have movement in my forehead again! I texted the owner and she said that's not normal. I have expressed my concern about the technique or possibly the product being used, as other reviews also highlight that treatment wore off after 1 month.

For the price I paid, this is highly disappointing. I also expressed concern about the stress/anxiety that Melanie caused by actually changing my facial expressions and that I do not trust her technical skills. In no world am I going back to have this woman touch my face a third time.

The only solution the owner has offered is to have Melanie touch up my face again. I refused and have asked for my money back numerous times so I can have my face touched up by someone reputable and trustworthy.

The owner has stopped responding to my messages at this time.

So I feel I had no other option but to post my experience publicly. I hope this review helps other people avoid any situation like I went through at EmmaMac

EDIT: as a response to the owners comments -1) I did in fact send these photos to her 2) how can this be a false review? I have photo evidence. 3) In no way is it unreasonable for me not to have work done (for a THIRD TIME) by someone who has only demonstrated errors (on my face...

This review is gonna be long so if TLTR: just gooooooo to this place. Convenient, clean, kind and skilled. I am so stoked I found this place Melanie is AMAZING. I’ve been getting “wrinkle relaxer” for like 10 years now- preventative and corrective. I’ve gone to the best injectors at the top places in Philly and I’ve never liked how my forehead looks after. I prefer a straight brow…I look like a total nut job with arched brows. But it seemed like if I wanted to prevent forehead wrinkles and remove my between-the-eye indent, I was just gonna have to accept this. I made an appointment at Emma mac bc the appointment at my current spot (which I do really like and felt attached to) was a week longer away than I wanted. I searched for Botox near my office and Emma Mac came up. The reviews looked good and I thought why not. I loved that I didnt have to call to make an appointment I also loved that someone from there texted me and asked about bumping my appointment up 30 mins. I don’t like talking on the phone it gives me anxiety the fact I could communicate with them via text was a stress-free surprise dream. When I got there a super nice man offered me water. I waited only a couple minutes. Then in the room In a 30 second convo I told Melanie (I really hope I’m remembering her name right I suck at names), I told her I liked a straight brow but that it’s not really possible to give me that so just do what you think would look good hahaha. she had me make the angry and raised faces, poked me with a third the amount of relaxer I’m usually given (I used dysport this time but I’ve used all the makes they all do the same thing to me). I was surprised bc everywhere else Id get loaded w so much relaxer it was starting to seem ridiculous for someone like me who doesn’t have wrinkles in the first place. I see effects of relaxer within days I always have. I did w this and it looked beautiful but I didn’t want to get too excited until some weeks went by and still it looks like everything I’ve literally ever asked for from all the top injectors around here but never got. I’m the happiest person in the world for it. Idk if small amounts of relaxer will fade faster but I legit do not care. I’d rather come in every month and look how I want than every 3 months and walk around like crazy brow lady. I love the office space too, the woman with the red hair there who I think may be the owner was so freaking nice and chill the whole place is really pretty and clean but somehow manages to be welcoming. It’s probably the 3 people that were there that day giving off that relaxing no-worries energy. I am so happy about the honesty and the skills of this place Melanie is legit a genius and the aesthetics Angel I’ve been looking for my entire adult life and she’s full of so much info you can know for sure she loves what she does. They make it easy for the customer. It should be easy. Life is hard enough!! Looking forward to my next appointment and trying out other services...