I got laser, and electro on a couple of red hairs I had (I had very, very few). It took me 5 laser appointments to clear up my face. I may go in the future and get electro for the odd hair if anything grows back. I just finished my 7th laser for my upper lip.... that has taken longer to get rid of, and has been stubborn. Although, at the current time, the hair barely noticeable and I just look like a girl with some lip hair -- I actually have less than my girlfriend, who is GG. And you won't notice she had upper lip hair unless you came nose to nose with her.
I think that I'm lucky that I got everything done so fast -- I have light skin and dark hair, the perfect combo for laser to work. Laser doesn't work for everyone, and I know so many people with limited results because there hair isn't dark enough, or there skin is darker.
But, getting the hair removal is so worth it, what ever method you use.
**Edit** In terms of hours, maybe 5. Full face laser was usually 30 and hour to 45 mins (mostly at the start). Upper lip is about 10 to 15.