If there was 0 star, I would have chosen that. Very unprofessional and bad practice! AVOID going there. I bought Groupon deal, called and scheduled an appointment. Went there right on time. Then I was told that there is no one to provide me service and they need to cancel my appointment. I would have been fine if I was informed, even if it was 5 minutes before I got there. But I was not, which is why I showed up making all the arrangements with my day schedule. At least I got my refund from Groupon. Later on, they sent me email saying thanks for using their service and they would like to get the review. This clearly shows that they are not diligent in providing quality service and keeping their customers happy. read more

Bumi is the best! My fiance and I recently had an amazing couples massage! I really enjoyed the couples massage room and the front desk was extra friendly. There is a fantastic deal for people who have been introduced to illa through groupon. 3 massages for 50$ each! Or 3 deep tissue massages for 60$ each. Definitely going to take advantage of that! read more

One of the best waxing locations in DC for two reasons. 1. You can't beat the prices in DC. Period. 2. The waxing staff are the most efficient and effective specialists that I've dealt with. I've been waxing for years and this place is definitely one of the best. Additionally, the owner is very professional and ensures a great experience. I appreciate the experience. read more

Got a couples massage earlier today. Hanna and the rest of the staff were quite accommodating. My partner got a Swedish massage and I got a prenatal massage with hot oils (heaven!). The pressure was perfect. Best prenatal massage I've gotten so far! It's located on the 2nd floor above a cafe on the corner. My partner and I initially walked right passed it, luckily he noticed the sign on the window the second time around the block. The entrance is next to the cafe (red doors), go up the stairs and its on your left. Massage room is clean & cozy. The walls are a little thin and you can hear people talking outside in the reception area / wait room. Music is played to help you relax and drown out the noise. We'll be coming back :) read more

I went there for waxing after buying a groupon deal. It was quick and painless. Staff was friendly and they offered me a deal on my next purchase. I will be back for sure. read more

Used a groupon for a Sweedish Massage. It was LOVELY. Very professional and was one of the best massages I've ever had. Highly recommend.

Sunita (Hanna) is amazing. I have been getting massages with her for nearly a year now and I could not be happier. She is very skilled and knowledgable And makes the experience both relaxing and educational. If you are an active person or someone with chronic pain due to high physical activity or stress, this is the place for you. It is affordable and conveniently located. Sunita's massages are also great for people who sit in front of a desk. She uses a range of techniques including stretching, shiatsu, rocks, etc to loosen up tight tendons and joints. I have been and will remain a regular! read more

I found this place through Groupon. I honestly thought the massage was better than one I got at MassageEnvy a few months ago. And everyone was very polite. I'll be returning. read more

I went there last week with my friend. I got a deep tissue massage and my friend got a facial. I had a relaxing time. I really recommend Illa spa for a relaxing massage at a great price. I will be returning here very soon. Great service. Thumbs up !!! read more

Had a great experience with a couples massage here! The service was great and the booking process was really easy. I suggest calling in. My partner and I left extremely relaxed. read more

I have had my fair share of experiences with professional massages and never walk away feeling like it was worth the money...until today. I was so sore and tight and Arpi knew exactly all the right spots to hit. I think she focused the right amount of time on each area and really seemed diligent and knew what she was doing! I feel so much better already. I would 100% go back...thank you Arpi! :) read more

My husband and I thought we'd get a 60-min Swedish couple's massage together for Valentines Day. We're new to DC and so we used a Groupon for ILLA to check it out. I had no trouble making our appointment ahead of time (although it wasn't on the actual day of Vday), and the crew were ready for us when we arrived. Our massages by Hana and Daniel were fantastic, professional, effective, and relaxing. Considering the price we paid and the overall experience, it was WELL worth the money. I don't think I could afford their massages full price on a regular basis, but they do offer monthly promos for certain services. read more

I got a Groupon deal and I had a great experience. Hanna did my massage and facial which was very nice and comprehensive. I felt like I was getting a lot of services for my money and not being treated poorly as some places will when you have a groupon. I would suggest that they not call people after 9 PM because I got woken up with my reminder call. read more

I've been several times and have had a very good experience every time. The therapists are all good, you can schedule appointments online, the location is convenient, it's quiet inside even though it's in a busy area. 5 *****! read more

Great gem. My Brazillian wax was very good and fast.

