LaserAway, Plainly: Cost, Packages, and Consultation

LaserAway is one of the largest aesthetic dermatology chains in the country by location count, with 200-plus clinics across 35 states as of late 2025 (per Beauty Independent’s November 2025 profile). It is a multi-service operation: laser tattoo removal sits alongside laser hair removal, body contouring (including CoolSculpting), skin tightening, injectables like Botox and fillers, and skincare product lines. Tattoo removal is one line of business among several. That structure has practical implications for the consultation, which the next sections lay out.

This is a description, not a recommendation. The decision happens at the consultation.

What LaserAway is and how it operates

LaserAway Medical Group was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills. Its current ownership is private equity. Seidler Equity Partners took a stake in 2018 (per the Mergr deal record), and Ares Management added a strategic investment in 2021 (per the BusinessWire release). Both remain. There has been no change-of-control event reported since. The Beauty Independent profile cited above is the cleanest third-party reporting on the company’s operational model and describes clinical-protocol standardization as the expansion engine, with CEO Scott Heckmann’s framing that training is the core of the business. The footprint claim (200-plus clinics, 35 states, late 2025) is aligned across sources, including the chain’s own marketing.

Medical leadership: LaserAway’s Chief Medical Officer is Dr. Will Kirby, DO, a board-certified dermatologist and the lead author of the Kirby-Desai scale (Kirby et al. 2009), the six-factor session-count predictor that grounds most serious tattoo-removal consultations across the industry. The scale scores Fitzpatrick skin type (a clinical scale running from I for very fair through VI for deeply pigmented), tattoo location, ink color, amount of ink, presence of scarring, and ink layering, returning a predicted range of sessions. That the chain’s CMO is the scale’s lead author is real clinical provenance. It does not guarantee the scale is applied well at any specific location.

On-site delivery at most sessions is not the dermatologist. It is a registered nurse, nurse practitioner (an RN with a master’s or doctorate and prescriptive authority), or physician associate (a clinician with a master’s degree and prescriptive authority) operating under physician oversight. This is the standard staffing model at multi-location aesthetic chains. At a chain of this scale, the physician oversight is typically remote or periodic rather than on-site for every session: the supervising dermatologist is responsible for protocol development, training standards, and exception escalation. A patient who wants to confirm the oversight model at their specific location can ask at consultation: does the supervising physician ever visit this clinic, and how are complex cases escalated?

LaserAway’s multi-service model: what it means for treatment

LaserAway operates a multi-service menu. The clinicians treating tattoo-removal patients work within that multi-service environment, which is structurally different from a tattoo-removal-only clinic. The difference is worth understanding before the consultation.

The equipment differs by service: the laser used for hair removal is a separate device from the one used for tattoo removal, operating on different wavelengths and pulse durations for different biological targets. Hair-removal laser hours do not transfer directly to tattoo-removal proficiency, and vice versa.

The alternative structure, which a reader may encounter if they also consult a tattoo-removal-only clinic, concentrates operator hours on a single modality. Clinicians at specialist clinics accumulate tattoo-removal hours exclusively, which is one of the ways they describe their differentiation. Whether that concentration translates to better outcomes for a specific tattoo depends on the individual clinician’s training, the device, and the tattoo’s characteristics, factors worth evaluating at any consultation regardless of the clinic’s service menu. The question worth bringing to consultation is specific: roughly how many tattoo-removal sessions does the clinician who will treat me run per month? That question applies at any clinic. At a multi-service chain it makes the contrast between a generalist and specialist caseload visible in a way a single-service clinic does not surface as naturally.

The free consultation also functions as the channel through which other LaserAway services get introduced. It is not unusual to leave a LaserAway consultation with quotes for laser hair removal or body contouring in addition to the tattoo-removal estimate. A patient whose goal for the first visit is a clean tattoo-removal price can say at the start: “Today I’m here only for the tattoo-removal quote.” A separate consultation for other services can come later.

LaserAway’s laser: picosecond marketing and the Astanza Duality record

LaserAway’s services page describes the technology as “advanced picosecond technology.” The most recent manufacturer documentation on record, a 2020 Astanza Laser case study featuring Dr. Kirby at LaserAway, names the Astanza Duality Q-switched Nd:YAG as the platform the chain uses. Q-switched and picosecond are different device families. The reader’s practical task at consultation is to confirm the specific device by model name in the room on the day of treatment.

