Warning: The sign outside is almost completely invisible. I thought I knew where I was going but…read moredrove right past it and had to use GPS to find it. The building exterior looks like it was previously a bank or some sort of office space, and the way the interior is set up also reflects that.
Anyway, my sister was in town and suggested getting a massage together. Since my regular spot was unavailable, we ended up at Nancy Taylor. Once you check in at the front desk, they take you to a separate waiting area, with the usual coffee, tea, etc. Our therapists (one man and one woman) were extremely professional and courteous, telling us that we could select our therapist by preference and which table was which. I had the male therapist (which did not bother me).
However, for me the actual massage was a little underwhelming. The headrest moved forward and back very easily, making me worry a little that I would move my head forward and completely dislodge the headrest. And it was curiously tough and plastic-y, so that even after a few minutes my face felt rather painful being pressed into it. Also, my sister asked her therapist if they had heated tables, and they did not. For a massage in December, that would have been a real plus.
I don't normally get Swedish, so I'll chalk up some of it to my inexperience with the style. There seemed to be a lot more pressing and vigorous rubbing than I expected, and since it was a full body, we seemed to spend a lot of time doing hot towels and that kind of thing. Again, all very professionally done, but not quite to my taste.
Afterwards our therapists spoke with us about any issues they noticed during the massage, offered us water, and we sat in the waiting area for a while to have some tea. They use the envelope system for tips (they just go in a box at the front desk), which removes the awkwardness there.
Overall, it was completely fine, but it kind of made me miss my regular spa and therapist. So while I doubt I'd return to Nancy Taylor because of that, it was a perfectly good Aveda experience.