Alta Spa

Awura Abena is wonderful, inviting and knowledgeable! I went to her after being told by a friend to find a local place that does sugar waxing for a Brazilian. I went to Alta Spa nervous but Awura made me feel very comfortable. I will not go anywhere else for waxing! The sugar wax is great because it lasts longer than normal waxing by 1.5-2 weeks and my hair grows back softer and slower. I also got a great pair of earrings while there. I highly recommend if you want a great quality sugar wax! more

I received a gift certificate for a massage here and it was less than enjoyable. The person who did the massage seemed like she didn't know what she was doing. There is clutter all over the place in there. They definitely should NOT have Spa in their name. When I think of a Spa I think relaxing, this was not relaxing. When I was getting my massage her CD skipped and she made the comment "well, at least my phone didn't go off" Wouldnt you think that you would shut your phone off?! Defintely won't be going back there. more

I have been going to Alta Spa for a number of years. Awura Abena(the owner) is wonderful. She makes you feel right at home. She has provided me with lively conversation, gourmet coffee and even food from her country (Ghana) while I received my wave nouveau. I always have a great time when I go there and come away with a great perm and hairdo. more

If you are looking for a private session, Alta Spa is the place for you. Awura Abena is the owner and service provider, very pleasant and gives her best to the job. I visited this place after two years and I have seen that Abena downsized the place by closing the upstairs rooms, but the attention to customers' convenience and quality is the same, it is very good. I went to the spa for a regular facial after a long time. the service went beyond what I paid for -- she also extracted blackheads and gave me a special hydrating treatment. I am definitely going back to this place and appreciate the extra step she takes to please her clients. more

I have been extremely well pleased with every element of service offered at Alta Spa. Awura Abena, the owner, is pleasant and thoughtful and the ambience is very charming and welcoming. Today was my fifth visit to have my hair trimmed and once again I was delighted with the results. My hair is an odd mx of coarse and curly, with an area that is soft, and it requires close attention to cut into the waves and bring out the best in it. Most hairdressers give up on my hair, and actually only here do I receive the appropriate and intelligent assessment of what is needed and then see it done. This is consistently the case. The Spa itself is located conveniently near the cross section of Aurora Street and The Commons, with restaurants, cafes, and galleries nearby, so any time before or after an appointment can be enjoyed. I wholeheartedly recommend the Alta Spa. more

I am so totally satisfied with the service of Alta Spa...after going between Elmira, and Ithaca;I am so pleased that I found them or may I should say that they found me.I am a black woman;however I don't have "black hair"and after yrs of disappointed hair places,and stylists;Alta Spa made both me,and my caucasian partner feel very welcomed and comfortable...(my partner is a black woman trapped inside a white woman's body) I'm talking about the soul,and both the owner,and the environment has a caring;attentive soul. I was so against getting highlights in my hair when I first went there,and you should see me now! Hair popping colorful;fun hair,and I actually like it ...ALOT! The owner took her time,and payed attention to detail,and treated my hair like a work of art.She may be "a one woman show"however she is still fully capable of being responsible,and giving her clients the attention they so well deserve! They are conveniently located on the commons which offer a wide variety of shops,and restaurants for your shopping,and dinning pleasure.The gentleman that performs the massages is totally awesome....he has a magical;healing touch as well as a calm demeanor,and does not make me uncomfortable in the least! Some say that the service is to spendy ;however by comparison you pretty much get what you would with the competition;except maybe with Alta Spa you also get a good conversation,and sometimes a good laugh,and with the world being in so much turmoil, a good laugh is good for all of us. Opinions vary...as do people,hairstyles, taste,and expectations.Variety is the spice of life,and if you want to spice up yours, then you owe it to yourself to treat yourself, or someone you love to ALTA SPA! more

I have been going to Alta Spa since I moved to Ithaca two years ago. The shop is full of really beautiful interesting clothing, jewelery, pocketbooks and beauty products and the owner is very knowledgeable about hair and skin care. In this age of discount/express services, Alta Spa individualizes services to meet clients needs and personal preferences.They take the time and make the effort to get to know their clients and give personal attention. The energy is very calm and inviting. When I have had a challenging week, I make an appointment at Alta Spa to refuel and be pampered. One of the aspects i enjoy the most is the fact that the same person performs multiple services. It is not an 'assembly line' type of place where one is passed around from station to station in an impersonal way. When i go in for a hair cut and color, i am with the same practitioner the entire time from shampoo to color to hair cut. The conversation and connection made possible in this way is as wonderful as the procedure being done. I would recommend this place to discerning customers who are looking for quality services in a unique environment. more

I went to Alta Spa to have a massage and a manicure with a friend. The staff are lovely and they did a good job, but the place is an absolute dump. For the manicures we were stuck in this tiny room next to a hair basin. There wasn't even enough room for both of us so I stood by the door so I could chat with my friend. No massage chairs, only a basin to put your feet in. I felt like I was in someone's home. This place is way too expensive for what you get. Pros: Lovely staff Cons: Horrible surroundings, overpriced more

