I visited Woodhouse Spa Walnut Creek on Sunday, July 19, with a friend. I had a facial, and my…read morefriend had a massage that I had purchased as a birthday gift using an online gift card that I purchased in October of last year. Both the facial and the massage were enjoyable, and we were happy with the services we received.
Unfortunately, the experience at the front desk completely overshadowed our visit.
When we checked out, my friend was told she owed the full amount for her massage. I explained that I had purchased the online gift card in October of last year. The front desk immediately asked for the confirmation email. I explained that the purchase had been made months earlier, I no longer had the email readily available, and that when I called before our appointment, I had been told we did not need to bring the confirmation because they would be able to look it up.
Instead of trying to help, I was told that wasn't how they handled gift cards and that they had no way to look it up. Rather than feeling supported, the interaction became unnecessarily uncomfortable and felt more like I was being questioned than assisted. The staff came across as rude, disorganized, and unprofessional, showing very little interest in finding a solution.
Ironically, after insisting they couldn't look up the gift card, they eventually searched under my name, even though the gift card was for my friend, and found it.
Then, after processing everything, they initially told my friend she still owed $100. When I said I would pay it, they responded, "Oh, sorry, correction, you actually have a $100 credit." That level of confusion only reinforced how disorganized the checkout process was.
When it came time to pay for my facial, I was then asked, "Would you like to just do the customary 20%?" Rather than presenting tipping options or allowing me to decide for myself, the question felt presumptive and added to the uncomfortable experience.
To top it all off, immediately after everything we had just gone through, we were asked if we'd like to rebook another massage. After the experience we had at the front desk, it felt completely tone deaf. There was no genuine apology or acknowledgment of the inconvenience.
The treatments themselves were good, but customer service is an important part of the overall spa experience. Unfortunately, the disorganized, dismissive, and unprofessional interactions at the front desk overshadowed what should have been a relaxing day. I hope management takes this feedback seriously because the quality of customer service did not reflect the quality of the spa treatments.
