La Dolce Vita Salon & Day Spa

We live in Minneapolis but we were visiting Boston last weekend (Sept 10th) for our Anniversary. I searched spas, deals, reviews etc.... trying to find a place that did a couples massages, same room, same time, 2 therapists at a reasonable price. La Dolce Vita meet all of our needs so I scheduled. The receptionist was friendly when I called and gave me clear walking directions from our hotel. Backbay area was great. The Spa was nice. Our therapists were great! We had relaxation massages very soothing and nice. It was the kind of massage perfect for vacation. The staff in the salon were loud, I understand that part of the negative reviews, but, the spa rooms were on a separate floor and were private, comfortable and peaceful. We had a great experience and when returning to Boston would return to La Dolce Vita Salon. more

Great service and a wonderful place to relax and unwind. A suggestion for others is to search for local spa discounts at sites like groupon, lanirvana, and buywithme to save some money and make the most of your experience. It is always better if you can enjoy a discount and make more frequent trips to the spa. more

the place is nice, but the people are extremely unprofessional!! after a couple facial treatments recommended by the esthetician my skin started breaking out........i didn't have acne since high school! had to wait couple months!! since my skin looked normal again. i wish i could get my money back........... more

great service will go back asap got a facial it was great fell the service was top notch... more

I went in yesterday and had the best massage and facial EVER. The entire experience was relaxing and awesome! The staff were friendly, helpful and extremely good!! I highly recommend La Dolce Vita! I rarely take the time to write a review for services, but this experience was so exceptional I had to! Pros: Fantastic service Cons: None more

At the recommendation of a co-worker I spent a wonderful day at La Dolce Vita--facial, massage, mani & pedi...pure heaven!!! I was welcomed warmly when I arrived, and felt totally pampered for my whole stay. They made sure I was comfortable and happy. Although everything was great, the facial really stood out: it was the best I've ever had. The only bad part of the day was leaving. I've already booked my next visit and can't wait to go back! Thank you La Dolce Vita!! Pros: Great providers;beautiful salon Cons: none more

The most unprofessional encounter I have ever witnessed anywhere happened at La Dolce Vita Salon & Day Spa in Boston over this past weekend. I was in the waiting area and was completely disgusted when I witnessed a young woman – a customer of the spa - being made fun of, and threatened by the staff. This young woman had attempted to pay for her spa services with a gift card given to her recently by her boyfriend. The staff member had told her the gift card was no longer valid because her boyfriend had called the spa earlier that week to let the staff know that things weren’t working out with the girl and he wanted his money back. La Dolce Vita refunded her boyfriend and made the gift certificate invalid. Mortified, as this whole encounter took place in front of several other customers and staff members, the woman explained she had no other way to pay for these services. At this point the management got involved. Their response to the young woman was that she would have to pay for her services immediately or else they were going to call the police. So the management at La Dolce Vita seem to think that the Boston Police actually have nothing better to do than to come down to Boylston Street and sort out the mistake they made by getting involved in a couple’s relationship. Also, since when are gift cards refundable? I guess the geniuses at La Dolce Vita think this is good business sense, and I suppose that is good news for some of us. After all Christmas is coming and those of us unsure of our relationships can just purchase La Dolce Vita gift cards. That way if things aren’t working out in January La Dolce Vita will just give us our money back and break up with our girlfriends / boyfriends for us. This classless, over priced act appears to be run by a bunch of caddy 12 year old girls, and they need to go. more

I received a gift certificate for a "Little Escape Package"- Massage, manicure, pedicure. The massage felt great, very soothing and relaxing. As I sat to get my pedicure next, the massage therapist entered and loudly proclaimed to the desk staff that she was upset I had not left a tip (one was waiting for her in my pocket, since she disappeared after my massage). The preparations for my manicure and pedicure were fine and also soothing, but the paint job was rushed and messy. Both chipped immediately after leaving the place. In general it was fine, I was just put off by the rudeness of the massage therapist and the fact that I could have painted my nails just as well on my own. Pros: Easy to Make an Appointment Cons: Bad manicures and pedicures, rude staff more

I went as a first-time customer for mani, pedi, brow wax, haircut and blow-dry. The mani/pedi was not as good as ones I've gotten at much cheaper nail salons. The haircut and blowdry and eyebrow wax were fine, but nothing special. I've gotten better (or just as good) $40 haircuts at other places. The ambience is okay, but nothing special; it doesn't feel like a high-end salon, the quality isn't as good, but the prices are almost as bad. more

