Caress Healthy Skin & Hair

I can’t say enough good things about Caress. I have been going to Pablo for the last three years, he saved my hair from a disastrous color and cut, now my hair is healthy and I love the color! I get many complements on my color and cut and I owe it all to Pablo. The staff there are great, I would go to anyone of them. I am usually a last minute appointment girl and they always fit me in… LOVE THEM!

I’ve been going to Caress for over 8 years, including the last 2 even though I no longer live in Southie.
I started going there when I needed a bikini wax, and my usually place around the corner was booked. They suggested I give Caress a try. Mary squeezed me and and after the best wax, with lively conversation I continue to make the drive from Somerville.
John started cutting my hair as well 4 years back and I couldn’t be happier. I highly suggest giving them a try.

After reading good reviews about the stylist here I made an appointment for Saturday to go in and get my hair highlighted. I have brown hair and wanted a «sunkissed» highlighted look. I arrived at the scheduled 2pm time, and the stylist was halfway through dying her other customer’s hair. I waited about 20 minutes before she was ready to see me. She spent less than 5 minutes talking to me about what I wanted to do with my hair, and proceeded to mix up the bleach and start foiling my hair. When she was about ½ done with my hair, her next appointment walked in, and she asked this woman to come back an hour later. Said she «was running late». When she was done foiling I was moved to another seat so she could wash and cut the client’s hair she was working on when I arrived. About 10 minutes after she finished the woman she told to wait an hour came back for her cut. She washed, cut, and blew dry this customer before checking on my highlights. When she did finally get to washing the bleach out of my hair she commented «be prepared, it’s really blonde». When I looked in the mirror I was shocked, my hair was blonde with speckled patches of brown. The highlights were not even close to the root, patchy, and looked like thick chunky stripes. She finished blowing my hair dry and told me to give it a couple days and if I didn’t like it she would tone it for me. It took over 3 hours and paid over $ 100 dollars for this. As soon as I got home I knew it looked awful and would not «grow on me» so I called back to see if she could fix it. It turns out she wasn’t working until late next week, and was told no one else could fix it at the salon but her. I ended up having to spend more money to fix it elsewhere. Needless to say I will not be returning and would strongly urge people not to get their hair highlighted here. It was the worse hair experience I have had.

$ 30 for a low-​pain Brazillian with high-​quality conversation? Hell yes!
Mary is as good as it gets. Thorough, friendly, accommodating, and always ready to chat. Everyone in the salon is very sweet, so you feel good as soon as you walk in.
Don’t expect spa treatment: this is Southie, after all. The wax is warmed in a crock pot and ladled into little paper cups, you feel like you’re in someone’s loft bedroom – but it’s clean (no hair lying around, ever!) and Mary does a great job. She regularly cracks me up, and gives great advice. She somehow makes you feel at ease when you’re spread bow-​legged on a massage table.
I’ll be back every time I need a wax!

Decided last minute to get a tan for New Years. Mary was super friendly and introduced herself. It’s a typical southie place. So don’t expect spa treatment. The tanning bed is in a storage room and I’m not sure how old the bulbs are.
However it did the trick and I wasn’t expecting luxury. It was a great walk-​in experience.

I’ve been going to Tatiana for foils and cuts for over a year now. She’s super friendly and does a fantastic job! Everyone else in the salon is really pleasant as well. I’ve also gotten my eyebrows done by Mary. I can’t think of anything negative to say about Caress! The prices are extremely reasonable for the services you’re getting, especially compared to other salons in the area.

I’ve gotten my eyebrows and hair done here a few times and will continue to go back.
Mary will always squeeze you in for waxing if you haven’t made an appointment and the price is the best that I’ve found.
I’ve gotten great hair cuts with Tatiana in the past and then a I went in to get my hair dyed for the first time ever a couple weeks ago. Since I’ve never dyed my before I wasn’t sure what I was looking for and told her a rough idea of what I wanted. After hearing me out, she told me what she was going to do and got to work. When I walked in there I had never dyed my hair, had no idea what I wanted, and I love what she did.
Also, when she cuts your hair, she does exactly what you ask for. I have long hair and it drives me crazy when I go in for a trim and come out with 2 inches cut off. When you tell her you want a trim, that is what you get.
Remember to take some cash, there isn’t a line to put tips on the credit cards.

Caress is my go to place for my haircut and eyebrow waxing. I used to go to a barber and my haircut was inconsistent. Pablo does my hair exactly how I like it. He is thorough, and it doesn’t take much time. He has a great personality as well. I look forward to coming here every 4 weeks.
Mary the the owner has a pleasant disposition and is very professional. She waxes my bushy eyebrows and it improves my appearance. Even the other staff members seem genuinely happy to be there. Mary and Pablo stayed well after closing time last night as I was stuck in traffic and arrived late. I appreciate the fact that they went the extra mile.
I highly recommend Caress Healthy Skin & Hair. Keep up the great work.

