I bought both BuyWithMe.com deals, and my first time at DC was for a manicure and pedicure, but I was sorely disappointed. Neither included any sort of scrub, masque, essential oils, or massage, and when I complained, I was told there was a mix-up and they said they would repeat the services as they were supposed to be, so I hope that my next trip there will be a more relaxing experience.
This technician didn't know how to treat cuticles at all, and the polish job was laughable; my 9 year-old cousin could have done a much better job, and that's no exaggeration. This technician took a painfully long time to complete the services and glopped the polish on in thick coats, missing the sides of some of my nails completely, and got polish all over my cuticles and fingers. She spent a long time correcting her mistakes, and as she was correcting, she bumped her hand into my nail, ruining the polish job - and then she blamed me! After she finished, I pointed out several spots where I still had polish on my cuticles and she did more corrections, but she couldn't see the polish and she had to pull out her glasses. She kept correcting areas where there was no polish and missing areas where there was polish. She also kept on telling me that the nail polish on my cuticles would just "wash off" - I have extremely dry, sensitive skin, so all of the corrections she did irritated my hands, and I left Daryl Christopher with a messy polish job and rough cuticles/rough skin on both my hands and feet. Since I had gone out of my way for DC's BuyWithMe deal, expecting to get a relaxing treatment and experienced polish job, I was angry - I could have had a much better manicure/pedicure at the mall near my house without the travel or stress. I use BuyWithMe.com to try out new places, and I will often continue to travel out of my way for great services and pay full price, so I couldn't believe DC charges such high prices for such terrible work, even if this was their "regular" and not their "spa" manicure/pedicure. Last week, at another spa not far from DC, I had a fantastic $19 manicure that included a scrub, massage, and absolutely perfect cuticle trim and polish job that was done in no time at all and in a much prettier, more relaxing environment, and the manicure lasted a long time. After my DC manicure, the polish chipped terribly the very next day (not surprising given how she applied it), so I had to remove it, and I'm still (over a month later) mad over the wasted time and money. The nail services area at DC was ugly and it felt closed in; it was just a harsh, busy, unpleasant environment that seemed dirty and wasn't relaxing at all.
I went back to DC for a facial that was a better experience than my manicure/pedicure, but it still left a lot to be desired. My other facials have been much more relaxing, indulgent experiences at prettier and less cluttered spas - and they cost less than the DC facial's $100 price tag. I told the technician that I had a special occasion coming up and to be as gentle as possible, but she performed extractions anyway without telling me and left blemishes. My facial didn't include the hand massage that was in the description; all she did was rub on lotion for less than thirty seconds, which I definitely don't consider a massage. Despite the fact that the facial was less than 40 minutes (not the advertised 50 minutes) she was quick to recommend products for the front desk to sell me. When I complained to the front desk about the quality of the services I had received up to that point, I was told that I shouldn't be complaining because I got such a great price for such expensive services. However, when the prices are so inflated and the services are so poor, a reduced price is not a good deal at all. I would have loved to have a new go-to place for nails or facials, but the quality of the services didn't match the price tag.
Luckily, I finally had a good experience at DC this week with my express highlights, wash, color glaze, cut, and blow-dry with Donna. I'd never had hair color before, and Donna spent a long time talking to me beforehand to make sure I was comfortable. She was fun, outgoing, and she really listened to what I wanted both in color (something that looked natural that I didn't have to commit to) and in cut (a sharper angle in the front and a slight trim to keep it healthy while still maintaining the length). She was obviously experienced and she did a fantastic job, giving me beautiful, subtle highlights in my very dark hair that brought out so much warmth and dimension. Unlike every other stylist I've been to while growing out my hair, Donna actually didn't go overboard with the trim and kept my length; I absolutely love the cut, the highlights, and how healthy my hair is. I just wish the nail technician and facialist at DC were as good at their jobs as Donna is with hers, and I hope that I'll have a better experience when I return to DC for my next manicure/pedicure. read more