The Buzz has learned that celebrity plastic surgeon Ayman Hakki -- he has worked on Washington Redskins Hall of Famers, former Miss Americas and the wives of Washington Wizards players -- plans to open a 1,200-square-foot express location of his plastic surgery clinic at 2141 Wisconsin Ave. NW, in upper Georgetown near the recently reopened "Social Safeway."
Hakki has talked about moving to the District for months, but his new Luxxery Express location will officially open July 1.
"If a woman is going to the Whole Foods on my right or the Social Safeway on my left, then they are going to be near me and I am going to make myself accessible to them," said Hakki, who once had an office near the corner of M and Thomas Jefferson streets NW. "They can walk in during their lunch hour, after highlighting their hair in Georgetown or after grabbing groceries."
Hakki said the world has changed from the old days. Four years ago, 80 percent of his customers came through referrals from other customers. Last year, 78 percent heard about his services from the Internet and the rest from customer referrals.
And customers demand half-hour, walk-in visits for injections that get rid of perpetual frowns or erase the line between the nose and mouth -- services that were mostly unheard of a decade ago.
They can walk in, have the skin plumped up, swipe the credit card and leave. The goal at the Wisconsin facility will be to see 20 to 25 patients per day for the minimally-invasive procedures.
"The large-ticket [surgery] items are shrinking and the small-ticket items are growing. I want to capture that trend. Not just wander into it, but embrace it," Hakki said.
Hakki, who was featured on an MTV "True Life" episode about cosmetic surgery, plans to keep his Waldorf practice, where he sees close to 100 cosmetic patients a week.
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