Since James has recently bumped this thread asking for more first-hand customer feedback, I’ll add in my 2 bits as well. This subject is kind of funny to me, actually, only because I really hadn’t given it much thought until I read this thread!
Firstly, about the setup where I go:
My electrologist works out of her home, in a subsection of the house dedicated to her business. There is a small waiting room with seating, plus a bathroom which clients may use, adjacent to the larger & sole treatment room. (The latter space also incorporates her “office area” of desk, PC, etc., plus supply storage, but everything is kept very tidy, and it’s all clean & organized each time I go.) All this is compartmentalized in the rear portion of the building, with an entry door on the side of the house but towards the back and out of view of the street. Clients use this private business entrance while personal visitors & friends still approach the residence portion via the front door. She has no signs or anything like that out front, and even standing on the sidewalk in front of the home, you would never guess there’s any business in the back, let alone an electrolysis practice, unless you physically walked around into the driveway. She’s been there a while so I’m sure some of her neighbors must be privy, but nobody just driving past would have any idea, and as it’s a residential area there aren’t many people “just driving by” to begin with. It’s really a nice arrangement, IMO, from the client side, and I can see how it would be ideal for the practitioner as well. Mine is usually booked solid but I suppose if she had a cancellation or the rare break period, it would be super convenient to nip behind her own door to the house side and grab a sandwich, start a load of laundry, or whatever other errands, between clients.
When I originally called for a consultation, not yet knowing any of this, we arranged a date/time and then she gave me directions. And the first thing she said to me was that it was a home-based business so don’t be deterred or think I’d gotten lost in a residential neighborhood. She also explained right away how/where to come in, since it wasn’t readily visible from the street, and I think that helped ease any misgivings because her comments implicitly showed not just that she understood new clients’ possible desire for privacy, but also a sense of delicacy for finding a place that is somewhat concealed on purpose, even if privacy wasn’t a personal concern. I didn’t tell her so at the time but actually I had already looked up the physical address on Google Streetview, and I had been somewhat perplexed at finding a tree-lined street of houses instead of a professional building, or maybe a business park… or at least a mini shopping strip next door to a Starbucks or whatever. LOL Just, y’know, “office space” of one kind or another. At that point in time, an electrologist working from home hadn’t really crossed my mind. Having now been there/done that, I would absolutely agree with James’s statement, that the average person goes into this expecting some kind of spa-meets-doctor’s-office arrangement… but once you know better, it’s not a posh environment that matters, but a knowledgeable person skilled on solid equipment.
Now, as for my feelings about it:
To be honest, I was initially a little put off by the at-home setting, but only because I had expected to find an electrology practice in such a building. There was nothing wrong with the environment itself; in fact it was quite cozy, clean, & private. It was simply the point of running into something that did not match my preconceived expectation. (Perhaps I should mention here, when researching local practitioners I made a short-list of best contenders and all of the others were in more traditional “office” settings, so it may be fair to say my expectations were partly influenced by that.) It wouldn’t be fair to say that I chose the particular technician I did on account of either the “relaxed” or “private” aspects of the setting, versus any of those “formal office” contenders on my list, for the simple fact that in reality I never got so far as checking out the other practices in person. I realize that’s maybe not the wisest approach and I’m certainly not advocating it as a general tactic, but I was sufficiently impressed with her knowledge, skills & setup that I felt confident in going to her for treatments rather than seeking further. The home setting left me a bit hesitant at first, but I was nevertheless comfortable enough to schedule my first real appointment, and after that I had such nice results that I’ve truly never given another thought to setting again, till I came across these posts.
Now that I have read them, though, and imagine what it would be liking going to my appointments if they were right next door to a book shop in some crowded mall, or beside a restaurant in a busy shopping plaza… actually THAT idea makes me MUCH more uncomfortable. I’m in a large metro area and though my electrologist is more or less “in town” it’s still almost an hour drive each way to get to her place - enough out of my own area that I’d never wonder about somebody recognizing me… but at the same time I wouldn’t want to feel as if I were in a fishbowl with everyone who walked past gawking at me – after all, even if they are total strangers, nobody likes to feel self-conscious. I think a general-purpose salon or day spa setting would be better, as there’s nothing specific to spell out “Folks Come Here ONLY for Serious Hair Removal!” (LOL at the trials in all your different settings, James!) but merely some kind of beauty-enhancing treatment. And at least there, you’d know everybody else was doing likewise, if not specifically electrolysis treatment – though even then I’d want & expect some degree of privacy from their salon environment. (This said, the one time I did go to a salon to try pro waxing I had an awful salon experience that pretty much put me off them for good, at least as far as hair removal goes… so perhaps I’m still giving them too much credit?) A home practice does away with nearly all of that, since the only other person you’ll likely run into, if anybody, is another client with the appointment just before or after yours, and obviously sharing your same “secret.” So if privacy is a major source of anxiety for someone trying to find a local practitioner, especially in a smaller city or town, then I should think an unmarked home practice would not merely be okay but really have a leg-up on any “traditional office” settings with potentially embarrassing signage out front.
So, at the outset a home-based practice might have been a very minute factor, but in my case it wasn’t enough of a big deal to dissuade me from getting a consultation or setting that first appointment. Obviously if you go to a home practice and the environment isn’t sanitary or the tech doesn’t sound very knowledgeable, that’s altogether a different problem… but IMO their simply having a home practice should not stop you from selecting an otherwise excellent electrologist. To echo templje above, an expensive-looking office space doesn’t guarantee an expert practitioner, while a skilled technician with solid equipment should get you decent results even in the most no-frills settings. I’d concentrate more on finding the right person/tools first, and only after you think you’ve done that, then ask yourself if you can be reasonably comfortable with their setup – wherever that may be located.
All in all, though I did not actively seek out a work-from-home practitioner, I’m rather happy that I ended up with one anyway! 
