Kat "don't get me started!" F.'s Profile

I'm so grateful to Yelp for helping me navigate the murky waters of hair removal services in San Francisco and leading me straight to Urban Allure. It can be difficult tracking down a reputable salon that gives great results and is also affordable, so I'm thrilled to have found a perfect match!

The hair removal services I've received here have been truly outstanding. Emily is a consummate professional and also exceptionally sweet - even though I only come for an appointment every 6-8 weeks she is always quick to remember little details about past conversations we've had, and I feel like she's a very genuine person.

My results have been incredible. After only a few visits my hair growth has come to a screeching halt and the areas that resist are only sparsely populated with hair. Prices are more than reasonable, especially once the initial sessions have elapsed and you're in 'maintenance mode.' Luckily I have no shortage of body parts that could benefit from hair removal so I will continue to come to Urban Allure for months to come. Just a warning - once you start doing laser hair removal it can become addictive, so make sure you're ready for the bliss that comes from no longer having to deal with ingrowns and unsightly regrowth.

It's always been easy for me to get a lunchtime or post-work appointment and for small areas the pain is over before you know it. Personally I have a high pain tolerance so I never find the sessions to be uncomfortable but if you're sensitive you may feel differently. Because the appointments are short (5-10 minutes) I just sort of power through it and move on. There is some redness afterwards but it subsides within about 30 minutes. My only regret is that I didn't get this party started sooner in life - so many wasted razors and muslin strips...

If you have any questions about what it's like to get laser hair removal, feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to answer them.

Making an appointment was dead simple on the phone with the efficient (if brusque) receptionist. I got a nice reminder call the day before, which is more of a courtesy than I can say some doctors' offices feel compelled to provide these days - it was much appreciated.

Moments after exiting Montgomery BART and coasting up to suite 2020 (get it? 20/20 for normal vision acuity!) I was in Dr. Lester's exam room. No funny business going on in the waiting room - no lengthy, repetitive forms to fill out or needlessly drawn out questionnaires. They didn't even ask for my insurance information as I had already provided it at the time of making my appointment. Dr. Lester himself was a warm and inviting professional and made me feel immediately at ease within his care. He spoke confidently without any hint of superiority or arrogance and my eye exam was actually enjoyable. My appointment took no longer than 20 minutes, yet at no point did I feel hurried. I would compare Dr. Lester to a favourite offbeat high school teacher or that childhood friend's dad that you wish was your own because he was, like, so much nicer and cooler than your actual dad.

Other medical offices could stand to learn a thing or two from this efficiently run practice. I only wish I had reason to come here more often, but alas, I've been blessed with great vision. If you have eye needs, you'd be a fool not to become a patient here.

As others have said, parking in the lot is a huge pain, but be patient and something will come up. I travelled here with the King of Finding Nearby Parking so I didn't have any trouble. There are heaps of parking vultures that will tail you as and suss out your coming/going situation in the hopes of securing a spot to park.

When I visited in early November there were tons of surfers and a lifeguard on duty so I was satisfied with the people-watching options. Be sure to check the surf schedule as it's often too dangerous to get into the water at all - despite my tendency towards wimpiness, there were still a fair number of people in the water, some even daring to leap off of the "jumping rock." The outdoor showers for rinsing off gritty sand from the beach were a welcome amenity. Definitely worth a visit!

Yes, this is THE turtle beach, the one you want to make sure you visit if you have an unhealthy obsession with seeing "honu" in their natural habitat like I do.

Like many of Hawaii's beaches your GPS might not be much help. You'll know you're at the right beach when you see a farm to your right - park in front of the farm and cross the highway (use caution) to get to the beach. There's a lifeguard on duty but swimming is discouraged - this isn't that type of beach. This is a short term visit, turtle-watching beach, so join the rest of the amateur photographers and snap a few pics of these gorgeous creatures bobbing along in the water near the shore.