I started going to Caress in 2010 when I was living in Dorchester. In 2012, I moved to Newton, and I STILL go to Caress for my Brazilian waxes. Mary gets the front, and the back, and its only $ 30 (just recently bumped up from $ 25). She also doesn’t accept tip! You might have to do a TOUCH of clean up once you get home, but with saving 30 dollars or more getting it at Caress, I am more than happy to do that. The room upstairs where she does the waxes doesn’t have a door so it isn’t totally private, but you can’t see it from downstairs. If anything maybe you can hear some conversation, but that’s it. Also, Mary is one of my favorite people. As strange as it is, I started going to her when I was going through a rough break up, and I swear talking to her was therapeutic. She helped me through such a rough time. And she ALWAYS remembers what I have told her over the years. Every time I see her we catch up, she asks how things have been with work, with whatever. She’s so personable and I value her opinion. She is a South Boston native and she truly cares about her clients. Just overall so great to be around and will respect and be kind to anybody who is kind and respectful to her. I love Caress :)

This review is ONLY in respect to waxing. I have never gotten my hair cut there or received any other service.
I must say, first, this is the cheapest wax you can get anywhere in Boston. $ 20 or $ 25 depending on the type of bikini wax (and Mary doesn’t take tips). Second, it is also the quickest wax you can get in Boston. Third, although it is fast, it is relatively painless. True, it still hurts, especially if you don’t do it regularly, but I have had more painful hair removal.
The place is very nice, although it is hard to get there if you don’t drive! It is not near the T, unfortunately. However, it is worth commuting there.

I came in here to get my hair done in an up-​do for a formal event. I was looking for something nice, but not too crazy, so I wasn’t willing to spend a ton of money on my hair. I called in advance before booking appointments for me and my friend, and the person on the phone quoted the up-​do at «$ 35, $ 45 max,» and booked both of us with Tatiana.
I told Tatiana that I just wanted a classy bun. She didn’t bother asking me any details, and just put my hair up in a ballet-​bun that I probably could have done on my own, but it looked nice and saved me time. She spent about 5 minutes putting my hair up, and the next 25 minutes hair-​spraying my hair and face. I told her I was going to a dance, so please make it tight enough that it won’t fall out. About 30 minutes into my night (before even hitting the dance floor), my hair was completely down. Not to mention, I ended up paying $ 65 instead of the aforementioned $ 35 I was expecting.
Overall, I got an overpriced, low-​quality up-​do. I definitely do not recommend this place for formal styling.

Update: Got the call from Mary that I was expecting just like the other unhappy poster said! She yelled at me, called me names, threatened to call my boss, and refused to let me get a word in edgewise. And somehow I’m the rude one. She didn’t even remember my name, despite having to look up my phone number in her book and reading it here on this post. She also tried to claim I was lying and was a problem from beginning plus misquoted my post. For the record: Tatiana is amazing. I never said anything bad about her. Go read the review. The dye job I got from Mary and Paulo was just so bad even she couldn’t fix it.
If you’re happy here, keep going. Do what works for you. If you’re not, clearly they can’t take criticism, so you best back away slowly or endure Mary’s wrath.
Update 2: Mary keeps calling me from different numbers. I really liked this salon the first time I went in and I love Tatiana. It is such a shame that it is run but someone so unprofessional that she would continuously harass a customer rather than take responsibility for the situation. Caress really is a great little spot, but I now feel unsafe knowing this woman has my phone number. Please be careful here!

Amazing place to get a haircut. Jon is fantastic and the haircuts come at an incredibly reasonable price.

Caress is my top choice for getting brazilian waxes. Why?
1. Mary uses hard wax, so it doesn’t rip off my skin.
2. The cost is $ 25, the cheapest in the Boston area.
3. Mary gets the job done quickly. She dominates the conversation throughout the whole experience. She is a true southie woman, so it’s fun to listen to her… but don’t disagree with her! haha
4. No tips, no extra charges for taking care of the derrière. Did I mention $ 25?
This is not a spa experience. It’s a specific service in an old building.
Some pieces of wax remain on the skin, but it’ll come off after a shower. A couple of hairs don’t come off, so what? You won’t be in a private room. You’ll be upstairs above the salon, but I’ve been going to Caress for over a year and no one has ever come upstairs. The most that happens is someone calls out her name from the bottom of the stairs.
FYI, the salon does not take American Express which is my one and ONLY reason for dropping a star from the rating. Otherwise you’re good to go.

