I discovered this place when I was looking for a lash extension deal on Groupon. Even though I'm an…read moreexperienced Groupon user, I forgot to call to see if they'd match the Groupon price without me actually buying the voucher. For an FYI: Many salons if not other businesses prefer you screenshot the deal and then match the price. This saves them from paying out a major percentage of the deal o Groupon.
About a week after buying the deal, I called to schedule the appointment. I liked that their timings were pretty flexible. They will take appointments every day of the week, until about 7 or 7:30. As a working person with a somewhat unpredictable schedule, I liked this.
My voucher included a lash extension installation with a 2-week fill. I scheduled my first appointment for a Sunday at 5PM. The spa sends text reminders for appointments that you've booked. The one thing I disliked is that the salon tried to push the time earlier than scheduled in the day of the actual appointment. I had other plans, but I was able to compromise and move it one hour earlier.
As soon as I got to the salon, they were ready to start my appointment. Like many other lash extension Groupons, there are always options to upgrade the lash types/styles and simply pay the difference from the base cost. Because I am someone who likes pretty dramatic extensions, I opted in to upgrade two levels up from the base lashes. This brought me up to the "Volume" style. The lash tiers go as follows: Natural, Hybrid, Volume, Mega Volume. The additional money you pay is the cost of your lash tier minus the price for the "Natural" style.
My appointment took about 2 hours. This is typical for getting a full set installation. After completing my appointment and drying the glue, my technician asked if she can use my lashes for photo/video content. I agreed and appreciate the fact that she asked. The one thing I will note is that the glue they used stung my eyes a little more than usual, but the feeling of irritation went away after about 20 minutes. While this may scare some people, it's typical that most extension glues will sting a bit during your first fill. These glues tend to have higher alcohol content. This is why they do have customers sign waivers before appointments.
Once I was on my way out of my first appointment, I booked my refill timing. Most salons, including Viva, require this to be within two weeks of the first fill. Otherwise, they will charge an additional cost. I liked that Viva was flexible in allowing a few days of leeway, as I booked my fill two days after the exact two week timing.
To me, retention and quality are the most important for lash extensions. I was extremely impressed with the retention. I happened to go to a much more expensive privately-run studio a few months ago, and the retention was awful. In addition to the retention, I liked the style and feel of the lashes. They didn't feel extremely cheap or plastic-like.
I came in for my refill on a weekday evening. I happened to stop in the restroom before my appointment. I was very happy to see how clean and tidy it was. I definitely noticed the cleanliness of this spa throughout the whole place. The refill took just under 2 hours. While this may seem long to some, I was happy that they put the time, precision, and attention to giving me a full fill. I paid my refill up charge for my "Volume" lash and tipped, and I haven't rescheduled since. That's mostly just to not get super costly in my lash habit.
Overall, I like this place a lot. While the staff doesn't speak the best English, they are still able to communicate the necessary information and questions. They're also very attentive, clean, and tidy. I would definitely recommend this place to others and go back myself in the future.
