Greetings!
Two posts in two days! I realize I've been slacking..
So today I'm not writing about a spa necessarily - but a Nail Salon..The Polish Bar in Brooklyn! My Sorority Sister owes the spot and it's way cool...and while I've been to the Myrtle Aveune location..nice but cramped..this is my first visit to the Vanderbuilt Avenue address... I'd have to say it's much more spacious and relaxing...
Now I know I should be writing about spas but there are some honorable mentions of places My friends and I frequent that I'll mention from time to time. This is a far cry from the neighborhood nail salon...There is no foot scrapping here! Y'all know what I mean....:)
I choose the paraffin pedicure and my feet felt fab after! I will say the test is when I get home to see if they still feel fab.. This spot is not for the faint of heart. It's pricey. I spent $50 for a pedicure..which would normally cost $20 with no paraffin.
Well my motto after my last spa visit .. You get what you pay for.. We shall see.
Just like not all spas are created equal neither are nail salons. The around the way nail spot offers a lot less and definitely more drama especially on a Saturday when folks act out trying to determine who's next..since many of the patrons are walk-ins (come on..how many of y'all know what I'm talking about?)
To avoid all that, the Polish Bar and others that are upscale ,do take walk-ins but they encourage appointments. They also take your debit/charge card over the phone; I suspect to charge a fee if you need to cancel.
The nail polish .. Not the cheap acetetone watered down stuff... Name brands..OPI and the like. What I like most was the website design.. With the ability to book your appointment online. I can appreciate the time savings here as I spent several times during the day trying to get through on the phone. Take a look for yourself:
www.polishbarbrooklyn.com
All in all a very good experience. The Polish Bar offers a host of other services...waxing, makeup, manicures brows and lashes . They even have spa parties on the menu!
FYI they don't deal with acrylic, so this is not the spot you want for your full set of nails...gel manicures are on the menu..
Spa-ing is really what you make of it ...find what works for you. Not always can one afford these extras in today's economy, yet often our decisions are simply those things we choose over other things. Since this pedicure wasn't really in my budget... And I feel I need some form of spa-ing to reduce my stress level... I will gladly spend no money this weekend and take the longest bubble bath ever!
Let your significant other give you the massage next time :) Let them run your bath water, or paint your toes for free!
Spa how you feel!!!
Until next time-please read, subscribe and tell your friends!
Ciao!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
I'm a Spa Snob!
Greetings!
As promised here is the review of the spa I attended for spa week. Let me first say I'm not happy having to write a negative review..then again maybe it was just me and my expectations were too high. The spa is Karen's Body Beautiful in Brooklyn. I think this was really a case of buyer beware. While I was running to get there, (so I'm not late and reduce my time as their literature states)...at 5:00pm I was still waiting and there appeared to be no one there....my appointment was 4:30....
This was the first spa I'd ever been to where there was no paperwork completed to assess if there was any medical conditions ..I was thoroughly surprised. Someone please let me know if they have had this experience before....
I was also surprised to see there were no lockers to store my belongings ...there was a clothes closet, but it didn't fit my purse... Hmmm..so my purse was on the floor in the ONE room for massages...
I choose the $79 special which I thought would include a hydrotherapy bath. I did have a bath..(in one of those tanks that they close you in and the jet streams water on you). Yes it was heavenly...With really great scents but it was more like an exfoliation...alas no real massage...in this case I got what I paid for (mind you the literature says something different).
My reflexology treatment was $49 and it could have been better but I will say the technician was very knowledgeable in relation to how massaging parts of the feet are related to the rest of the body... It wasn't awful .. Just not enough power...oh.. and this was the same technician who did my hydrotherapy/massage..umm..exfoliation (I broke my cardinal rule I mentioned in another post about having the same technician perform more than one service).
Now the pedicure wasn't bad...I was astonished, however, when I booked they had not included the pedicure but instead a manicure..then I was told I'd have to wait for the technician to clean the station and it would take 20 minutes... She gave major attitude saying I was supposed to get a manicure and argued with me! For those that don't know, I get my nails silk wrapped and many of these new "spas" deal with natural nails...so I asked if I could get the special with the pedicure instead.... I was told yes...
Imagine my surprise now that it's 7:00pm and still have a pedicure to go! The final straw was the pedicure technician was on HER cell phone the entire time....
There's just something incredibly wrong with hearing the traffic outside and the music thumping upstairs while I'm get a pseudo massage....
