So I wrote this in response to someone who I message with privately. Basically while not as low income as, say I am, they are on a fixed and probably not very large income. Like a lot of people these days. This person has a lot of electrolysis to do, and has struggled I suspect somewhat with the overall cost. I thought it would be helpful for those that think that electrologists are “overcharging” . The fact is , it really isnt true, but there are a lot of hidden costs that the average client doesnt see. It’s not really a DIY issue, but I’m hesitant to start anything new in the professional section.
Seana
You are right , the cost of electrolysis is exhorbitant. Ever consider why? I mean in my own province there is no license or certificate required to “professionally” conduct a electrolysis business. Like many Personal Service Settings they dont pay alot of taxes on what they charge, as many payments are in cash they just “disappear” from the books.
I used to technical work. A road tech, going from client to client all day fixing their networks. I couldnt understand the fee’s my bosses charged, often in the range of 80 - 150 dollars an hour. I certainly wasnt making that much!
But here’s what I, and the clients didnt see. For every hour working on a client site, there was roughly another hour of “dead time” for travel minimum. And at least an hour beyond that, preparing for the site visit, gathering tools, planning strategy , researching the issue, downloading and burning to CD patches and updates. That was before you considered Rent hydro, and clerical staff and taxes.
Electrolysis is much the same. As an electrologist, for every hour you work, there’s another hour spent sterilizing and cleaning the equipment. Time spent preparing that flyer on aftercare you get in every visit. Recording the treatment , date, area worked, intensity as required by Health department . Autoclaving forceps for the next client and recording the details that you did so, and spore testing your autoclave and recording THAT. Add to that, you average electrologist doesnt work the entire day. They maybe have one client in the morning and another in the afternoon, electrolysis just isnt all that popular. So when you are paying $90 an hour for your 2 hour session, you are paying for all that dead time. Plus their rent, hydro, supplies like probes and aloe gel or tea tree oil. All of this adds up.And equippment, you already know how expensive a machine is, but there’s the esthetics bench, loop, heck even my tweezers cost me $30 a pair!And time ( and fee’s) spent retraining so they can maintain the required licenses and professional memberships that caused you to choose them in the first place.
Now if you are having a LOT of work done like I do on my trans (I hesitate to use this word, because for the most part I’m unpaid) clients there is some economy of scale. I can easily work 4 hours in a single session. When you are working with a semi-pro who works out of their home, they are able to reduce these costs. It still costs me if I travel to a client location ( which I do for only one client who is physically disabled) at least 6$ for bus, and 2 hours of my time for travel. So for roughly 7 hours of “work” , 5 treating and 2 hours of travel, I get “paid” a grand total of $20 that is kicked to me to help out with supplies. Basically my day is lost for the sake of $20. So why do I do this? Mostly to help those who have no income, have severe dysphoria over hair ( just like you do) and to increase my experience and number of practise hours.And because I HAVE the time and like to be helpful…
If you are having a lot of work done ( and it sounds like you are) I would suggest finding a smaller home-based practitioner and negotiating a lower rate based on the amount of work you are having done. Then make things easier for her anyway you can. Set appointments then you show up for right on time every time, longer sessions to establish that economy of scale. If you are able to increaase the nuber of hours they are working , while not increasing these fixed costs, treatment can be cheaper.
As a DIY’er, some of this for you is cheaper. You probably dont have a autoclave and resort to boiling tweezers or doing them in your pressure cooker ( the autoclave generally costs $1600!!) . You likely re-use probes, and work without an esthetics bench. You likely dont take 50 hours of training to maintain your AEA CPE certification or write an annual exam. None of this is acceptable in a professional electrology session.
I’m actually going to post this answer ( but not your question ) the the DIY section because I dont think it’s generally well understood.
Seana