Spa scouting?

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Has anyone ever gone to a spa? How do you guts choose, when you go for the first time? I have never been, but I desperately need one. I've been looking at reviews for some on Yelp, but they seem divided. 

Can anyone share the tips of spa scouting, and your own personal spa experience? 

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Any experiences to share, or tips at all?

[Vulcan 3,254]

   

I'm no expert on spas, but from my experience...There isn't much of a  disparity between the regular and expensive ones at least none that I could really notice. Unless you go to a really sketchy one.... Most of them are decent so scouting's not really much of an issue. 

Personally I prefer the Asian spas with the tea infused hot springs.... Its like I'm swimming in Jasmine tea.... 

[Batbrony 15,994]

On 2017-06-02 at 1:59 AM, ManaMinori said:

Has anyone ever gone to a spa? How do you guts choose, when you go for the first time? I have never been, but I desperately need one. I've been looking at reviews for some on Yelp, but they seem divided. 

Can anyone share the tips of spa scouting, and your own personal spa experience? 

 

 

Soooooooooo... I know this post is over five years old, and this may be super random, but whatevs. I've only had two spa experiences myself, however, I am super OCD and detail-oriented, so believe me when I say I have over-thought the HELL out of this question. So, here are my tips based on my personal experiences (though I do hope you've found a spa in this time that you enjoy).

 

(1) First and foremost, you need to ask yourself what kind of treatments you're looking for. Are you most interested in massage/muscle relief? Skincare? Hand/foot care? Waxing? Water therapy? Saunas? Finding a place where you can have a very splurgy, 3-6 hour type spa day? These are all things you need to consider first as not all spas or spa-type places specialize in the same treatments or even spa experience.

 

(2) Are you looking for a large facility/spa resort that may have more staff and treatment options but also be pretty busy? Or do you prefer a smaller, quieter location with 2-5 staff that is far more tucked away and may specialize in only particular treatments? Or perhaps are you looking for a salon and spa combo where you may also get set up with a long term hair stylist as well? Again, very good questions to consider in looking for a spa you may get established as a regular or semi-regular client at.

 

(3) What kind of budget are you working with? This may not seem important at first glance as there are some standard pricing you'll notice when comparing spas, but there is a trick to finding "deals" in the spa industry. What I've noticed in spa hunting is that often spa resorts are more likely to charge more, even though there's a greater chance their treatments are less personalized, since the spa is treated as an extension of the resort itself. I think people need to especially be careful with this - unless money isn't an object for them - since it's very unlikely if you're at a spa resort that you'll be visiting it as a regular client since those are usually vacation destinations for most people. By contrast, with smaller spa locations, I've found you get both very personalized care (especially if there's a good chance you may become a regular client) and might even get some more reasonable prices. In short, if you're smart about your spa hunting when it comes to budget, you're more likely to get more "bang for your buck." Though one should keep in mind that a standard spa tip for spa treatments is 25-30% of the treatment price, at least according to proper spa etiquette.

 

(4) What do you want to get out of this? That is, are you looking to simply be pampered and unwind? Do you have medical reasons for seeking spa treatments (Side note: in that case, medspas may be right for you if that's the case)? Is this something you wish to experience with friends, a signifcant other, or simply for yourself? This'll vary from person to person, but again, it'll go a long ways to helping you determine where you may end up going.

 

 

(5) I think it's worth stressing that you need to ask yourself if you're more comfortable working with male or female spa technicians? This may seem a bit odd but remember, for many type of spa treatments you may be receiving an hour or mores worth of very personal touch, depending on the treatment. I've even read spa etiquette guides where it's stressed, both for clients and spa technicians that for certain treatments, it is normal to expect clients bodies to reflexively show, uh, signs of 'excitement' so to speak. As long as the client themselves is still behaving appropriately and not in an unsafe or abusive manner, spa technicians are told to just remain professional themselves and treat this as simply a reflexive, physical reaction. And in turn, clients are told that they shouldn't be embarrassed by reactions like this, again, as long as they are still behaving appropriately. But it is worth keeping this in mind when you are determining which gender of spa technicians you would prefer working with long term, or if you have preferences dependent on the type of treatment.

