When to Start Laser Hair Removal Before Summer: The Month-by-Month Countdown for Chicago’s South Suburbs — Sessions, Spacing, Every Area, Dark Skin, Prep, and What It Costs at Oxygen Med Spa in Orland Park

By the Oxygen Med Spa team · Updated September 2026

Every May our phones in Orland Park ring with the same question, and every May the honest answer disappoints someone: laser hair removal is a series, hair grows in cycles, and the sessions have to be spaced to catch each cycle — so a full course takes most of a school year, not a few weeks. The people who are smooth by Memorial Day are the ones who started in the fall. This guide gives you the actual calendar, counted backward from the first pool day, with the real session counts and intervals for each area, what the laser we use does that older machines can’t, why darker skin is treated differently, what the prep rules are, and what a package costs. Read it in September and you’ll be done by June; read it in March and you’ll still be far ahead of where you’d be shaving.

Oxygen Med Spa — laser hair removal for every area, every skin tone, men and women, on the Palomar Vectus laser, at 14360 South La Grange Road, Unit D, Orland Park, IL 60462. Monday through Saturday, 10 to 5: (708) 229-8800.

Quick Answer: Start laser hair removal in September or October to finish a full course before summer. Most areas need six to eight sessions, with four to six weeks between facial sessions and six to eight between body sessions, because the laser only disables hair in its active growth phase and only a fraction of follicles are in that phase at any visit. Counting back from Memorial Day, a fall start completes the series; a January start delivers four to five sessions and most of the reduction; a March start delivers two or three and a real head start on next year. Sessions take minutes on the Vectus laser — underarms in about five, full legs in under thirty — there is no downtime, and the treatment is safe on dark and Black skin with the correct settings. Oxygen Med Spa in Orland Park books packages by area and month: (708) 229-8800.

Why the Calendar Matters: Hair Grows in Cycles

The laser works by sending light into the pigment of the hair, where it converts to heat and disables the follicle — but only when that follicle is in its active growth phase, called anagen. At any moment, only somewhere between a fifth and a third of the hairs in a given area are in that phase; the rest are resting or shedding and are untouched. That is the whole reason for the series: each session catches the follicles that happen to be active that week, and the spacing lets the next group cycle into range. Facial hair cycles faster, so face sessions are spaced about four to six weeks apart; body hair cycles slower, so legs, underarms, and bikini are spaced six to eight weeks apart. Rush the spacing and you pay for sessions that hit resting hair; stretch it and the course drags into another season. The math below is built on those intervals.

The Countdown to Memorial Day, Month by Month

September and October — the ideal start. Eight body sessions at six-week spacing run about ten months; six sessions run about eight. A September start finishes a full course by late May or June with sessions in every cold month, when your skin is at its palest and sun rules are easiest to keep. This is the window our Orland Park regulars book into, and the one we tell every new patient about in August. November and December — still complete. A late-fall start completes six sessions by June for most body areas and the full course for the face. Holiday schedules are the only complication; we book the first two sessions before the calendar fills. January and February — most of the result. A New Year start gives four to five body sessions before summer — typically the majority of the total reduction, with the remaining sessions finished in the fall on untanned skin. Underarms and bikini, which respond fastest, often look done by June. March and April — a real head start. Two or three sessions before the sun arrives, a noticeable thinning by summer, and the series resumed after Labor Day; the patients who start in spring are smooth the following summer instead of the one after that. May and June — start anyway, but for next year. Once you’re tanning, sessions pause; we treat what we safely can, keep you off self-tanner and sun on the treated areas, and schedule the real series for September. Waiting a year because you missed the window is the only actual mistake.

How Many Sessions, By Area

Underarms: six to eight sessions, six weeks apart, about five minutes each — the fastest, most satisfying area to start with, on our underarms and full legs page. Bikini and Brazilian: six to eight sessions, six to eight weeks apart, ten to twenty minutes; the area our summer-focused patients book most, described on our Brazilian and bikini laser page. Full legs: six to eight sessions, six to eight weeks apart, twenty to thirty minutes on the Vectus; see full legs laser hair removal. Upper lip, chin, and cheeks: six to eight sessions, four to six weeks apart, a few minutes each; hormonal facial hair sometimes needs more, and our upper lip, chin, and cheek page explains why. Back, chest, and shoulders for men: six to eight sessions, six to eight weeks apart, and the area where the Vectus’s speed matters most; the men’s and women’s areas are mapped on our areas for men and women page. After the series, most patients keep the result with one or two touch-ups a year; hormonal changes — pregnancy, PCOS, menopause — can bring some regrowth that a touch-up handles.