Some of the Yelp photos show turtles on the beach itself but when I visited around noon in early November the dozens of turtles I spotted stayed in the water. A must visit if you want to

This destination beach had great snorkelling but the water was super shallow, making it difficult to float over the reef without brushing up against it and getting cut up. There was a terrific designated area in the lagoon with buoy markers for beginners so you'd know which areas to stick to. We saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal on the beach resting - there are only a thousand of these left in the world so to be able to see one in the flesh was a real treat. The sand is very soft and the water is super clear, not murky at all.

Parking is a pain but as others have said, go straight to the overflow lot. Do not park on the street - locals have signs up everywhere warning of an impending tow. Parking prowl is common so when you're leaving, don't dawdle as a courtesy to those waiting. On the walk back to the beach there are several photo-op worthy caves to check out. Also bear in mind that many of the people parking in these lots are en route to the challenging Hanapalai Trail hike so don't be discouraged thinking the lack of parking is an indicator of how busy the beach will be; it's not.

It's hardly visible on GPS or a map, but basically drive as far west as Kihue Hwy will allow, and you're there.

In local guides you'll hear a lot about Tunnels Beach but you might have a hard time finding it on your GPS or Google Maps - its AKA names are Makua Beach or Ha'ena Beach Park. The reason it goes by Tunnels is because of the "tube" that many surfers have seen as well as the caverns you can see when diving. From west to east the series of beaches on the north shore off Kuhio Highway is: Ke'e, Ha'ena Beach, Tunnels, Hanalei Bay.

We came here for excellent snorkelling in early November - managed to see most of the fish on the Snorkel Bob fish chart within minutes. The sand is very coarse and gritty -- not at all a pleasure to walk along and it was challenging to walk along the beach gracefully. The reef is a bit tough to navigate but there are several prime spots to enter the water on sand only -- take note of other snorkellers to determine the best entry point, otherwise you'll be too shallow and will scrape your belly on coral or wig out when you see how many black sea urchins lurk at the bottom. Once you are floating over the reef, keep an eye out for crevices as this is where most of the fish are hanging out. Also beware of the sudden drop in depth - it still occurs way before the tide breaks but beginner swimmers should take care not to venture out too far. The water is very clear and there are ample areas to wade but again, the sand is coarse and I was shaking it out of my bikini bottoms for the rest of the day despite several showers. The views of the neighbouring mountains and waterfalls are breathtaking.

Remember to check http://www.kauaiexplor... daily for the tide schedule before you head out.

Check the tide schedule before going; when I went it was high tide and there was nowhere to bask but the gorgeous azure-coloured water was still shallow enough to wade through and this was definitely the most beautiful of any of the Hawaiian beaches I visited (totalling 15+). Clear, turquoise water and very soft sand. Any photos you take will be jealousy-inducing.

As others have said - 1256 Mokulua Drive is a good address to GPS, otherwise you'll never find it as there are no signs!! Park on the street but pay close attention to allowance signs as it's a residential area of beautiful homes and you can't park just anywhere. We parked on Aala Drive at Mokulua without any trouble and then walked over to one of several short paths between properties that led us to the beach. If it's high tide, walk or drive to nearby Kailua Beach Park (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).

The moment I touched down in Lihue, Kauai, I headed straight for Snorkel Bob's to pick up some snorkelling equipment. If you don't snorkel while in Kauai, you are a huge fool. It's easy enough that even a beginner swimmer can figure it out, and it requires hardly any cardiovascular effort. For $9-35/week you'll get a mask, snorkel and flippers. The friendly and expert staff will make sure you're outfitted with the proper size for each and provide a great guide to the best snorkelling beaches on the island as well as a fish chart telling you what you're about to see.

If you're a skeptic like me you'll scoff at the chart and think to yourself "As IF I'm going to see any of these fish!!!" but I saw all but 5 (two fish, a shark, eel and sting ray) within moments of dipping my face in the ocean. Truly breathtaking. Be sure to pick up a disposable, waterproof camera at any Long's on the island - there are entire aisles of outdated technology in Kauai's supermarkets, including cheap cameras like this one.

