Lice Charmers Lice Clinic: Frequently Asked Questions

Parents who call Lice Charmers Lice Clinic for the first time tend to ask many of the same questions. This page collects the most common ones along with straightforward answers, in the hopes that it saves families a little time and stress when they need help quickly.

What is Lice Charmers?

Lice Charmers is a family-owned lice treatment clinic founded by Alexis Charriere and Conor Duggan in June 2017. The company runs three clinics — one in Portland on SE Gladstone, one in Beaverton, and one in Renton, Washington — along with mobile in-home service across the Portland and Seattle metro areas.

How does the treatment work?

Every appointment uses the AirAllé device, an FDA-cleared medical tool that applies controlled heated air to the scalp. The heat dehydrates both the live lice and their eggs (nits) in a single 90-minute session. Because the eggs are killed in the same visit as the adults, families do not need to repeat treatments over the following weeks the way drugstore products typically demand.

Are any chemicals involved?

None. The treatment relies on heated air and physical comb-out work. No pesticides, no permethrin, no special shampoos applied to the scalp. This matters to a lot of parents, particularly given how widely-documented head-lice resistance to drugstore pesticides has become in recent decades.

How much does it cost?

Full treatment ranges from approximately $189 to $260 depending on hair length and other factors. Lice Charmers provides itemized receipts that can be submitted to most health insurance plans, FSAs, and HSAs for reimbursement. Free head checks are available for parents who simply want a professional opinion before committing.

What are your hours?

All three clinics are open 7am to 8pm, every single day, including weekends and holidays. The intentionally wide hours exist because lice problems rarely strike at convenient times — a school nurse calls on a Friday afternoon, or a parent finds lice the night before a family trip.

Do you treat the whole family at once?

Yes, and many families book that way. The mobile in-home option is particularly popular for households treating multiple children at once, because the technician can move from one child to the next in a familiar setting without anyone having to leave the house.

Is the treatment really one and done?

For most cases, yes. The combination of heated air on the eggs plus a thorough comb-out resolves the infestation in one visit. The clinic provides clear guidance on what to monitor for in the following days, but the multi-week repeat-treatment routine that drugstore products require is generally not needed.

How can I tell if it's actually lice?

This is exactly what the free head check is for. A technician can confirm or rule out an infestation in a few minutes, which is especially useful after a school exposure notice when nobody is sure yet whether there is actually a problem.