Why the Laser Itself Changes the Answer

Not every laser is the same, and the machine explains a lot of the difference between spas. We use the Palomar Vectus, a high-powered diode laser built specifically for hair removal: a large treatment window that covers a full back or both legs in a fraction of the time of smaller devices, a cooling tip that keeps the treatment comfortable, and a built-in melanin reader that measures your skin’s pigment before each session and sets the energy for your skin tone rather than a guess. That last feature is why we can treat a wider range of skin tones safely and why a session here is faster than most patients expect — underarms in about five minutes, legs in under half an hour — which is also why we can price packages the way we do. The device is described on our laser hair removal page.

Dark Skin, Black Skin, and Every Tone in Between

The old warning that laser hair removal isn’t for darker skin came from older machines that couldn’t tell hair pigment from skin pigment. With the Vectus’s melanin reading and the diode wavelength, medium, dark, and Black skin are treated routinely at our spa — with settings chosen for the skin, an extra test spot when we want one, and sessions that may run slightly more conservatively at first. What doesn’t change is the rule about tanning: treated skin has to be at its natural, untanned tone at every session, for every patient, which is one more reason the cold months are the season for this. Our laser hair removal for dark and Black skin guide goes deeper, and our laser hair removal for all skin types page covers the range. Very light or gray hair is the one true limit — the laser needs pigment in the hair to work — and we say so at the consultation rather than sell a package that can’t deliver.

The Prep Rules, Stated Plainly

Shave the area within twenty-four hours before each session — the laser needs the follicle, not the hair above the skin. Stop waxing, tweezing, threading, and epilating at least four weeks before the first session and for the whole series; those remove the follicle the laser is aiming at. No tanning beds, no sun on the area, and no self-tanner for two to four weeks before a session; if you arrive tanned, we reschedule rather than risk your skin. Skip retinoids and strong exfoliants on the treatment area for a few days beforehand. Tell us about any medication that increases sun sensitivity, any history of cold sores if we’re treating the lip, and pregnancy, which pauses treatment. Arrive with clean, product-free skin. A first visit takes a little longer because of the consultation and the melanin reading; after that, most appointments are in and out.

What to Expect During and After

Each pulse feels like a warm snap against the skin, softened by the cooling tip; most patients describe underarms and legs as easy and the bikini line as brief and tolerable. Afterward the area is pink and slightly warm for a few hours, like mild sunburn, and settles by evening. Through the next day or two: no hot tubs, saunas, or heavy workouts on the treated area, no scrubbing, a bland moisturizer, and sunscreen on anything that sees daylight. Over the next one to three weeks the treated hairs shed — they look like regrowth and then fall out on their own, which is the result arriving, not a sign the session failed. Between sessions, shave as you like; just never wax. Reduction builds session by session, and by the middle of the series most patients are shaving a fraction as often and seeing finer, sparser regrowth in what’s left.

What It Costs, and How We Package It

Laser hair removal is priced by area and sold as a package because it is a series, and a package spreads the cost across the sessions the area actually needs. Our per-session prices are published: small areas run $60 to $95 (upper lip and chin $60, sideburns $65, neck $75, underarms $85, bikini line $95), medium areas $120 to $170 (full face and half arms $120, abdomen $140, Brazilian $150, half legs $160, full arms $170), and large areas $180 to $280 (chest $180, full back $250, full legs $280), with full body quoted individually. Packages of six or more sessions are discounted, and several areas treated in one visit are priced as a combination. Our current packages by area are on the laser hair removal packages page, the pricing logic is explained in our laser hair removal cost in Orland Park guide, seasonal offers land on our hot deals page, and patients treating several areas or planning skin care alongside save with our membership. Over a few years, a package costs less than the razors, wax appointments, and time it replaces — and fall is when the packages are easiest to schedule.

