Berkeley Facial Studio

Roberta is fantastic. I have been going to her for a decade. I have moved out of the area but always try to set up an appointment when I visit Berkeley. She does an excellent job with extractions. Very old school approach that can be tough on the skin but the redness is gone after a couple of hours. Very reasonable price and as good a service as one would get in a more expensive salon.

After reading all the Unilocal reviews, I finally decided to give the Berkeley Facial Studio a try. I read that Roberta gave good extractions and had a lot of blackheads/​clogged pores around so was excited to give this place a try! My overall experience was OK and not good enough for me to return or recommend to a friend.
PROS:
–Nice and clean studio that is well kept. Roberta takes good care of her place.
–Nice woman.
–Affordable, relative to other facial studios.
–Easy to find and free parking
CONS:
–Difficult to find
–Maybe it was because I was the last person on her Saturday afternoon and she wanted to go home (I can understand and relate), but I felt like everything was so rushed. It was as if she was trying to get me in and out ASAP. My entire facial from start to end was 30 minutes.
–PAINFUL. Let’s be real, I was expecting the pain because I wanted extractions but I was literally sweating, tearing up, and gripping the bed the entire time.
–Plenty of swelling, bruising, and inflammation for over a week after. Again, I expected redness and for things to look worse before looking better. But it’s been over a week and my face still looks like it went through war :(I have pimples where there used to be black heads now :(
–She uses her fingernails for the extractions. It’s hygienic because she uses these condom looking plastic covers on her fingers, but I’m not sure that using fingers to apply pressure is better than those metal extractors that facialists normally use.
–I could have done most of it by myself: 2 minutes of using some exfoliating facial wash, 5 minutes of steam on my face, 10 minutes of extractions, 1 min of using alcohol/​toner to wipe wipe wipe, 10 min of some minty facial mask, 1 min take off mask, 1 min applying concealer to hide bruising/​bleeding.
–On her website, it says the facial is $ 47 but it’s now $ 57. I understand the need for her to increase the price and think $ 57 is still cheaper than most, but I was still deceived by her simple website!

Roberta is fantastic and I have been going to her for at least 23 years. I go because she does an excellent job of extractions and with oily Asian skin I really need to keep my pores clean. I always get complements on my complexion. She can be tough on your skin, but I never have left with any red irritations that lasted more than a few hours. If you go regularly it is MUCH easier on your skin. So don’t get scared away by some of the negative reviews or the first facial. She will keep your skin beautifully smooth and blemish free. I moved a way from Berkeley 19 years ago, but I still drive over from Marin and I hope she doesn’t retire any time soon!

I have been going to Roberta for about 10 years — she is the best. She keeps my problem skin in shape, and is friendly and accommodating. This is not a fancy day spa, but her facials are far better that any I have received in those settings at twice the price. Go to Roberta, go to her regularly, and just watch your skin improve.

Coming for years Roberta is the best. She has been at this for decades not the place if you want foo foo touchy feel skin care. Now she is great for clearing up your skin and correcting issues. Value courtesy and overall experience. She’s a 10!

Roberta did an amazing job with the extractions. i could not ask for a clearer skin/​face. She also seemed very knowledgeable about skin, skin types and provided some great, simple and inexpensive suggestions. The pore extraction was painful but i had expected that considering the last time i got a good facial. She was also candid about the skin being a little sensitive for a few days. I will have to wait and watch for peeling
This is really not a SPA, but pure skin treatment. So if you are looking for major pampering, maybe this is not your ideal place. But if you are looking for pure results on your face — Roberta works the magic. She is passionate about what she does and is also a very interesting person to chat with
btw — she told me she does not use a computer, so don;t expect emails back and forth ;). Phone is the easiest to reach her