Excellent job! Nicole is amazing. Staff are kind and courteous. My body feels significantly less tense and my anxiety has decreased. I'll be back for another Swedish massage. read more

Used a groupon - was a bit nervous because the spa was empty. Hannah did my wax. We talked the entire time and I was pleased with my wax.

Illa Spa is amazing! I have ONLY had amazing experience here. They are very friendly and very flexible on appointments.

Prompt service. One of the least painful waxes I've had. I definitely plan to go back.

My husband and I had a couples massage here, and left floored at how bad it was. This was particularly true for his massage therapist, although mine made some very unsafe and bad decisions too. He left quite sure that his therapist had never before given a massage. We've had many massages in the past and none have ever been like this. His masseuse would stop massaging for very long periods of time and he would not know what she was doing. At one point, it was clear that she was using her phone rather than massaging. Also, she plopping lotion directly from the bottle on him and would smear it on like you'd butter a piece of bread. She did not appropriately cover him, and would uncover him without any technique or concern for his privacy. She massaged both legs at the same time, which is never done in other massages. She jumped from one part of the body to the other without any pattern. She banged into his head MANY times and also just laid her body on his for several minutes for no reason, not massaging at all, just like a lump. He left saying this was the absolute worst massage of his life and that we will never go back there again. On my side, I am a person with chronic illness and showed my massage therapist an accessed mediport on my chest, and then he began massaging me very hard and I asked for a towel to cushion the pressure around the needle. Then without asking or explaining what he was doing, I realized that he was WALKING on my legs and lower back. I cannot imagine a massage therapist who would see someone come in with a needle in their chest and then think it is ok to put his entire body weight WITHOUT asking or explaining what he is doing. He is easily 40 pounds heavier than me. Also, did this without asking for a medical history even though I made clear that I had health issues. THEN he saw a band aid on my side and stopped the massage to ask what it was and only then did I get a chance to say that I am on blood thinning medication. At that point, both therapists walked out of the room to ask the owner if they could massage someone with a mediport, but this was AFTER he'd already WALKED ON ME!!!!! Those were glaring oversights and terrible choices made without consent. Lastly, the therapists were in the room no longer than 40 minutes tops for a supposed 60 minute massage. All around the behavior was completely unprofessional and unethical. We will never return to this place and felt a need to warn others. read more

Went to Illa Spa for a brazilian last weekend, and it was great! The technician was experienced, efficient, and friendly. Would absolutely go back! read more

A very pleasant place near the Dupont Circle metro that offers a nice message for a very reasonable price.

The massage was great. Very professional. Worked the areas that I needed. I didn't like the mini facial massage at the end as my skin is sensitive and I rather not have hands that are not completely clean touching my face. I would opt out of that option next time. read more

Was in town for a last minute trip and found this place close to where I was staying. The best massage I've ever had. My boyfriend got a deep tissue massage and he is very picky but agreed it was the best massage he has had as well. I got the Swedish massage which is a lighter one but was surprised at how much better I felt after. Their techniques are effective and the level of firmness desired was met the whole hour. read more

On the first visit we sat for over 45 mins and had to reschedule then on the next visit couldn't find parking that wasn't up at least 3-4 blocks away....asked them for a refund and they lied and told groupon we redeemed the voucher now they won't accept "any of our further vouchers" and we haven't received a refund from Groupon read more

I bought a couples massage for me and my bestfriend and I saw that the reviews were seemingly pleasant. Now I've been to a lot of up scale spas in my day and I've never been to one I found on Groupon but I guess it's true when they say you get what you pay for. The place isn't all that nice on the inside. When we walked in, we weren't greeted with smiles and warm welcomes rather a clipboard was shoved in our face to fill out. Fast forward to the actual room and massage. Again I'm used to upscale spas so I didn't know what to expect with this place. The massage tables were flimsy as hell and the sheets looked dingy. I kept asking my friend if it was really safe to put my face on it. I also was not even told what products were used on me or if I had sensitive skin which is just beyond me. To the actual massage...a young lady with dreads was pretty nice I guess. However the Swedish massage that she gave was subpar as hell. I felt as though she didn't know what she was doing and once I turned over on my back she must have been out of breath and was breathing all in my face. Her breath is what really had me ready to end the session. I tipped her however because I'm just a nice person. All in all, I will never come back or recommend this place to anyone that I know. read more

I have been working with Hanna for six months (two different locations) to treat a longstanding and chronic condition due to a previous running injury. I have been amazed at the results and looking forward to being able to run again soon. Hanna truly understands how the body works, she developed a treatment regime that has proven successful (where others have failed) and has given me valuable guidance on what to do between treatments. I highly recommend her. read more