Who Books Laser Hair Removal Here, and When

The bride from Frankfort with a June wedding who starts underarms and bikini in October. The Tinley Park nurse who wants legs done before the family’s July trip and books every other Saturday morning from September. The Homer Glen runner who’s tired of shaving before every race. The Mokena man treating his back and shoulders through the winter. The Palos Heights teenager with a parent’s permission and a first summer without the embarrassment. The patients from Oak Forest, New Lenox, Lockport, Oak Lawn, and Palos Park who found us because the spa in their town couldn’t treat their skin tone. Every one of them started in the cold months, and every one of them tells the next friend to do the same. Our laser hair removal in Orland Park guide is the broader overview; our transgender laser hair removal page covers a community we’re proud to serve; and our referral rewards program is how most of those friends arrive.

Laser Hair Removal Before Summer: Questions We Answer Every Week

When should I start laser hair removal to be done by summer?

September or October. A six-to-eight-session course at six-week spacing finishes by late May or June from a fall start.

How many sessions does laser hair removal take?

Six to eight for most areas; the face is spaced four to six weeks apart, the body six to eight. Hormonal facial hair can take more, and one or two touch-ups a year hold the result.

Is it too late to start in March?

No — you’ll get two or three sessions and a visible thinning before summer, then finish in the fall. Waiting a full year is the only real mistake.

Can I do laser hair removal if I have dark or Black skin?

Yes. The Vectus reads your skin’s pigment and sets the energy for it; we treat dark skin routinely, with settings chosen for you and a test spot when we want one.

Can I shave between sessions?

Yes — shave freely, and shave within a day before each visit. Never wax, tweeze, thread, or epilate during the series.

What if I’m tanned when my appointment comes?

We reschedule. Treated skin must be at its natural tone; tanned or self-tanned skin raises the risk of burns and dark marks.

Does it hurt?

A warm snap per pulse, softened by the cooling tip. Underarms and legs are easy for almost everyone; the bikini line is brief.

How long is each appointment?

Underarms about five minutes, upper lip a few, bikini ten to twenty, full legs under thirty on the Vectus. The first visit adds a consultation.

Is the result permanent?

Long-term reduction is the honest description: most treated follicles stop producing hair, and a touch-up or two a year handles the few that return, especially after hormonal changes.

How much does a laser hair removal session cost at Oxygen Med Spa?

Per session, by area: upper lip $60, chin $60, sideburns $65, neck $75, underarms $85, bikini line $95, full face $120, half arms $120, abdomen $140, Brazilian $150, half legs $160, full arms $170, chest $180, full back $250, full legs $280, and full body by custom quote. Packages of six or more sessions are discounted, and treating several areas in one visit is priced as a combination.

How much does underarm laser hair removal cost?

$85 per session, with a package discount on six or more — the most-booked first area in Orland Park, and about five minutes a visit.

How much does Brazilian laser hair removal cost?

$150 per session ($95 for the bikini line only), discounted as a six-or-more-session package; most patients pair it with underarms as a combination.

How much does full-leg laser hair removal cost?

$280 per session for full legs, $160 for half legs, with the package discount on six or more; a full course is still less than years of razors and wax appointments.

How much does laser hair removal cost for the face?

Upper lip and chin are $60 each per session, sideburns $65, full face $120 — facial areas are spaced four to six weeks apart, so a series finishes fastest.

Start in the Fall, Be Done by the Pool

Summer-ready skin is decided in September. Oxygen Med Spa in Orland Park treats every area on every skin tone with the Palomar Vectus laser, in minutes per session, with packages by area and a countdown built around your summer — call (708) 229-8800 or book your consultation through our contact and booking page. Monday through Saturday, 10 to 5, at 14360 South La Grange Road, Unit D, Orland Park.

Educational content only; not a substitute for an in-person consultation. Session counts, suitability, and outcomes differ from person to person, and a licensed Oxygen Med Spa provider evaluates your skin, hair, and medical history before any treatment.