The detail. As of April 2026, LaserAway’s tattoo-removal services page used the phrase “advanced picosecond technology” without naming a specific device model and without using the term Q-switched. (The live page now returns errors to automated fetchers; verify the current language directly at consultation.) The Astanza case study, dated December 2020, states that LaserAway exclusively uses the Astanza Duality Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for tattoo removal. The Astanza Duality product page describes the device in these terms:

• Wavelengths: 1064 nm (near-infrared, the workhorse for dark inks) and 532 nm (green, for warm colors)
• Pulse duration: 6 nanoseconds
• Maximum fluence at 1064 nm: 22 J/cm² with the optional 2 mm round spot (standard square spots are 3 to 5 mm at lower fluence)

Three terms. Q-switching is a technique for producing short, high-energy laser pulses by rapidly switching a shutter in the laser’s optical path. Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) is the crystal at the core of the laser, a standard one for tattoo removal. Fluence is the laser’s energy delivered per unit area, measured in joules per square centimeter (J/cm²); spot size is the diameter of the laser beam at the skin surface, which together with fluence determines how the energy is distributed during a treatment. The Duality is a nanosecond Q-switched platform. It is FDA-cleared for tattoo removal and has a long clinical track record on black, brown, red, orange, and yellow inks.

Picosecond and nanosecond Q-switched lasers are both FDA-cleared for tattoo removal, and they are not the same technology. Picosecond lasers fire pulses measured in hundreds of picoseconds (a picosecond is a trillionth of a second; clinical platforms typically operate at 300 to 750 picoseconds). Nanosecond Q-switched lasers fire pulses measured in single-digit nanoseconds (a nanosecond is a billionth of a second; the Astanza Duality at 6 ns is roughly an order of magnitude longer than the shortest picosecond pulses in clinical use). The shorter pulse on a picosecond platform produces higher peak power per unit of energy delivered. The peer-reviewed literature documents greater per-session pigment clearance with picosecond platforms for compatible inks; one comparative study (Lorgeou et al. 2018) reported 33% of picosecond-treated tattoos achieving ≥75% colour-intensity reduction versus 14% of nanosecond-treated tattoos at a fixed session count. The size of any session-count reduction varies substantially by ink type, skin type, and operator settings; no pooled session-count reduction figure is well-sourced.

Two explanations both fit the available facts. The first: LaserAway’s device fleet has changed since 2020. A 200-clinic chain adding picosecond hardware across five years is plausible on its face, and chains routinely do not update manufacturer case-study pages as their fleets evolve. The second: the services-page language is chain-level marketing, and the specific device at the specific clinic depends on the location. A chain that large rarely has uniform hardware across every location.

Either explanation points to the same corrective: confirm the specific device by model name at consultation. If the clinician says picosecond, ask which one. The main platforms in the U.S. tattoo-removal market are PicoWay (Candela), PicoSure (Cynosure), and Discovery Pico (Quanta). Each has different wavelength availability and different real-world performance on specific ink colors. A clinician who can name the model and describe its wavelength range is demonstrating familiarity with the equipment. If the clinician says Q-switched, ask whether it is the Astanza Duality or another platform, and confirm the wavelengths (1064 nm, 532 nm, or both) and pulse duration. Q-switched Nd:YAG is older-generation technology than picosecond for the same indications, but older does not mean wrong. It is FDA-cleared, it works on compatible inks, and a well-operated Q-switched Nd:YAG in skilled hands is not an inferior treatment path for the right tattoo.

If the clinician cannot name the specific device in the room on the day of treatment, ask for a follow-up answer in writing before the first session. That is the question the marketing language leaves open; the answer from the treating clinician closes it. Both device families are FDA-cleared. Device availability varies across a chain of this size. Knowing which machine is in the specific room is more useful than the category name on the services page.

LaserAway tattoo removal cost: Quarter, Dollar Bill, and the three gated tiers

LaserAway publishes two of its five tattoo-removal size-tier prices: Quarter at $200 per treatment ($100 per treatment in a Package of 10) and Dollar Bill at $420 per treatment ($210 per treatment in a Package of 10). The three larger tiers are not published; they require a free consultation. As of LaserAway’s pricing page captured 2026-04-30:

The two-of-five publishing pattern is a fact about the chain’s pricing transparency. A reader budgeting against the published numbers can see what Quarter and Dollar Bill cost. A reader with a postcard-sized or larger tattoo cannot anchor a budget to the chain’s pricing page; the number for that work exists only inside a consultation. That is a structural choice on LaserAway’s part, and worth knowing before the consultation so the budget anchor matches what the page actually publishes.

