My husband bought me the Groupon for this for what was supposed to be a relaxing first Mother's Day…read moreGift. Unfortunately, the experience wasn't totally relaxing.
First, you have to call to schedule (would be nice if there was an online scheduling option). When I called, I told the woman who answered multiple times that I was using a Groupon. She kept asking me for a gift card code, to which I responded, "Well, it's a Groupon, so should I click 'Mark as Redeemed,'" she said, "yes," so I did that. I read her the code, and she said I was booked from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mind you this was a gift, so I didn't purchase it myself, and as a result, didn't know what it entailed, just that my husband said he got me a spa day. When she said it would take 3 hours, I asked what the third hour was, and she said your massage is at 1:00 p.m., and your facial is at 2:00 p.m. I reiterated my confusion (that the block of time was 3 hours, but she only discussed two treatments), and she didn't have a straight answer, and I didn't have a lot of confidence in her ability to give me one, so we ended the call, and I hoped (wrongly) that things would be taken care of.
1. Issue 1 - 20 minutes before my massage began, they texted me saying my gift card was invalid. Mind you, I repeatedly told them when booking I was using a Groupon, NOT a gift card. At that point, I was also driving, so I asked my husband to get in touch with them to resolve it. Already a little stressed over what was supposed to be my relaxing spa day.
2. Issue 2 - I was not told to arrive early to complete paperwork, nor sent any ahead of time (as I would have done it and sent it electronically). Nonetheless, I was still there 5 minutes early, but I was surprised to get paperwork. On the upside, the masseuse came out and said I didn't need to finish it so it would not cut into my massage time (nice of her). On the downside, I would have started the massage more relaxed had I been sent the paperwork ahead of time or been told to come earlier.
3. No One Knew What Treatments Were Being Done On Me: This was not my first spa day by any means. My typical experience is that one therapist knows your next treatment, and you either remain in the same room the whole time OR your therapist will lead you to the next treatment seamlessly, so you are not left guessing what to do and where to go. That was NOT the case here. When my massage ended, she told me to get dressed and meet her in the lobby. I said, "But I believe I'm supposed to have a facial, so should I get fully dressed?" She told me she would check, and then, she said it was good I told her that, to remain undressed, put the robe on, and she would get me a box and lead me to the next room for my facial.
4. Issue 4 - Next, I did my facial, but when it concluded, she likewise told me to get dressed and go to the lobby, to which I told her that I had been informed on the phone that I was having treatments until 4:00 p.m., and it was only 3:00 p.m. She, like the previous therapist, said she would go check on that. While she was checking, I checked my Groupon, which clearly stated it was for a massage, facial, AND sauna treatment. She returned and stated that I was not scheduled for anything else. I told her (1) they had explicitly told me on the phone I was booked from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and (2) I had repeatedly told them I was using a Groupon, which included a sauna session. She said she would go check again. When she returned, she was very apologetic but said the room with the sauna was being used and asked if I could return for the sauna session. I told her that I came her because my husband bought me the gift, but that the location was 20 minutes from my house, so I was not going to be returning just to use the sauna.
5. Issue 5 - I don't do facials super frequently, but I would say I have done over 10 in my life, including at the Red Door Salon in NYC. All of mine have included extractions, and none have been painful. This one, however, the extractions were very painful (to the point that I'm worried I will have bruising on my face). Other than that, Blanca was very sweet though.
When I left, I still paid a tip for my therapists because my massage and facial were good. However, I left not having received all treatments that were purchased, and having had a stressful "relaxing" spa day rather than an actual relaxing one.
I won't be recommending this place or returning.