Best beaches for snorkelling (based on a visit in November):
Poipu Beach
Tunnels Beach
Ke'e Beach

And the pinnacle of convenience - you can return your gear after hours at any Snorkel Bob's location on Hawaii's islands. Make sure you check http://www.kauaiexplor... daily at 10am for beach conditions across the island - if it's good for surfing, you'd best not swim there and vice versa. Super helpful site.

Unfortunately I have many problems with this place, and despite repeated chances (I really want to eat here as the food options are usually enticing and delicious), they have gotten worse in recent times.

The lunch hour is DESPERATELY understaffed.

On six of seven visits my order has been incorrect, but by the time I finally get my food, the 20 person line has snaked to the street corner and I'm too flustered to wait longer. I order a salad, I get a wrap. I order a wrap, I get a sandwich, and so on. Today during lunch the bromigo making smoothies was either incompetent or working his first shift - I felt sorry for the poor guy as he was clearly drowning in orders with no one to help him out. 20 minutes later I had received everything in my order except a ginger lemonade that had been paid for, but I couldn't get him to make eye contact so that I could ask him if he could pour me one, so I just left without it.

Everything I've eaten here has been tasty - the Power Source Salad, the Salmon Salad Wrap,  Apple-A-Day Salad, Cold Crusher & Modern Elvis smoothies were all satisfying. The one miss was today's Lentil Soup, of which I took exactly one spoonful before thrusting it out of my site. It was akin to plucking something straight out of the BRAT diet (http://en.wikipedia.or...) - an oily, mealy mess and the lentils were so broken down they had the texture of baby food and not much else. An absolutely horrifying soup.

To management: please hire extra staff and make the pickup area for online orders more obvious - something has to be done with queue flow because the current situation is a confusing mess. It's like an angry, hungry mob waiting to be fed and when one of the cooks finally emerges from the back room, they all rush him.

To customers: this place is absolutely to be avoided between noon and 2pm. The waits are just too long, and as other reviewers have said, it's hard to tell if "it's the food that's good, or the fact that you had to wait so long that anything would taste good at that point."

For the beginner camper who prefers to park, this place is A-OK.

1. Trails are poorly marked and very short. There are no challenging hikes and none of the trails are named or plotted out well; most times we'd end up exiting along the highway wondering if we'd make a wrong turn. There was otherwise not much to do in the surrounding area nor sights to see, which was disappointing.

2. Noisy Steller's Jays and Grackles squawking from 6-8am every morning. I've become accustomed to early birds chattering in the morning, but these fuckers were particularly aggravated and disruptive. I didn't spot any of the raccoons or squirrels that had been advertised in the pamphlet.  

3. Sound from other sites travels a LOT. We could hear the bass from an undesirable selection of dubstep early in the morning hours that had to be at least 5 campsites away. Lots of barking dogs, small children running rampant and another site using a high-powered generator. This definitely isn't a 'private getaway' kind of camping experience, but if you're a noisy group, you'll feel right at home contributing to the audio mosaic.

4. Bathrooms had mirrors, but no soap. I'd gladly trade a mirror for a soap pump. Future good samaritans might consider buying a 2L of no-name soap and leaving it in the bathroom.

5. One final note: yes, it's "only" 90 miles north of San Francisco according to Google Maps, but beware: the speed limit is 20mph for 80% of the drive, so you can do the math. We arrived after dark stressed after hours of driving along hairpin turns and worried about being able to actually find the campground, which isn't exactly well lit from the highway, let alone staking out a decent campsite in the dark. If you are easily carsick I'd recommend against this campground; personally my boyfriend loved the Grand Prix-esque drive along Highway 1.

All in all a decent weekend spent in great company, but not a campground I'd return to with all the other available options in northern California. $35/night and you can book ahead of time online.