If the consultation introduces other services alongside the tattoo-removal quote, ask for the tattoo-removal price as a standalone line item before any bundling is applied. Multi-service medspa pricing sometimes varies depending on what else is included in a visit or package.

Because LaserAway operates with a national menu replicated across roughly two hundred locations, it is treated as a single chain-level data point in the /cost// city aggregations. Twelve LaserAway clinics in a city do not contribute twelve independent prices to a city’s typical-range distribution; they contribute one chain-level data point. The same convention applies to other multi-location chains.

What a reader can do before consultation: form a rough expectation of session count using the Kirby-Desai methodology. A black-ink tattoo on the forearm in a Fitzpatrick II patient with minimal layering and no scarring scores differently from a multi-color chest piece with heavy layering on a Fitzpatrick IV patient. The scale predicts a range, not a point estimate. Most black-ink, single-layer professional tattoos on Fitzpatrick types I through III skin land in a 4 to 10 session range with picosecond and somewhat higher with nanosecond Q-switched; layered color work is meaningfully longer.

The practical ask at consultation: get the total-cost estimate in writing, not just the per-session figure. Ask what happens if the tattoo requires more sessions than the package includes; some chains sell additional sessions at a reduced rate after the package is exhausted, others do not. Ask for the quote itemized by package option so the choices are visible. Ask how the numbing, aftercare supplies, and any follow-up visits are priced (included in the package, add-on, or per-visit). One question worth adding to the per-session math: ask whether the per-session rate quoted at consultation is locked for the duration of treatment or subject to change.

LaserAway packages and refunds: read the document before signing

The common package structures at LaserAway are 3-session, 6-session, and 10-session plans, with single-treatment pricing also available. Packages are typically paid up front or financed; financing is offered at consultation. The consultation is also where the purchase-terms document comes out.

Read the purchase-terms document before signing it. The document governs what happens if treatment stops early, the patient relocates, or unused sessions remain at the end. The questions worth asking specifically: are unused sessions refundable in cash, credit toward other services, or neither? What happens if the patient relocates and the nearest LaserAway clinic is no longer accessible? Is there a deadline on using any credit? What happens if treatment pauses for pregnancy, illness, or military deployment? What is the chain’s obligation if the studio cancels a scheduled appointment? Getting answers to these questions in writing before signing is the practical step.

Package contracts at chains commonly include an arbitration clause (a contract provision that waives the right to pursue disputes in court and requires binding resolution through a private arbitrator instead). Terms vary by state, by contract version, and sometimes by promotion. Taking the purchase-terms document home to read is reasonable at any consultation. Signing at a follow-up visit rather than under same-day pressure is also reasonable.

At a multi-service medspa, same-day packages may bundle multiple services under a time-limited promotion. Declining the bundle and returning for a tattoo-removal-only quote is a normal thing to do and does not forfeit the consultation or the free assessment.

Gaps in the public record

A chain explainer is more useful when it names what the public record does not show. Three gaps apply to LaserAway’s tattoo-removal practice as of this writing.

Per-treatment prices for the three larger tiers are not published. LaserAway publishes per-treatment dollar figures for Quarter and Dollar Bill on its pricing page. The three larger tiers (between Dollar Bill and the named ceiling tier of Full Page) are gated behind a “Get Custom Pricing” call-to-action that routes the reader to consultation. A reader budgeting for a larger-than-Dollar-Bill tattoo cannot anchor a number to the chain’s pricing page today.

Per-location device inventory is not public. LaserAway’s services page describes its technology category (“advanced picosecond technology”); the December 2020 Astanza Laser case study names the Astanza Duality Q-switched Nd:YAG. Those two disclosures describe different device families. Whether and where individual locations have moved to picosecond hardware in the years since the Astanza case study is not a fact LaserAway publishes per location.

Several primary documents were not directly accessible to automated verification during the research pass. The current LaserAway purchase-terms page, the LaserAway services page, the Mergr Seidler-Equity-Partners deal page, and the BusinessWire Ares Management release all returned errors to automated fetchers on the verification date. The URL slugs and surrounding press coverage corroborate the structural facts (2018 Seidler stake, October 2021 Ares strategic investment, the “advanced picosecond technology” services-page language as captured earlier). A reader booking treatment should request the current purchase-terms document at consultation and read it directly before signing.