To make matters worse - disposable panties(and thongs!),bra and slippers... I've never seen anything like it. Of course as someone who is fairly business savy, I do understand this keeps expenses low..but...They are just...Well..Cheap.
Needless to say I won't be back.
So what exactly makes me a spa snob? I'm used to a few set of basic (ok maybe they are not basic??) formalities when "spa-ing"...
1. Tranquility - I expect to be taken away from the daily grind where I can relax, de-Stress and be at peace.
2. I expect my service to start relatively on time. My time is valuable as is everyone else's.
3. Can a girl have a locker? With some REAL robes and slippers? And shower caps? Shampoo? Soap? Scrunchies for my hair? Yeah I never really used the stuff offered in the other spas but I'm used to have them at my disposal!
So the motto here really is you get what you pay for...and always be prepared! My bestie had given me a spa kit a while ago..and another one as my bridesmaid gift so I was prepared...:)
I will say after thinking about how to end this post ... I like large facilities with all the bells and whistles. Make sure when deciding to spa if the small intimate setting or the large setting matters to you.
Please provide your feedback with your own spa stories..subscribe and tell a friend!
Ciao!
As promised here is the review of the spa I attended for spa week. Let me first say I'm not happy having to write a negative review..then again maybe it was just me and my expectations were too high. The spa is Karen's Body Beautiful in Brooklyn. I think this was really a case of buyer beware. While I was running to get there, (so I'm not late and reduce my time as their literature states)...at 5:00pm I was still waiting and there appeared to be no one there....my appointment was 4:30....
This was the first spa I'd ever been to where there was no paperwork completed to assess if there was any medical conditions ..I was thoroughly surprised. Someone please let me know if they have had this experience before....
I was also surprised to see there were no lockers to store my belongings ...there was a clothes closet, but it didn't fit my purse... Hmmm..so my purse was on the floor in the ONE room for massages...
I choose the $79 special which I thought would include a hydrotherapy bath. I did have a bath..(in one of those tanks that they close you in and the jet streams water on you). Yes it was heavenly...With really great scents but it was more like an exfoliation...alas no real massage...in this case I got what I paid for (mind you the literature says something different).
My reflexology treatment was $49 and it could have been better but I will say the technician was very knowledgeable in relation to how massaging parts of the feet are related to the rest of the body... It wasn't awful .. Just not enough power...oh.. and this was the same technician who did my hydrotherapy/massage..umm..exfoliation (I broke my cardinal rule I mentioned in another post about having the same technician perform more than one service).
Now the pedicure wasn't bad...I was astonished, however, when I booked they had not included the pedicure but instead a manicure..then I was told I'd have to wait for the technician to clean the station and it would take 20 minutes... She gave major attitude saying I was supposed to get a manicure and argued with me! For those that don't know, I get my nails silk wrapped and many of these new "spas" deal with natural nails...so I asked if I could get the special with the pedicure instead.... I was told yes...
Imagine my surprise now that it's 7:00pm and still have a pedicure to go! The final straw was the pedicure technician was on HER cell phone the entire time....
There's just something incredibly wrong with hearing the traffic outside and the music thumping upstairs while I'm get a pseudo massage....
To make matters worse - disposable panties(and thongs!),bra and slippers... I've never seen anything like it. Of course as someone who is fairly business savy, I do understand this keeps expenses low..but...They are just...Well..Cheap.
Needless to say I won't be back.
So what exactly makes me a spa snob? I'm used to a few set of basic (ok maybe they are not basic??) formalities when "spa-ing"...
1. Tranquility - I expect to be taken away from the daily grind where I can relax, de-Stress and be at peace.
2. I expect my service to start relatively on time. My time is valuable as is everyone else's.
3. Can a girl have a locker? With some REAL robes and slippers? And shower caps? Shampoo? Soap? Scrunchies for my hair? Yeah I never really used the stuff offered in the other spas but I'm used to have them at my disposal!
So the motto here really is you get what you pay for...and always be prepared! My bestie had given me a spa kit a while ago..and another one as my bridesmaid gift so I was prepared...:)
I will say after thinking about how to end this post ... I like large facilities with all the bells and whistles. Make sure when deciding to spa if the small intimate setting or the large setting matters to you.
Please provide your feedback with your own spa stories..subscribe and tell a friend!
Ciao!
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