Transgender Electrolysis In Chicago
If you’re looking for trans-friendly electrolysis in Chicago, you’ve found one of the few clinics in the country built around it. Electrolysis 100% Permanent Hair Removal & Skin Care has spent years doing high-volume hair removal for transgender women and men, and it’s the work our founder set out to do on purpose. We’re at 1315 N Larrabee St in downtown Chicago, a few minutes from the Gold Coast and Old Town.
- TG-Friendly VerifiedBy Laura’s Playground
- AEA & EAI MembersLicensed Illinois Electrologists
- Nurse-Managed ComfortSedation, Lidocaine & ProNox
- Built For TravelersLong Sessions, Fewer Trips
The Leaders In Large Volume Electrolysis & Pre-Surgical MTF Electrolysis
Whether you’re transitioning male to female (MtF) or female to male (FtM), we treat hair removal as gender-affirming care, not a beauty add-on. Most of the trans clients we see are working toward a surgery date or a face they don’t have to think about every morning, and both of those need a plan rather than a standing weekly appointment.
Electrolysis is the only method the FDA recognizes for permanent hair removal, and for trans clients that distinction matters. Laser is only cleared for permanent hair reduction. It targets pigment, so it can thin a dark beard quickly but leaves behind the light, gray, and fine hairs it can’t see, and those are exactly the ones you don’t want left. Electrolysis treats every follicle, one at a time, regardless of hair color or skin tone, which is why it’s the method that actually finishes the job on a face that has to stay smooth.
For pre-surgical work, surgeons require the area fully cleared, and many prefer electrolysis because it’s permanent and catches every hair. Laser is also widely accepted, and for some clients with dark hair a surgeon may even suggest starting with it. We’ll work with whatever your surgeon asks for, and we’re happy to coordinate directly with their office.
- MtF and FtM clients welcome, with treatment plans built around your goals rather than a standard package.
- Two electrologists can work on you at once so large areas clear in a single visit.
- We speak English, Romanian, and Russian, and we follow your surgeon’s diagram exactly.
Our Trans Hair Removal Services
We split trans hair removal into two focused services so each one gets the time and the specialist it needs. Facial work and pre-surgical genital work are very different procedures, and we treat them that way.
MtF Facial Electrolysis
Facial hair is the thing most trans women want gone first, and it’s the area where electrolysis clearly beats every alternative. We clear the beard, jawline, neck, upper lip, and chin permanently, working close to your pain threshold with numbing and sedation so the long sessions stay bearable.
Our electrologists are specifically trained on coarse beard hair, which behaves nothing like the fine hair most clinics deal with day to day. Pricing, what to bring, and exactly how a treatment day runs are on the facial page.
See Facial Electrolysis Pricing And What To Expect
Pre-Surgical MtF Genital Electrolysis
If you’re preparing for genital surgery, your surgeon will require the surgical area cleared of hair first. Many ask for electrolysis specifically because it’s permanent and removes every hair, including the light and gray ones laser misses. This is sensitive, technical work, and we treat it with numbing injections and oral sedation so the longer sessions are manageable.
It usually runs four to six sessions spaced several weeks apart, and the earlier you start before your surgery date, the better. Bring your surgeon’s hair-removal instructions and we’ll follow them. Full pricing, session structure, and insurance notes are on the genital page.
See Genital Electrolysis Details And PricingWorking on FtM hair removal? We also treat donor and graft sites for phalloplasty and metoidioplasty, plus chest, back, and shoulders. Bring your surgeon’s diagram to your consultation and we’ll build the schedule around your date.
Why Large-Volume Electrolysis Is Faster
Standard electrolysis means short weekly sessions stretched over years. That doesn’t work when you live three states away or you have a surgery date coming. Large-volume electrolysis is our answer: we clear big areas in long sessions, often with two electrologists working on you at the same time.
Two electrologists can work at once, which roughly doubles how much we clear per session.
You grow your hair out once before a clearing session instead of every single week.
We can inject lidocaine to make sessions essentially pain-free, which also lets us work faster.
Our progressive epilation technique with insulated probes is built around two things that usually fight each other: a high kill rate and low risk of scarring.
Fewer trips. For out-of-town clients that’s the whole point.
Most clients reach us from outside Chicago, so we run an intensive schedule. Instead of a one-hour session every week for years, we book long sessions and clear large areas at once. Many people finish the bulk of their facial work in roughly four to ten visits, depending on hair density and how often you can come in. If you’re traveling for surgery in the region, we work around your timeline.
How Your Treatment Plan Comes Together
Every plan starts with a conversation, because hair color, skin tone, density, and your surgery date all change the right approach. Here’s the shape it usually takes.
Consultation
We look at your hair and skin, talk through your timeline, and tell you honestly how many sessions this will take. Out-of-state clients can do this online.
Laser If It Helps
If your hair is dense and dark, starting with laser thins the bulk quickly. If it’s already light or gray, we skip straight to electrolysis.
Clearing Sessions
Long appointments, two electrologists where it makes sense, and the comfort options you choose. Most facial clients need roughly four to ten visits.