What LaserAway publicly discloses

What LaserAway publicly discloses about its tattoo-removal service:

• A free consultation at each location
• Per-treatment pricing for the two smallest of five named tattoo-removal size tiers on LaserAway’s pricing page (Quarter $200, Dollar Bill $420; Package of 10 prices listed in the table above)
• Specific-tattoo tier assignment is determined at the consultation
• Treatment rooms staffed by registered nurses, nurse practitioners, or physician associates under board-certified dermatologist oversight
• A consultation methodology grounded in the Kirby-Desai scale (the chain’s CMO is the scale’s lead author)
• Financing offered at consultation

What LaserAway does not publicly disclose for tattoo removal:

• The specific device model used (the current services page describes the category, “advanced picosecond technology,” rather than naming the model)
• A specific session-count guarantee for any patient
• A guarantee of complete tattoo removal

How to prepare for a LaserAway consultation

A short practical list. The reader who walks in with the following questions is positioned to evaluate the consultation seriously.

1. Ask what the specific laser device model is at this specific clinic on the day of treatment. Not the marketing category; the model. If the clinician says picosecond, ask which (PicoWay, PicoSure, Discovery Pico, or other). If the clinician says Q-switched Nd:YAG, ask whether it is the Astanza Duality or another platform, and confirm the wavelengths (1064 nm, 532 nm, or both) and pulse duration. A clinician who can answer this without checking is demonstrating familiarity with the equipment.

2. Ask which specific clinician will perform the treatment, and ask about their tattoo-removal-specific training and caseload volume. How many tattoo-removal sessions per month do they run on average? How long have they been performing tattoo removal at this clinic? Training in laser treatment broadly is not the same as accumulated tattoo-removal hours.

3. Ask how session-to-session continuity is handled if the clinician who performs the first treatment is unavailable for a later session. At a multi-service chain, the treating nurse may rotate between services, locations, or employers across an 18-month treatment course. Confirm that treatment records and prior-session settings are documented in a way the next clinician can follow.

4. Ask for the total-cost estimate for the specific tattoo, in writing, not just the per-session or per-package figure. If the consultation introduces other services, ask for the tattoo-removal price as a standalone line item before any bundling is applied. Confirm whether numbing, aftercare supplies, and any follow-up visits are included in the package price or billed separately.

5. Read the purchase-terms document. Request a copy to take home and review before signing, and sign at a follow-up visit if you need time. Check the refund and cancellation terms specifically: what happens to unused sessions if treatment stops, what happens if the patient relocates, what happens if treatment pauses for pregnancy or extended life events, and what happens if the studio cancels appointments. Check the arbitration clause if one is present, and note the jurisdiction.

6. Ask about the aftercare protocol. Get written instructions, not just a verbal summary. Ask which supplies are provided versus purchased separately, who to contact if complications develop between sessions, and what the escalation path is if blistering, hyperpigmentation (darkening of treated skin, a known laser side effect that is usually temporary), or an unexpected reaction occurs. Confirm whether the topical anesthetic used for tattoo removal is the same one the clinic uses for laser hair removal, or whether the protocol is adjusted for tattoo removal’s higher fluence settings.

7. If a same-day pricing incentive appears at the consultation, especially a multi-service bundle, ask for 48 hours to think it over. The red flags section of the choose-a-clinic guide covers what consultation patterns are worth thinking about twice.

The consultation is the decision point. The questions above are what gets a reader there ready.

LaserAway is a 200-plus-clinic aesthetic dermatology chain with specific operational characteristics: a multi-service menu, partial published size-tier pricing with the larger tiers gated to consultation, documented clinical provenance in the form of its CMO’s lead authorship of the Kirby-Desai scale, and a device-disclosure question that the chain’s own marketing and the available manufacturer documentation answer differently. It is one of several places that consult on tattoo removal in the U.S., alongside other chains, the sister chain Removery, independent dermatology practices, and tattoo-removal specialists.

The reader who walks in knowing what to ask about the device, what to get in writing about the cost, what to read before signing the contract, and what the operator’s actual tattoo-removal caseload looks like is the reader making a real decision with real information. That reader may sign a package that day. That reader may leave, get a second quote elsewhere, and come back. That reader may find that a different provider type (an independent specialist, a single-service tattoo-removal chain, or a dermatology practice with high tattoo-removal volume) is a better fit for their specific tattoo and situation. Any of those outcomes is a fair outcome of an informed consultation.

The rest happens in the room with the clinician who will examine the tattoo, answer questions, and tell the patient what they can and cannot do for it.