 

(6) Finally, read online reviews, especially if the place you're looking at is a smaller, local spa. If you don't see many Google reviews, see if they have a Facebook or Vagaro (a spa booking app) page instead with more reviews; it's good to keep in mind that some spas prefer you post reviews on specific sites. If you can't find many online reviews in general, be very discerning; it's possible the business has closed but this hasn't been updated online, or, worst case scenario, it doesn't get much traffic because the services are genuinely low quality. But online reviews are helpful in several respects; they can help you navigate a business's spa menu more easily, give you nice tips about especially high quality spa technicians at specific spas, and give you a look at spas that spa websites themselves never will.

 

 

So, what do I go for?

 

Well pretty quickly I figured out that estheticians (that is, spa technicians who specialize in skincare) were what I was looking for, ergo, spas that specialize in skincare treatments were what I was looking for. While I certainly would love in the future to get to experience "splurge/spa package" days that would involve multiple types of treatments, including massage, when I was younger I suffered from pretty severe acne, to the point that eventually I even needed to be prescribed Accutane (anyone who's been on Accutane or knows someone who has can attest what a gnarly and powerful prescription that is). It's much more manageable these days and has been for years, but having good skincare routines has long been a normal part of my everyday routine, and is how I got into do facials at home in the first place. So it was only natural that when I started considering going to a spa, skincare treatments were what appealed to me the most.

 

However, I knew I didn't want a med spa/dermatology type of experience. Not that I have anything against those, but in this case, I was looking less for medical treatment and more for professional, luxurious, and relaxing indulgence. Something that would be a true treat for my skin, so to speak. So that's what ultimately led me to focus my search on local estheticians. The other treatment element I like to consider is that a spa ideally have a nice body treatment menu as well, that is, body skin care, such as back treatments or skincare-focused body wraps, and both spas I've gone to so far offer herbal body wrap treatments.

 

 

In terms of size, both of the spas I've gone to were smaller, local establishments staffed by two staff members at each location. For me, the main advantages of this are (1) it's easier to find people who are first and foremost estheticians at smaller spas, since by far the most popular treatment at spas in general, especially larger ones, is massage, (2) the locations have been very quiet, cozy, and tucked away, not teeming with tons of clients and staff members, (3) while both trips were expensive, as far as spa trips go, there were a lot of budget tricks I was able to take advantage of, and finally (4) I was able to receive incredibly personalized treatment and care from both locations. Communication was very easy for both spas, and I find it to be especially gratifying when I am able to continually send questions and receive helpful answers from spa staff both before and after scheduling an appointment. As a quick side note, definitely communicate any allergies or sensitivities you may have with spa staff ahead of time; spa products often include allergens, but thankfully there is such a wide variety of them that a spa should usually be able to accomodate any allergy concerns you may have, so long as you communicate them to them of course.

 

As far as budget, I like to look for places where, if you're smart, you can pair several treatments together and still pay prices that aren't outrageous. Don't get me wrong, a decent sized trip to a spa will probably still cost you at least between $150-$250, so you need to know how it's going to fit into your budget, but if that's what your paying for 2-3 main or supplemental treatments, it's honestly a pretty good deal, especially if the treatments are high quality.

 

All in all, both of my spa experiences have been indulgent, utterly relaxing, and helped my skin look and more importantly feel great. I think anyone who can should try going to a spa at some point, but like I said, spa hunting is more than just picking a random spa and going with that one. You really do need to consider what it is you want out of this experience before settling on just anything. Speaking as a male myself, do not, I repeat, DO NOT let gender or so-called "gender norms" stop you from giving spas a shot (I'm talking to you, my guys). If it's something you want to try and you can fit it into your budget, those should be the only determining factors. I'll even admit that MLP: FiM played a small role in convincing me of this; seeing a character like Spike not uncomfortable in the slightest with pampering himself was really a breath of fresh air. So, like I said, do your homework, figure out what's right for you, and most importantly, just have a great time getting what you need out of it.

 

Sorry if this response is a bit random coming so long after the OP, but I couldn't resist. I've really enjoyed this pasttime when I can indulge in it and thought I would share what I can.

 

[Venomous 18,813]

I have been to a handful of spas. While they aren’t really my thing, I can appreciate visiting one every once in awhile. The nicest one I have been to was in Michigan.

[Splashee 28,537]

The only spa I am willing to go to, it is the Belgian GP track Spa Francorchamps. I do miss the old bus stop chicane though.

[Astralshy 23,546]

I've never been to any spa. I would need a Rarity to bring me there

[ZiggWheelsManning 7,358]

Not me, there's not a single place that can provide the 5-star experience