This has to be one of the worst experiences I have ever had at a salon. I first heard of this salon with a large coupon (I think it may have been Groupon). Anyway, I have been shopping around for a place to get facials and I stumbled upon Colette. My coupon was a sandwich deal that included a facial & mani/pedi.
One of my first gripes is that when you are a salon and you are sending out large coupons to attract new clients, don't you think you should make sure you do a good job of trying to retain those new clients? Well, Colette Salon did a horrible job.
I traveled about an hour to this salon in the Gold Coast and was excited about a mini-day at the salon. When I arrived, I guess I was expecting a bit of a warm welcome as the salon knew I was a new potential customer and they also knew how long I traveled. When I arrived, I was told to "go have a seat over there" and I found the receptionist to be unfriendly and unwelcoming. In fact, no beverage was offered, they did not offer to take my winter coat and I just sat...and sat...and sat...until finally, another customer asked if he can get me some water or coffee. Then I wondered what the purpose of an appointment was if they were going to be so late (with no apology).
I met my esthetician and headed off to my facial. Overall, the facial was OK but the room was less than spa-like. I would suggest that the owner(s) pay attention to the details that the customers like me, have to stare at during a service - like the ceiling. Since the ceiling is very stale and cold, how about draping some fabric or enhance the lighting. In addition, if you are going to use a machine that feels like you are getting electrocuted on your face, maybe you should tell that client so that they are not freaked out. I also asked her to stop the facial at one point because there was total silence...I asked her to please go turn on some music to give some ambiance. I was glad she did, but why did I have to ask?
The lady who did the facial was nice but I was extremely disappointed when I learned that what was to be a 1 hour facial was cut short due to the fact that I was using a coupon. For the record, the coupons terms did say that a 1 hour facial was part of the deal. Naturally I was pushed to purchase a few skin products which apparently were very high-end and came from Paris. Needless to say, I did not buy any. Where I was taken aback is when she immediately asked me if I would post a review on Yelp. Gladly!
Next it was to my mani/pedi. I have no idea what the name of this lady is but she was one of the rudest individuals I have ever met. I sat in the pedi chair and looked around for a magazine and there was none and nor was I offered one. And again, no offer of a beverage.
So I sat and listened to her speak to the other nail tech next to her and they spoke in a foreign language the entire time. All the while my nail tech has no idea what my name is (she never asked) and she never once bothered to talk to me during my pedicure. And what did I have to look at (since I did not have a magazine)? A man (I think the owner) who was sitting on a chair outside the pedicure room who was eating a sandwich and chewing with his mouth open the entire time.
Unfortunately, I found out that she was to be the one who would perform my manicure too. So we headed over to her station and again, no words exchanged with me. But she did spend my entire manicure ON HER CELL PHONE!!!! Who does that? I have no idea what she was talking about but fortunately for me (I think) I did not understand a word she was saying.
Anyway, when I was finished, I went over to the sitting area and decided to let my nails dry thoroughly and read a magazine.
Then, what I saw next floored me! My nail tech speaks! But only to women who appear to have money and who compliment her directly. She was warm and embraced her next client with a hug and a smile and offered to get her a coffee and a magazine! I was completely insulted.
What's worse...my manicure chipped by day two.
Not once did the receptionist (who knew I just had 3 services) ask me how things were. I left this salon feeling completely disappointed and I would NEVER go back or recommend this salon to another person. read more