I struggled with writing this review because this wasn't just a random appointment I booked for…read moremyself.
My daughters gifted me a head spa experience at Glos + Glow for Mother's Day. They know I spend most of my time taking care of other people, other people's pets, businesses, responsibilities, and all the little fires life throws our way. Their hope was simple: for a few hours, someone would take care of me for a change.
I wanted so badly to love this experience.
Let's start with the positives.
The facility is impeccably clean. Not "spa clean." Immaculately clean. The restroom, treatment rooms, common areas--everything was spotless and well maintained. The staff was polite when interacting with me, and when I mentioned I was cold during the treatment, another blanket appeared almost immediately, which I appreciated.
I arrived about 15 minutes early for my appointment, checked in, and was escorted to the treatment area. The space itself is calming and aesthetically pleasing.
Unfortunately, things became uncomfortable almost immediately.
As another guest and I were settling in for our treatments, the two technicians entered and began preparing. The technician assigned to me repeatedly complained to her coworker that my appointment was "TWO HOURS." Not once. Not twice. Repeatedly.
Maybe she was having a rough day. Maybe she didn't realize I could hear her.
But when you've been gifted a relaxation experience and the first thing you hear is someone lamenting the amount of time they'll be spending with you, relaxation becomes difficult.
From that point forward, I felt less like a guest and more like an inconvenience.
The scalp massage itself was pleasant. The shampoo portion was probably the strongest part of the experience. However, I wasn't particularly impressed with the lymphatic drainage or gua sha massage components, which felt robotic and lacked the level of care I was expecting from a premium service.
I also think it's important to mention something for those with hair textures that may differ from the salon's typical clientele.
My hair is wavy on top and much curlier and coarser underneath. The products used seemed better suited for finer hair types. By the end of the service, my hair was detangled thanks to an additional product they applied before blow drying, but it wasn't particularly soft, moisturized, or shiny. I don't believe the products were poor quality; I simply don't think they were the best fit for my hair texture.
One thing I also noticed was the timing. My appointment was booked as a two-hour experience, but it did not feel anywhere near two hours. I didn't sit there with a stopwatch, but it was noticeable enough that I questioned it.
Then came the pedicure.
And unfortunately, this is where the experience completely fell apart for me.
My daughters had added a pedicure to my gift, and I selected a basic service. I didn't want polish. I simply wanted my feet cleaned up, rough skin removed, and my nails trimmed and buffed.
I've had many pedicures over the years.
This was, without question, the worst one I've ever received.
I had spent nearly two years carefully growing out an ingrown toenail on my right big toe. After a lot of patience and discomfort, it had finally reached a point where it was growing correctly and no longer causing pain.
When the technician began working on it, I immediately told her not to cut it a certain way. She assured me she knew what she was doing and would fix it.
She did the exact thing I was worried about.
The following morning, I woke up in significant pain and found myself right back where I started, facing the same issue I had spent two years correcting.
To make matters worse, my feet didn't look noticeably improved when I left, and my toenails looked uneven and poorly shaped.
The hardest part of writing this review isn't that I spent money and didn't enjoy the service.
It's that my daughters spent a considerable amount of money because they wanted to do something thoughtful for their mom.
I haven't even had the heart to fully tell them how disappointing the experience was.
When they recently suggested booking another head spa treatment for my birthday, I quickly steered them toward looking at other places.
I genuinely wish my experience had been different.
The facility is beautiful and clean. The concept is wonderful. The staff was polite.
But between hearing my treatment complained about before it even began, leaving without feeling relaxed, and having a pedicure that actually created a painful problem I'd spent years resolving, I can't justify the cost and I can't personally recommend it.
I sincerely hope others have better experiences than I did.