I had a really good experience and a bad one, which is why I’m putting 3 stars overall.
I went there for an extraction facial in October 2013 and had a really good experience. The price was reasonable (can’t remember how much exactly but around 50 $, which is really good for the Bay Area), she really got most of my blackheads out and did a very good job overall. I was even a bit late and she didn’t mind. It was easy for me to reach her to take my appointment (only had to make one phone call and she answered right away). The only thing is that the place is quite hard to figure out where it is the first time you go there. I had to go inside a restaurant in the area and ask. There is no sign outside or no clear indication. It’s kind of in the middle of a huge parking lot, with a lot of nearby businesses and a lot of different doors from which you can enter, it’s just really confusing. If it’s your first time going, plan maybe 10 mins ahead in case you have this problem like I did.
My second experience was just terrible. I have tried to make an appointment with her for about a month (January 2014), without any success. I called her at least 20 times during business hours, always without any answer. I also tried leaving her a few voice mails (clearly stating my name, phone # and that I was calling to make an appointment for a facial). She tried to call me back twice, but I was always in class and thus couldn’t answer. I tried called her back afterwards, again the voicemail, and this time I gave her my email address and told her to either try that or to try texting my cell phone number, but I never heard back from her. So I never could go back to get another facial from her (I don’t have a car and her studio is about an hour in bus from where I live, so I’m not gonna go all the way just to make the appointment…) I must have called her over 30 – 35 times in total and left at least 6 – 7 voice mails, yet she only tried calling me back twice. Not very professional! I think she is the only one working at her studio so I can imagine that it’s hard dealing with customers and also managing the calls, but I don’t see how she could manage NOT to get back to me in ANY way…

Roberta is great! She’s super nice and accommodating. Her pore extractions are a bit painful, but you do walk away with clean and empty pores! Your face is never smoother or cleaner! My face does peel after a session, but not badly at all. It is honestly worth it for literally the smoothest, blemish free nose and cheeks ever (I have really deeply embedded acne sometimes, especially on my cheeks)
I always come back here for the price and just the great treatment!

Taking off one star because my face did have a bad reaction to the treatment. This could just be me, though!

Roberta rocks. She’s great as a facial expert for guys because all she does, basically, is black head extractions. Given my last facial was about 10 years ago, I had a fair amount of build-​up. Roberta knocked ‘em out with her no-​nonsense, get down to business approach. If you’re looking for an overpriced «from from» spa experience, this ain’t it. If you’re looking for someone who is going to get those blackheads out (no matter how much it hurts), Roberta’s your girl. Thank you Roberta! I will be back in a few months!

I’ve been visiting Roberta for her super cheap, super efficient facials for about a year now. Roberta cleans pores like no other. She’s a pore-​cleaning specialist. Yes, sometimes the extractions are painful. And there may be a little bruising /​peeling. But sometimes, your skin just needs a good cleaning. & if you’re okay with a no muss no fuss skin cleaning bonanza, then Berkeley Facial is for you. Only go here if you want a deep pore-​cleaning & are prepared for a few days of redness. & no worries, she does offer you a cover-​up which yes, you can definitely wear overnight. It does NOT cause breakouts.

After reading all the reviews on Berkeley Facial I decided to give Roberta a try. I called and left her a message and she promptly returned my call to schedule my appt.
Silly me I totally screwed up and came the day before my scheduled appt. However Roberta was more than accommodating. She had me fill out her new patient intake form and asked if I wanted an appt today with her within the next hour (since she had another client coming in half an hour –I declined since I had a prior engagement). Then she even called her client to see if they would be able to come in later since I was traveling from more than 15 miles away (I thought that was extremely nice seeing that I was the one who screwed up). Since the client didn’t answer she offered to give me a mini facial (which I also declined because I wanted to experience the full hour facial and not feel rushed).
All in all Roberta was very sweet to attempt to pencil me in on such short notice. I can’t wait to review her service tomorrow! Yes, I have my Ibuprofen and big sun shades ready for the much needed extractions!
***Heres my review on her facial***
After putting on the terry cloth tube top I layed down on the facial bed and Roberta began explaining what she was going to be doing. First was the warm lotion arm and hand massage then she placed them in the warming mitts (these are left on for the whole facial) next she began cleansing my skin with steam. Once the steam was removed the fun part started. Yes it was time for extractions (come on this is the best part of a facial). I would say there was times where Roberta would go hard on my nose (ouch) but it wasn’t anything to painful where I wanted to kick her as a natural reflex while laying there (lol) She spent a good amount of time extracting all of that junk out of my face which in my opinion is what I’m really paying you to do. Then it was onto the calming face mask and neck and shoulder massage (it felt oooo soooo good).
All in all its not your fancy smancy day spa which will charge you an arm and a leg for the ambiance but rather a more personalized approach where you can count on your skin truly being improved.
$ 47 for a facial I will be back soon.
*FYI she does not accept credit cards and she prefers personal checks over cash (unless you have exact change)

squeaky clean.
if your pores can get that way… roberta is the one to do it.
this is not your pretty little posh salon. not the relaxing spa getaway.
this is a business trip to have your pores cleaned out and roberta will get it done for you. she’s not shy, she goes in for the dig.
no pain, no gain.

