I'm a Deluxe member at Burke Williams, and while I've visited the Woodland Hills location many…read moretimes over the years, this review is specifically about the Santa Monica location. I live on the Westside, so Santa Monica is my home spa and where I go at the end of every month.
I usually spend four or five hours there, have a couple of services, relax in the quiet room, and give myself an afternoon to completely decompress. I genuinely love this spa. The facilities are beautiful, the atmosphere is relaxing, and the people who provide my services are consistently wonderful.
That said, after coming here month after month, there are two things that drive me absolutely crazy.
First: THE PHONES.
There are signs throughout the locker room/spa area stating that cell phone use is not allowed, yet every single time I'm there, women are on their phones. This is a LOCKER ROOM. Women are changing, showering, getting dressed, and walking around completely naked. Nobody should have to wonder whether someone nearby has a phone with a camera pointed in their direction.
Almost every visit, I end up going to the front desk and asking an employee to come back and remind grown adults to put their phones away. Burke Williams really needs to find a better way to enforce this policy because, at this point, the signs clearly aren't enough. This isn't simply about maintaining a peaceful spa environment it's about the privacy of every woman using that locker room.
My second complaint isn't really about Burke Williams at all. It's about some of the guests: PLEASE TIP YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS APPROPRIATELY.
I am continually shocked by what I hear people leaving as tips. A $250 massage and a $15 or $20 tip? A $350 facial and a $20 tip? On my most recent visit, I watched someone check out after receiving more than $700 worth of services from two different providers and leave each of them a $20 tip.
These massage therapists and estheticians are skilled professionals providing services at a high-end Southern California spa. They work hard and take wonderful care of their clients. If you can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on luxury spa services, please budget enough to appropriately tip the people providing them.
I regularly see the same providers, appreciate them tremendously, and tip them accordingly usually $50-$60 per service. And yes, I am treated exceedingly well. There's a reason for that: I value the people who take care of me, and I make sure they know it.
Despite these frustrations, I love Burke Williams Santa Monica. It remains one of my favorite places to relax and recharge, and I'll continue being a Deluxe member and coming every month. I just wish this location would get much more serious about enforcing its own no-phone policy.
And to my fellow spa-goers: put your phone away, respect other women's privacy, and for goodness' sake, tip your service provider properly. Luxury services and bargain-basement tipping do not belong together