Mary’s the best. She does a great job and really sits there and takes the time out to do a good job. I’ve never had any problems like any of these reviews are saying. She actually got me onto a really good product that helps irritation and ingrown. It’s not awkward at all considering you have an entire upstairs by yourself it’s great.

25 $ Brazilian & bikini
Mary the owner took me in at 7:35 and they close at 7:30; not only they offered me drinks and were so nice.
MARY does not take tips! she has been doing this for 30+ years
SHE TALKS SO MUCH but thats a great thing, since its awkward if she doesn’t
it is a hard wax (dries and then she peels it off)
although this salon is not all high end, its only 25 $ at the end of the day,
she doesn’t really give you space to take off your clothes; /​/​put it on, i was a little shocked since other salons leaves the room. It didn’t bother me as much.
It is not really a closed room it is upstairs from the salon but no one can see you.
she did miss a few spots that I had to go over again myself. but im fine with that

I still love this place.
I finally bit the bullet and decided to get my hair foiled. Best decision ever. Erin does an amazing job, and she is the only person I’ll see to do my hair from now on. I’ve never been loyal to a particular stylist in my life. Once I told her my fiancée gets his hair done at Supercuts her response was a quick «Oh I don’t think so. Not before your wedding! Get him in here at 4:30 tomorrow.» So I did. After 30 minutes with Erin «Mista Supacuts» is hooked, and he has sworn off chain salons for good.

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. If you are looking for a place to get a brazilian wax, please go to Spa Christine right up the street from Caress at 699 E Broadway. Might be a little more expensive, but sooo worth it to not have to deal with Mary. Please read on.
After hearing I could get a cheap but decent brazilian wax at Caress, I called and made an appointment for a Tuesday at 5:30pm. I made sure I left work early to be there on time, arriving at the salon at 5:25pm. I was acknowledged by one of the hairdressers and told that Mary would be right down. At 5:45, Mary finally came downstairs to take the next person, which I assumed would be me since it was 5:45 and I had a 5:30 appointment. As I went to get up, she took another girl that was waiting (she must have double booked us). So once again, I found myself waiting. Mary kept coming up and down the stairs, not acknowledging the fact that I had been waiting there for about 30 minutes now. So I finally went up to ask her how much longer it would be, and stood right infront of her for about 4 minutes while she talked to the hairdresser, not even looking in my direction. Finally, she looked up and told me it would be another 10 minutes. No apology. At 6:10 (remember that my appointment was at 5:30), Mary finally was ready for me. As we were walking up the stairs, she looked at me and said «you’re appointment is at 6:00, right?» I said, «No, it was supposed to be at 5:30». She then told me that since I was late, she took the person infront of me. I told her that I was actually 5 minutes early. She then proceeded to tell me that I must have been late because when she came down at 5:30, I wasn’t there. False. It pissed me off that I had waited for 45 minutes, just to have her tell me its my fault she didn’t get to me right at 5:30. So I once again told her she was wrong, and I had actually been there since 5:25. She then said «whatever, it doesn’t matter anyways». Talk about great customer service! This pissed me off beyond belief, so I told her that it matters to me and when someone tells me my appointment is at 5:30, I at least expect to be ACKNOWLEDGED by 5:45, nevermind not acknowledged until 6:10 with no apology and then accused its because I was late when I wasn’t. I then told her I no longer wanted the wax and walked out. We then exchanged some words and I left.
Yes, you may be able to get cheap and decent wax here, but if you care at all about customer service, this is not the place to go. I wouldn’t have even minded waiting 40 minutes if someone had just acknowledged me and I dont know, maybe apologized? This is 40 minutes of my life that I will never get back. The story has a happy ending cause I ended up going down the street to Spa Christine where I had a really good experience and got to hear «Crazy Mary» stories. My wax came out great and the service was awesome! It was a little more money but so worth it. If you are looking for a good place for a wax, its right up the street!

I absolutely love Caress! I’ve been going here for about 3 years now for bikini waxes and Mary is the absolute GREATEST!
Bikini waxes are never enjoyable, but Mary makes you feel so at ease and chats with you the entire time. Before you know it, it’s done and you’re on your way out.
Not only is Mary the best waxer around, she’s the best damn small business owner I’ve ever met. She treats her customers like gold. As long as I live within driving distance, I will always go to Mary!
Mary, if you read this, I plan on bringing you a nice bottle of wine next time I visit! You’re always so good to me and since you never accept tips, I want to get you a little something :-)

Small is good.
$ 14 mens’ haircuts. John made my bf’s hair look stylish and made him look young and fresh.
And Mary, the owner/​Waxer is a trip. Inexpensive and fast. No-​cloth strip waxing.
Small and friendly. And reallllllly inexpensive. Loved it.