My wife and I go here for couples massage. They have excellent therapists. We enjoy our massages very much and leave relaxed. They are incredibly friendly, conveniently located and have excellent hours. We highly recommend it! read more

Serendipitously booked a 60min massage with Hanna after coming out of a professional licensing exam. She upgraded me to a Deep Tissue massage for $15-5 discount. Many of the massages I had recently were not that great, but Hanna did an AMAZING job working out several knots & relieving some chronic pain back. She was also a good listener & able to have just the right amount of conversation. Illa has only been open a few months and I'm looking forward to going back! read more

DO NOT GO HERE! Never in my life have I paid for a service that left me mangled, bleeding and needing stitches. I've been getting Brazilian waxes regularly for about 6 months. I moved to DC recently and thought I would try Illa Spa, as I found a good Groupon deal. I went yesterday, the woman seemed in a rush, and the entire operation just felt shady. I've never experienced pain like I did yesterday during the procedure. I went back to work afterwards and then, when I went to the bathroom, I noticed A LOT of blood in my underwear, and upon looking more closely, I noticed deep and long lacerations "down there". I went straight to the hospital where they had to stitch me up. I will never go back here, nor will I buy a Brazilian Wax on Groupon. You've been warned. read more

I had the worst customer service experience after years of living in DC while at this business today. The owner of the establishment provided a waxing service and left multiple patches of hair on the skin. When I called to complain she instructed me to return the next day. Upon returning here she never showed up for the appointment. When the staff called to report this, the owner proceeded to yell over me multiple times. After passing the phone off to the staff members on hand, she proceeded to yell at her staff and hang up the phone on them. The business refused to refund my money. Save your time. Your money is better spent elsewhere where you and the staff are treated with decent respect. read more

I called this establishment numerous times to book a couples massage appointment and no one answered so I just went ahead and booked online. I booked an appointment for 2:45, got a confirmation email then later received another email that my appointment had been rescheduled for 4pm. No one contacted me in regards to the time change so again I called them, no answer so I left a message asking to please give me a call back that there was an error. Originally when I scheduled my appointment I specifically requested to have 2 female therapist which seemed to be no problem. Yesterday I received a call back from the spa and the gentleman was very polite with helping me reschedule the time but when I asked to please be seen by 2 female therapist he quickly caught an attitude and told me I HAD to see a male therapist. I politely said I personally feel more comfortable with a female and he said well you have to be seen by a male. That when it's a couples massage it's a male and female therapist. I would not recommend this business at all. I should be forced to go with a therapist I'm not comfortable with. Because of this I cancelled my appointment. read more

I came here to get a Brazilian wax with a Groupon I purchased. My experience with Illa Spa was not what I expected. My first appointment was cancelled because the woman originally scheduled to do my wax was ill. I rescheduled for later that day with someone else, and my second appointment was pushed back an hour to accommodate the aesthetician. Upon arrival, the aesthetician that was taking care of me tried to get me to upgrade to a sugar wax to reduce the pain. In all my years of getting waxed, I've never had a sugar wax so I declined the offer. This was by far the MOST PAINFUL wax I've ever had! At first I attributed the extra pain to the fact that it had been a couple of since I had last been waxed, but as we progressed I got this feeling that the aesthetician was just trying to make regret that I hadn't gone with the sugar wax. Worse yet, she was quite rude and lectured me! On top of it all she charged me an extra $10 dollars to cover "additional areas". I've been charged extra for modifications I've made to bikini waxes in the past, and I've never been charged more than $5 dollars for those adjustments. I will never come back to Illa! read more

I had gone here once a year ago and my experience wasn't very good. I was getting undressed and the masseuse walked in and didn't check if I was ready or not. I felt uncomfortable throughout the message because of that. Additionally, the actual facilities were not comforting--extremely bare bones and difficult to relax in. I told myself I would never come back. Yesterday, I saw that they were on Groupon and was so surprised at how low the price was ($49 with 20% off) I decided to give them another try--I told myself that it couldn't have still been that bad. I call to book my appointment and no one answered. About 30 mins later I got a call back with a woman yelling on the other end "that's $175, $175!". I told the woman I didn't know what she was talking about and she must have had the wrong number. She told me she was with Illa spa and assured me that I had called about pricing, when I didn't, but I chalked it up to a mix up. So I told her I was interested in booking an appointment for the weekend. As we finalized a date and time, she asked me how I was paying and I told her Groupon. She told me that the date was no longer available. After asking her why, she said that the Groupon is only for Mon-Fri. I began telling her that this wasn't on the Groupon, and she started yelling profusely and hung up on me. Absolutely ridiculous. SAVE YOUR MONEY--DONT BE FOOLED BY THE LOCATION OR THE PRICE, THIS IS AN UNPROFESSIONAL OPERATION WITH POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. I'm never falling for a low price massage again. read more

