A shocking spa experience – Critical insights you need to know

I’m about to share a secret with you, one that you’d never guess about me. Here it is: I really don’t enjoy going for treatments at new places. At all. In fact, I put it off for as long as possible and only do it because I have to. People always tell me how lucky I am to experience treatments all over the world, and my husband jokes that I never do any work and just have treatments all the time. But the truth is, having treatments gives me anxiety because my expectations are probably “unreasonable” (yep, that word I love so much).

I often go weeks without any treatments and then feel guilty for not going regularly. This might sound strange, especially since I say I don’t enjoy it. But when I do go, I gain so much insight into what’s really going on inside these spa and salon businesses, and I use that experience to help our community.

I have a very interesting spa visit to share with you, along with a crucial checklist that I’m giving you for FREE today. Please go through the checklist and make a commitment to address any unchecked items. If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out to me—I'm here to help.

Here is my experience. Do yourself a favor and read this to the end. It’s long, but it’s important. Once you’ve read the story, you’ll understand exactly what went wrong.

I heard about this "new" spa that recently opened, and the buzz was that it was incredible, offering luxury vehicle pick-up and drop-off services, and overall, just next level. Naturally, I decided to check it out. Like anyone would, I went straight to their website. It was gorgeous, flowed nicely, and really exuded the luxury I had heard about. I decided to send an email inquiry and also call the spa to experience both methods of communication. My first phone call went to voicemail. I thought something might be wrong, so I tried again—voicemail again. Strange. To this day, my email has never received a response. However, 30 minutes later, I did get a call back, which was great!

Next, I proceeded to book a treatment. I asked about their most unique and popular treatment and was directed to a hammam treatment. The lady on the phone did a reasonable job explaining it, so I was eager to try it. I then inquired about the four- hand massage to see how it would be explained, and again, her explanation was reasonable, so I booked both treatments. And so, the fun and games began.

I was informed that I needed 3.5 hours for the full package, so I adjusted my appointment time to ensure I'd be done by 7:30 pm, even though their closing time was 7 pm. When I asked if this would be an issue, she assured me it was fine. I was quoted a price, which I accepted without any problem. However, I wasn't offered any transport (which was apparently a bragging point of this spa), wasn't asked to come earlier, wasn't given an address, nor was I asked if I knew where the spa was.

I received a confirmation message on my phone, which was great. But then, thirty minutes later, I got a call saying the price I was quoted was incorrect. I had been charged the special package price for the hammam treatment and the four-hands massage, but since I wasn't getting the full package, I needed to pay more. It didn't sit well with me, but I decided to go with it anyway.

I arrived twenty minutes early, knowing the drill – fill in forms and such. Plus, I wanted to get a tour and see the whole space. When I walked in, three staff members were at the reception area, chatting, sitting down, and charging their devices. No big deal, but it felt a bit awkward when they all got up and dispersed like they weren’t supposed to be there.

The reception area was magnificent, though. Wow! It was beautiful, and I got excited. I was handed a form to complete and then taken to the changing room.

I said, "Wow, this space is so nice," about three times to see if anyone would offer me a tour, but nothing. I made this comment in three different places and, sadly, no tour.

I was asked to run my hand against a wall just outside the changing room but wasn’t told why (what on earth is the point of that?).

I was taken straight to the hammam, passing many areas that could have been introduced to me. I would have loved to see the retail area, treatment rooms, toilets, and so on, but nope – just walked in silence and darkness, making visibility very poor.

The hammam was very steamy – I couldn’t see a thing inside! Now, this treatment was quite interesting. A hammam is a type of steam room where a ritual takes place, including exfoliation, body washing, hair washing, and sometimes a body mask. The heat and steam vary at different stages of the treatment.

I enjoy it when treatments are expanded or made more interesting, so when the therapists mentioned their treatment is a much nicer version of a traditional hammam, I was happy (especially since my experience in Turkey was a nightmare).

I was placed on a bench on the side of the steam room. It was so steamy that I couldn’t see a thing, and there was very little light in the room. But I loved the ambiance – it was really awesome. A few buckets of warm water were poured over my body, and then I was left on the bench to steam for 10 minutes. How uncomfortable! Sitting on a wet towel in a steam room next to a basin... Mmmmm.

Then the therapist came back and started washing me with soap. She didn’t offer any explanation, so eventually, I asked. The story about the soap is so unique and gorgeous that I was blown away I wasn’t told upfront. Then I was left again with this soap all over my body for another ten minutes. All soaped up on a steam room bench…

The therapist returned and rinsed my body with warm buckets of water. It was glorious and so stunning, but I did feel awkward sitting there while she poured the water over me. There was a slab in the room where I could have been lying comfortably with my eyes closed. I still have no idea why the whole treatment isn't done on that slab.

Anyway, after that, I was asked to get on the slab, holy cow, it was on fire! But I was cold, and there was a towel on the slab, so I just soaked up all the heat I could get. The next step was a body mask application. Again, no information was given, so I had to ask. I was left for another 10 minutes, and with the boiling slab, I started to cook.