Surgical Clearance
We work to your surgeon’s diagram and deadline, send itemized invoices for your insurance claim, and coordinate with their office if that’s useful.
Laser First, Then Electrolysis
One of the most common questions we hear from trans clients is whether to choose laser or electrolysis. For most people the honest answer is that it isn’t a choice between the two. The best results usually come from using both, in sequence: laser first, to reduce the bulk of dense, dark hair quickly, and electrolysis afterward, to permanently clear everything laser cannot.
Laser only sees pigment, so gray, white, blond, and very fine hairs pass right under it. Electrolysis treats each follicle regardless of color, which is what gets a face or a surgical site fully clear. Used together, laser handles the volume and electrolysis handles the finish.
We offer both under one roof, with the same team, so you’re not coordinating two clinics or retelling your story to a new provider. If you’re preparing for surgery, start early: laser protocols typically run six to nine months before a surgeon signs off, and electrolysis adds time on top of that.
Comfort And Pain Management
Electrolysis has a reputation for hurting, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. What we will say is that we’re one of very few clinics in the US that offers a full range of pain relief for long sessions, managed by board-certified nurse practitioners. You decide how much you want.
Topical Numbing Cream
A prescription-strength cream applied before we start, which takes ten to thirty minutes to work and dulls surface sensation. Plenty of clients get through their whole plan on this alone.
Lidocaine Injections
Dosed by weight and given by a board-certified nurse practitioner, these numb the area completely within minutes. This is what makes genital and pre-surgical work genuinely tolerable.
Oral Sedation
Taken before your appointment, it keeps you awake but deeply relaxed. Some clients are calm enough to rest through most of a session. You’ll need someone to drive you home.
IV Hydration
Useful on four-hour-plus days and for clients flying in and out. Our nurse practitioners run it alongside your treatment so you leave feeling steadier than you would otherwise.
ProNox Nitrous Oxide
You hold the mask and breathe it in as needed. The calming effect starts in seconds and clears as soon as you stop, so you can drive yourself home. Several clients have told us ProNox is what made four-hour sessions doable.
Before And After Our Clients
These are our own clients, photographed in our Chicago clinic and shared with their permission. Results vary with hair density, skin type, and how consistently you can come in.
What Trans Clients Say About Us
A 5.0 rating across 100 Google reviews, a lot of them from trans clients who traveled to get here.
“Electrolysis 100 was by far the best place I’ve gone for high-volume, transgender facial electrolysis. The technicians are highly professional and competent, while also caring and compassionate. They also prioritized minimizing the pain of electrolysis, which helped given my deep pain sensitivity. I will be flying back to Chicago for follow-ups.”
“It truly meant the world to me when she told me she wanted to purposefully help transgender patients receive hair removal. The website is very upfront and affirming about being a safe space. Valeria has been transparent and helpful in sending and resending invoices so my insurance company will accept cost-sharing. I have my bottom surgery in five weeks, and I am beyond grateful.”
“Irina, Anna and Olga are all incredibly skilled and caring people who made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived. They worked hard but were always personable and friendly. The spa itself is modern and light and meticulously clean. Very happy I got to choose this business and these ladies to help me through this tough step of my transition.”
Meet The Electrologists
Our founder, Valeria Tartacovschi, started this clinic partly because she saw how few electrologists were willing or trained to do trans hair removal well. That’s not marketing copy. It’s why the practice exists.
Valeria Tartacovschi, LE
Valeria trained at the Accurate Academy of Electrology and spent four years working alongside one of Chicago’s leading plastic surgeons before opening her own practice. She came to electrolysis as a client first, and that experience is still what drives the work. She founded the clinic specifically to close the gap in trans hair removal care.
Nataliya Tkachova, LE
Nataliya has worked in the beauty industry since 2016 and became a licensed electrologist after seeing what the treatment could actually do. She’s known here for steady hands on long clearing sessions and for the kind of consistency that keeps clients booking with her specifically.
Adriana Besleaga, LE
Adriana is meticulous, which is exactly what you want on facial work. She keeps up with new techniques and equipment, and she’s built her reputation here on taking the time to get every insertion right rather than rushing a clearing.
Payment Plans And Insurance
Cost is the reason a lot of people put this off. There are two ways to make it manageable, and both are worth understanding before you book.
Split It Into Monthly Payments With Affirm
We book through Vagaro, and Vagaro offers Buy Now, Pay Later through Affirm. That means you can spread the cost of a large-volume session or a full pre-surgical plan over monthly payments instead of paying the whole amount on treatment day.
You’ll see the option at checkout, and applying takes a couple of minutes without affecting your credit score. Rates and terms come from Affirm, not from us, so you’ll see exactly what you’re agreeing to before you confirm anything.
How Insurance Reimbursement Works
Most insurers still classify hair removal as cosmetic. Hair removal before gender-affirming surgery is the exception, and it gets approved on a case-by-case basis with prior authorization. We’ve had transgender patients approved by several insurance companies.