The first couple times I went here for a Brazilian wax, I had good experiences. The last time, I had a new technician and it was a terrible and EXTREMELY painful experience. My skin was damaged and it took a couple weeks to heal. I didn't realize the extent of the damage till I was home so I called them to let them know. They immediately denied it and were not helpful at all. They said a manager would call back, but no one ever did. I would be careful about getting waxes here. read more

I took my boyfriend for a couples massage and when we entered the receptionist said we had a 2:15 appt although I received a text confirming 2:45. She then went and got the owners I assume And this women (I'm guessing the Asian women is the owner) was extremely rude. I received a text confirming time and arrived at that time she argued with me and told me we were late (she had 30 mins earlier) even after showing her the message which she told me wasn't from her spa. Although it had all the spas info and was the confirmation text and she said I should have gotten a second text with the right time and not read that one. And she said her clients had been getting texts with the wrong time but was not trying to accommodate a mistake that was not my fault.Then after 5 mins Of this I asked what she could do to accommodate us and she finally said go hurry we will do it now. Then after we undressed and were waiting naked for the masseuse he enters the room and tells us we have to change rooms because the room we were put in was booked. I this point I asked if he was joking but he was real. We then dressed and moved to another room. And then finally got massaged for only about 40 mins because they ended the massage an hr from our appointment time even after the back and forth . The massage was just not good amd felt rushed and actually left me sore afterwards. And the owner then demands a 15% tip. I have never been at a spa that demands a tip. The experience left me very disappointed read more

Okay massage but definitely won't go back and not worth the price. The venue is really noisy and not particularly relaxing. Warning that there is an undisclosed minimum tip requirement of 15% on Living Social and other discounted massage rates. read more

Fraudulent charges on my card. DO NOT BOOK A GROUPON WITH THIS SPA. My boyfriend gave me a massage Groupon from illa spa. After weeks of calling and not being able to find any open appointments at my desired time, illa spa turned off their phones. They have a message up that says you can only make bookings and cancellations through their website. Not wanting this Groupon to go to waste I tried to find an appointment using their website. They required that I enter my credit card info, even tho I had a Groupon. Going against my better judgement, I did so. When I never got a confirmation email I decided that I did not feel safe using this service. We called Groupon and were able to cancel with Groupon since Illa spa was known for being unreachable by phone (Groupon also will get a bad review for continuing a company with bad reviews to be promoted on their site). I emailed illa spa to let them know I would like to cancel my appointment. They emailed back and CONFIRMED my cancellation. Now weeks later I received a text reminding me of my appointment. I tried to call the number... no answer... I texted back and let them know that I had cancelled this appointment weeks ago... no answer. I haD to go out of town for my grandfathers funeral and was unable to dedicate my time to trying to contact this stupid spa and continue trying to cancel my massage. Now today I find out I have a $45 charge on my card for a massage I never got, from a spa that is unreachable. WTF. I had to spend a long time on the phone with my credit card company trying to dispute this charge. This was supposed to be a gift and now I have gone through so much headache trying to book and cancel. It is totally unfair and terrible timing as I am dealing with the death of my grandfather. Illa spa is a truly terrible business and I hope that no one has to deal with the frustration that I am dealing with now. read more

Came here about a year ago for a couple's massage and I left confused. I've had many many massages and this was maybe mediocre at best. Let's just say I didn't walk away with my body feeling good or muscle soreness relieved. It felt like my person poked and rubbed but nothing really felt good. I'm not sure what method she used (or if she was even trained) because I haven't ever experienced anything like that. The good news is that nothing hurt? The bad news is that I'm a pretty easy person to massage, just rub some muscles, so it felt like we were just out $$ and some time. Disappointing. read more

I purchased groupon for my husband and made an appt for him. Also, I confirmed the appt the day before the day of appt. When my husband arrived, they said they did not have his appt scheduled. The front desk woman did not even apologize. read more