Holy swollen face hell! What a nice woman, but jesus christo I swear she fractured my nose from all of the pore extractions! My face was swollen for a good three days after the treatment. I just don’t think anyone should have to squeeze that hard. it’s very affordable, she’s not in it to break anyones wallets. My recommendation: Personally, I have pretty tough skin, but unless you’ve got some serious black head action I would be weary. perhaps pop a vicodin before hand. ow ow ow!!!

I have been getting facials from Roberta regularly for over five years, and couldn’t be happier with her service. Yes, there is some discomfort in extractions, but she really gets the gunk out and keeps my pores cleaner than I can do myself. She massages your shoulders and upper back, rubs lotion on your hands, then into warming mits, plays the most relaxing music, applies her aromatic potions and leaves you to steam and dream upstairs in her airy good-​vibe space just off the freeway. Her volume discount is the BEST, easily justifying the cost of regularly scheduled treatment.

I have been going to Roberta owner of Berkeley Facial for a few years and she will work your face and make you look great. And to everyone Roberta offers a killer deal: 5 facials for $ 180 that means it is $ 35 a facial you can’t beat that anywhere. Thanks !

Only go here for an extraction if you want to have your face very aggressively squeezed and dug.
I thought the aesthetician was very nice, but the facial was painful has left me embarrassed to show my face tonight. There was no mention in advance of the facial that the treatment might leave me looking swollen and worked over.
The facial consisted of a picking whiteheads with a needle, steam, some very breif treatment with another sort of lotion or masque, and a really intensive extraction of my pores with her (latex covered) fingernails. No massage. This was not a relaxation facial.
Before I was able to see the results of the extraction, she put a lot of make up on me and instructed me to leave it all night long on without washing my face. The reason for not washing it off, nominally, was that it was red underneath and she didn’t want me to irritate it further, but having a layer of gunk on my freshly extracted and irritated pores on a hot day didn’t seem like a win. I kind of felt like she was trying to hide the injury caused my the extraction from me until after I left.
I hope that when the swelling goes down and the broken blood vessels clear that I will actually see tighter pores. Presently, I think they look worse gaping and irritated than they did when they were clogged.
If I’m ever going to go through that much pain and injury for my skin again, I will happily pay more and have a more skin-​friendly treatment done by a medical professional. I’m going to limit facials to relaxation day masques and massages (which is what has mostly comprised my extraction including facials at other locations in the past.)

Roberta is kick-​ass awesome! Been going for years! Not sure what the issues were with Meg B. (sounds like especially sensitive skin) and her review, but I can say that myself, friends and family have always had amazing experiences. Roberta is an extractor, not that fluff and buff crap from day spas. She gets the goop and dirt that has been settling into your pores! My face feels alive and so clean when I leave her table. Her prices are cheap and get cheaper if you buy a series to use at your convenience over time. She never pushes products, but does have great products and instructions for keeping your skin clear and looking beautiful! You MUST try Roberta, hands down the Best in the Bay!

I had a great waxing experience with Roberta and I saw her facial prices were the cheapest around. Given the reviews, I went for it. Sadly, it was the worst facial I’ve had. She was more than thorough with the extractions… and that’s not a good thing… my face peeled for over two weeks and when I looked closely, I could see bruising from where she pressed to empty the pores. I like her, like the location and ambiance, like the waxing, but my face was traumatized!

I am honored to be the first to review the Berkeley Facial Studio.
Roberta is the best esthetician around.
She tells you like it is.
You don’t tell her what kind of facial you want, she’ll tell YOU what you need.
She will not try to sell products to you unless you really need it.
She has the best New England accent even though she has been living in the Bay for over 30 years.
Oh, she’s the cheapest too. Her facial is only $ 47!!!
Okay, now that I recommend her, I don’t want you to call her too often because then she will be too busy to do my face.