The manicurist was a lovely woman-foreign. She was thoughtful and gave a nice leg massage. The pedicure facility was not great. It is, at least, in a private room. The polish product is OPI. You put you feet in a basin. The pedicurist straddles a bench type thing and has you put your feet up on the edge. The bench slides back from your foot being on it so the pedicure needs to be stopped so the bench can be moved forward again. Since they advertise themselves as a "spa", I did expect spa type chairs and accomodations. No such luck and uncomfortable. However, she did a nice job. It lasted four days. I am as much to blame for the length of time it lasted as anyone. I did yard work. HAIR-cut and style-the stylist put a product in my hair that was much too heavy. My hair looked flat to my head and greasy. The cut was OK but not great. The window if the salon is attractive and does seem inviting. The inside of the salon is not attractive or inviting. The "receptionist" did not greet me or talk to me until I was ready to pay for the services. The walls and baseboards are dirty. There was "junk" piled on the work station of the stylist. I did not know what it was but it appeared to be stuff that would be better kept in a drawer to keep the styling area neat and clean. Not going back. I would have been happier in one of the cheapo nail places. "Spa accomodations" are not here. On the plus side, it is conviently located near the Commons. Not going back. Not going back Not going back. Pros: Convient location, parking available Cons: poor accomodations, dirty, more

I got a Half Day of pampering as a gift that included Mani/Pedi, Massage, Facial. The massage was average at best. The facial was not great (but i had never had a facial before so i'm not a good frame of reference for this), but the Mani/Pedi were egregiously heinous. I am a student, and I have always lived in big cities: i've always paid for the $10 Manicure at a really cheap place. Those really cheap $10 places not only do a job that is 100x better but even the ambience was better at those places. They charge $60 for both (I looked on the menu of services) and my nails looked as if i had let my kid sister paint them, as soon as i got home i took the manicure off it was so bad. The same woman who did my nails did my facial...that doesn't exude class. It would be one thing if I were looking for a cheap way to get a facial or a massage, but my boyfriend got me a relatively expensive gift as a way for me to "pamper" myself so that is what I found so awful, the fact that they charge so much for sub-par work. In Atlanta (where I am from), one of the more expensive day spas costs the same for a Mani-Pedi and that is the whole experience of luxury and pampering and while expensive you are at least happy with the end result. This place is a dump, and totally not worth the money. I honestly am befuddled at how they stay open for business (maybe hair services...?) but DON'T ever go there for auxillary services and I think that you could definitely find cheaper places in Ithaca that woudl at least be the same if not better; it's not hard to be better than this place. Pros: None Cons: COST!!!, Quality of Service more

I went to Alta Spa for a couples massage in November '06. It was to surprise my boyfriend, as we both needed to relax and get catered too. When I made the appointment, I was shown the room the massage would take place in. The rooms are upstairs in a different part of the building, but it's only because they needed more room. It's a really relaxing set up in the upstairs. The woman even sampled the sugar scrub on me, showing how it works in case I'd be interested in that. She also showed me other services they had. (I am a Caucasian female). So some of their services she obviously didn't offer me, as I don't need braids. But as for the shower spa, the waxing & sugaring, the pedicures/manicures, and regular hair services, I was impressed. The staff was all very friendly! Now as for the massage. My boyfriend and I were able to enjoy ours in the same room. You can choose a male or female to massage you. Both of them were amazing! Very very professional! They asked several questions in the beginning to figure out where we needed the most attention on our bodies. By the end of the hour massage, we were making future appointments! I HIGHLY recommend the massages. Pros: $133 for a couples massage & you'll recieve discounts on future services! Cons: Parking is horrible because its partially on the commons! more

Where to begin... This "spa" is overpriced and understaffed, not to mention shady. I am African American (my parents are Nigerian) and I love helping fellow Africans but these women could not braid. I payed 300 for braids that unravelled within 2 weeks of having them done. The ones that didn't unravel slipped out the following week. I waited over 15 mins for the woman who was to braid my hair to actually get to the salon for my appointment (the appt, mind you, that I had to pay a percentage deposit to secure). They tack on a consulatation fee before you can get you can even make an appt of 20 dollars that was to be refunded if you made an appointment. I recieved no such refund since I didn't make my appointment on the spot (I had my reservations of her skill level since she was older and seemed a little out of touch with the current style of braids), I waited a day to make my appointment. Because of those 24hrs I didn't not receive my 20$ back. I could go on since I feel like what they are charging versus doing is almost criminal but I will stop here. You have been warned... If you need your hair braided in Ithaca, I would get a bus/drive to Binghampton. Pros: Its... Cons: Price, atmosphere, lack of professionalism/skill more

The prices were high but the service was average. Some of the staff was friendly though more