I was really looking forward to my appointment, but unfortunately the overall experience was…read moredisappointing.
It started with a phone call at 11:15 telling me I was late for my appointment, which was actually at noon. While being put on hold, they hung up on me.
When I arrived, there wasn't much of a greeting or guidance about what to do or where to go. At my actual appointment time, I was handed an iPad with a lengthy intake form asking for detailed medical history, medications, previous procedures, dates, locations, etc. It was the kind of information that could easily take 20-30 minutes to enter and really should have been sent ahead of time rather than given to me when my appointment was supposed to begin.
The atmosphere was very different from what I expect from a spa. I'm used to places like Valo and Faces in Omaha, where the environment is quiet, dim, comfortable and intentionally relaxing. Refresh is in a storefront space with large windows facing out toward the shopping area. The waiting area is large, open and brightly lit, with a television playing. Rather than feeling tucked away somewhere private and relaxing, you're sitting in a storefront where people outside can see in. I've been to a LOT of med spas and never had a tv in one.
There was also a small dog at the front desk that barked periodically. At one point it barked so suddenly and loudly that it startled me and all three people working there. I like dogs, but I'm not sure what having one in a spa adds to the experience if it isn't contributing to a calm environment.
Sound carried very easily throughout the space, and this wasn't a matter of occasionally overhearing someone at the front desk. Two of the women at the front talked loudly and almost continuously throughout my treatment, and I could hear their conversation clearly from the treatment room. I could also hear them and my tech discussing what I was supposed to be charged--first $99, then $120--which was particularly awkward to listen to while lying there.
The treatment room itself wasn't particularly relaxing either. There was no music playing when I entered, the lighting was bright, and there were none of the cozy touches I normally associate with a spa treatment. Music was turned on after the treatment started, and there was a fireplace on the wall that wasn't on.
The service itself also felt rushed. At one point the fan being used during my treatment stopped working. Rather than quietly excusing herself, stepping out to get another one and returning, the technician opened the treatment-room door and called out across the spa asking someone to bring her another fan. It was another small thing, but combined with the constant conversation outside the room, it made it very difficult to relax or feel that there was any real separation between the treatment room and everything happening at the front desk.
To be fair, the dermaplaning itself was fine. I wasn't cut, my skin looked fine afterward, and I don't have a complaint about the actual result. My disappointment was with everything surrounding the procedure.
At other spas, the little details are part of what makes the experience. Aftercare instructions are usually given afterward, you're offered water, and you're told to take your time getting dressed and come out whenever you're ready. Here, my aftercare instructions were given before we even started. When the treatment was over, it was essentially just get up, grab my things, go out and pay. I wasn't offered water or given any time to decompress afterward.
The pricing was also comparable to what I would pay at Valo or Faces, so this wasn't a situation where I was sacrificing the spa experience in exchange for a significantly lower price. For essentially the same amount of money, I've had much more private, relaxing and polished experiences elsewhere.
When I go to a spa, part of what I'm paying for is the experience--the atmosphere, calm, privacy and all of those small touches that make an appointment feel like something special. This felt much more like going somewhere to have a procedure performed quickly and then leaving.
If you simply want the service done, this may work perfectly well for you. But if the spa experience is an important part of what you're paying for, this was not that. It actually made my day more stressful!