When the therapist came back, I asked her to reduce the slab's heat and told her I was dying of thirst and very hot. She went out of the room, presumably to reduce the slab temperature, but no water came back. She said she would give me water at the end of the session. Why? “I want water now!” How bizarre. Offer it twice, for goodness' sake. I thought maybe the treatment was almost over, so I didn’t worry too much.

I was then rinsed off from the body mask and moved up on the slab for my hair wash ritual. The water pouring over my hair was glorious – oh my gosh, what a sensation. Absolutely unbelievable. But the hair wash itself was terrible. Only the top of my hair was washed, not the underside. Gross. Anyway, I was left to steam for a few more minutes. The slab didn’t cool down, so I had to ask again to cool it down, but I think it wasn’t working properly. So, I just sucked up the heat.

After the hair wash and conditioning, and a glorious scalp massage, my hair was rinsed multiple times. It was sensational – if only my hair had been properly cleaned...

After that, I was asked to sit on the bench again and was rinsed with ice-cold water. What a sensation – almost painful but glorious! Then, guess what? Left again to steam for another 10 minutes.

Thank heavens this session was over!

I was finally offered a glass of water. I downed it and asked for a second glass. I felt totally dehydrated, so I loved that water! Then, off to my four-hands massage.

The treatment room was gorgeous – spacious, modern, clean, and just super inviting. The therapist asked me to sit on a chair while she stood and spoke to me (you know how I feel about eye-level conversations, right?). Then came a very interesting step. She brought me five cards of different colors, which immediately caught my attention. I already loved it! She asked me to choose two cards from the pack. I chose a pale orange and a pale purple color. When I asked her what they meant, she said she would explain shortly.

Next, she chose two containers from her cupboard and brought them to me to smell. I had to choose one. Again, I LOVED THIS! But she gave no explanation about what I was smelling or choosing. Since I’m quite familiar with how scent tests work, I expected her to say I had chosen an energizing formula, because that’s exactly what my body needed at that moment. So, I was expecting something uplifting or boosting. Well, guess what I chose? "Cellulite Be Gone!" Ha ha ha!

I asked her what it all meant – the color cards and the scents – and she just said, "You have chosen Cellulite Be Gone." I told her, "Well, I have no cellulite, but if that’s what my nose chose, then let's go with it." I have no idea if it was an oil, balm, lotion, or what. The massage was average, but I loved the feeling of four hands on my body – it was stunning.

My scalp was massaged, and she asked if I wanted oil or no oil. I said no oil since I had a blow-dry included in my package. So, she used no oil, but her hands still had the cellulite product she massaged my body with. If she did any extra things, I don’t remember them, so I can’t tell you if she cleaned my feet, back, or hands. Who knows? I don’t think so.

When my massage was finished, she confirmed that I was scheduled for a blow wave for my hair. I said yes but needed to fetch my phone from my locker as I wanted to check in with my kids. I expected to be taken to a small hair salon or designated hair area, but instead, I was led into a treatment room. The chair in the room was pulled to one side, and I was asked to sit on it.

The therapist who had done my hammam treatment then entered with a hair dryer, flat iron, and some hair products. I asked if she would be drying my hair there, and she confirmed that she would. My hair hadn't been washed after the massage, and she dried it as it was, still infused with the massage product. It was clear to me that she wasn't a trained hairstylist, judging by how she handled my hair.

At this point, all I wanted was to finish up and head home. She offered to straighten my hair, but I declined.

I went to change and settle the bill. When I checked my watch, it was 6:45 PM – much to my surprise, as I had been told my session would last until 7:30 PM. This meant I was finishing 45 minutes earlier than expected. Anyway, I paid the bill, was asked to leave a tip, which I did, and then I left.

There was no request for a review, no feedback form – nothing. In fact, I waited for a phone call, but to this day, I haven’t received one. I also waited for an electronic feedback form to provide them with some feedback, but none was sent.

By the way, I want to mention that I paid over $200 or R4000 for this experience, which in terms of value proposition is extremely expensive in this country.

• Front Desk fully trained on treatments.
• Front Desk provides clients with correct pricing, arrival times, what to bring, and any special offerings (e.g., car wash service, transport service).
• Spa/Salon tours offered to all new clients who have not been before.
• Meaningful conversations had with all clients at eye level before treatment starts (to ensure preferences and expectations are understood).
• Attention to detail in all aspects of the treatment. (if you tick this then please write a list of at least 10 things that the therapist does during the treatment that would enhance the guest experience).
• Product recommendations or prescriptions provided at the end of each treatment.
• Provide feedback forms for guests to share their experience.
• Follow-up phone call to clients the next day.
• Request Google reviews from satisfied clients.
• Conduct mystery guest reviews monthly, with proper documentation and feedback sessions.

If you did not tick all of the boxes above, time to get cracking!!!! We have templates and information on all of the above in our management course content so look there if you unsure how to proceed with any of the points.

I hope my experience serves as valuable feedback for you to evaluate and elevate your business operations. Identifying and addressing these gaps can transform good experiences into exceptional ones, ensuring every client feels valued and leaves with a wow-worthy impression. I look forward to seeing how your commitment to improvement enhances future guest visits.

Chat soon, hugs,

Marisa