We don’t bill insurance directly. To your insurer we’re an out-of-network provider, so you pay us, we give you an itemized invoice, and the insurance company reimburses you.
- Call your insurer and tell them you’re having surgery and need hair removal beforehand as a medical necessity.
- Send them the same documents that qualified you for surgery: the two WPATH letters plus a letter of medical necessity from your surgeon. We have our own supporting letter ready if they ask for one.
- Wait for written prior authorization, then start treatment.
- Submit each invoice promptly. Late submissions get denied even with prior authorization approved.
Travel And Accommodations
Most of our trans clients fly or drive in, so we keep a short list of hotels near the clinic at 1315 N Larrabee St. All of these are a quick ride from our door, and several are walkable if the weather cooperates.
Hotel Lincoln
A Joie de Vivre property in Lincoln Park, right by the lakefront and an easy ride down to the clinic.
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The Sono Chicago
Apartment-style rooms in Old Town, close enough that you can walk over for a morning appointment.
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Ambassador Chicago
A Gold Coast classic, quiet and central, with plenty of places to eat within a block or two.
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Level Hotels & Furnished Suites
Full suites with kitchens, which helps if you’re staying a week or recovering after surgery.
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The Chicago Hotel Collection
Several downtown properties under one booking site, useful when you’re comparing dates and prices.
Visit WebsitePlanning Around A Surgery Date?
Tell us your dates and we’ll schedule your sessions around them and point you to somewhere convenient to stay.
See All Travel OptionsGetting Here And Traveling In
We’re at 1315 N Larrabee St, Chicago IL 60610, open Monday through Friday, 9 to 6, by appointment only, no walk-ins. There’s parking, and we’re an easy ride from downtown hotels if you’re flying in. If you’re combining your hair removal with surgery in the Chicago area, ask us and we’ll point you to nearby places to stay and help you plan sessions around your dates.
Chicago, IL 60610
9:00AM – 6:00PM
and Russian
Booking And Cancellation Policy
To be fair to all clients and to use our time effectively, we have established the following cancellation guidelines: For appointments that are one hour or less, we require at least 24 hours notice. For appointments longer than one hour, a minimum of 72 hours notice is necessary. For treatments scheduled for four hours or more, we require at least 14 days notice. If proper notice is not given, a fee of 100% of the scheduled service will be charged.
If you need to make changes to your appointment, please call us at (252) 722-5006 or email us at [email protected].
If you’ve never had electrolysis or laser hair removal with us, we require a consultation before your first appointment. For out-of-state clients, consultations can be done online.
Transgender Electrolysis FAQs
Is Electrolysis Or Laser Better For Trans Hair Removal?
For truly permanent results, electrolysis. It’s the only method the FDA recognizes for permanent hair removal, and it works on any hair color because it doesn’t rely on pigment. Laser is faster and cleared for permanent reduction, but it only sees dark hair, so it can’t clear gray, blond, or fine hairs. A lot of clients with dense, dark beards use laser first to thin things out, then electrolysis to remove what’s left for good.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
It depends on hair density and how often you can come in. With our large-volume approach, many facial clients get through the bulk of the work in about four to ten visits. Pre-surgical genital work is usually four to six sessions spaced several weeks apart.
Does It Hurt?
It can, but you have options. We offer topical numbing, lidocaine injections, oral sedation, IV hydration, and ProNox nitrous oxide, managed by nurse practitioners. Most clients find the longer sessions very manageable with the right combination for them.
Do I Need To Clear Hair Before Genital Surgery?
Almost always, yes. The skin used in vaginoplasty has to be hair-free, so surgeons require the surgical area cleared beforehand. Many prefer electrolysis because it’s permanent and removes every hair, though laser is also widely accepted and sometimes recommended first for dark hair. Check what your surgeon wants, and start as early as you can so there’s time to finish.
Do You Treat FtM Clients As Well As MtF?
Yes. Alongside MtF facial and pre-surgical genital work, we treat FtM clients for donor and graft site clearing ahead of phalloplasty or metoidioplasty, and for chest, back, and shoulder hair. The approach is the same: bring your surgeon’s diagram and timeline, and we’ll build the schedule around it.
Do You Work With People Who Travel To Chicago?
Yes, most of our trans clients come from out of town. That’s why we run intensive, long sessions instead of weekly ones, and we’ll help you plan visits and find somewhere to stay if you’re also having surgery in the area.
Will Insurance Cover It?
Sometimes. Many policies still call it cosmetic, but pre-surgical electrolysis can often be covered with prior authorization from your medical provider. We’ll provide and re-send itemized invoices to support your claim.
Can I Pay In Installments?
Yes. We book through Vagaro, which offers Buy Now, Pay Later through Affirm, so you can spread the cost of a large-volume session or a full pre-surgical plan across monthly payments. You’ll see the option at checkout and you’ll know the exact terms before you agree to anything.
Let’s Build Your Plan
Tell us your hair, your timeline, and your surgery date if you have one. We’ll come back with an honest estimate of what it will take, how many sessions, and what it will cost. No pressure, and no judgment.