I went into La Dolce Vita over the weekend to use the Groupon I purchased last month. I had been there before, and the prices with the Groupon couldn't be beat, so I figured I'd have a good experience. Unfortunately, that was my last visit to La Dolce Vita. The services performed were fine, and the woman who did my manicure, pedicure, and eyebrow wax was great. She couldn't have been nicer and she did a wonderful job. My problem was with the rest of the staff present in the salon. I appeared to be the last customer of the day, and they were cleaning up during my appointment. I listed to a conversation that included complaints about tips, comments about how ugly another customer that day was, and mocking of somebody because she works as a waitress. It was totally unprofessional, completely classless, and enough to ensure that I won't step foot in the salon again. I'm sure La Dolce Vita participated in the Groupon promotion to attract and retain new clients. In order for that to work, they should probably teach their employees to have some tact. Pros: Location Cons: Personnel more

had my first Brazilian here with Jorlady and it was amazing. I felt so comfortable in what would normally be a very uncomfortable circumstance. I have very sensitive skin and had absolutely no reaction at all! On top of being a great waxing it was one of the cheapest in Boston ($55). I continue to return here. I highly recommend this salon to my friends as well. Pros: Parking Cons: Price$$ more

After reading reviews and noting the price of brazilian waxes at La Dolce Vita, I decided to give it a try. I was able to schedule an appointment very easily (one day in advance), which was very convenient for me. Bernadette did my wax in under 10 minutes - she was fast, efficient, friendly and professional. It was by far the quickest, least painful brazilian wax I have ever had! I haven't had any other services at La Dolce Vita, but I definitely recommend going for waxing. Pros: Price, Friendly, Easy to book appointment Cons: Parking more

I had my first Brazilian here and it was amazing. I felt so comfortable in what would normally be a very uncomfortable circumstance. I have very sensitive skin and had absolutely no reaction at all! On top of being a great waxing it was one of the cheapest in Boston ($55). I continue to return here. I highly recommend this salon to my friends as well. Pros: clean, friendly staff, relaxing environment Cons: none more

i recently tried out la dolce vita and wasnt impressed at all. the services werent worth the money they charged. I am definitely going to stay on newbury st for spa services. i have no problem spending the money but only if i am getting good service and not being treated like i am at there mercy for an appt, asking questions, getting a professional tx by people with more experience and not by school girls who give attitude.... trust me on this one. Cons: dirty equipment, appt started 30 min late with no apology more

My boyfriend got the couples hot stone massage for Christmas, so we went in on a Saturday afternoon to get them. The hot stone aspect was phenomenal - the stones were used for the massage all over the body, and the massage therapist was great about making sure the stones were the right temp. Our therapists were Vera and Pobeda, and we highly recommend both of them! We're going to go back for another, with the two of them again!! The therapists were very personable, chatting with us and answering general massage questions we had - they definitely made the experience even more enjoyable. We were sent home with about 10 stones of our own to use and will absolutely go back!! Pros: Atmosphere, Staff, Quality of Massage more

I have had facials and bikini waxing done here. IT IS FANTASTIC. Very relaxing, great results, great location and atmosphere too. It's a wonderful way to "get away from it all" in the middle of the city! I highly recommend La Dolce Vita!! Pros: ALL GOOD Cons: No cons more

The best place for waxing (bikini). Excellent service and price. Massage was great too. Highly recommended to all! more

I went to the salon to get a Brazilian and chose it because it was rated very highly and the prices were reasonable. It was my first time getting a Brazilian and I was quite nervous. When Bernadette did my wax she was very cordial and talked to me the whole time during the waxing which got my mind off the pain. It was quick and not as painful as I thought it would be. The pricing was very reasonable especially with the student coupon. I'm going back to get my eyebrows done because the people here were customer service friendly and make an effort to make the customers feel very welcomed. more

I went here to use a gift certificate I had received from a friend. They had purchased a "little escape package," which should include a spa manicure, spa pedicure and 30 minute massage. When arriving, I was told they wouldn't honor the 30 minute massage and I needed to pay for it out of pocket. Also, they were short staffed. I was supposed to have a duel mani/pedi with my best friend, but we needed to go one after the other as there was only one 'manicurist' on staff. I say manicurist lightly because the person doing our nails- hands and feet- outright told us that she only does hair, but was filling in for the manicurist who had called out that day. After waiting for my friends pedicure to be over it was time to my spa pedicure. I had cold- FREEZING cold water in my footbath. The salon blamed it on the Winston's Flowers downstairs for using the warm water on their flowers. No excuse. Forget the manicure. The same person who did my pedi did not like to give manicures- I was told several time BY HER that she hated it- clearly. The shape of my nails was so awful I needed to file them on my own. The polish did not even last a full 24 hours. I went to CVS the next day and did it myself. Since there was only one person to do two manicures and two pedicures, we were there for HOURS! I needed to go get lunch for us while waiting for my 'turn.' This was my first spa experience and it was terrible. The only good thing out of that visit was my full bikini wax- when you can say a Brazillian bikini was was a more pleasant experience than a massage/mani/pedi combo, you KNOW it was bad. DO NOT GO HERE! Pros: good hair removal Cons: bad everything else more

I am working in the Boston area for the summer and chose this salon based on the user reviews I had read. I only needed a trim, but the service here was great. I would become a regular if I was staying in the area! The salon is clean, nicely decorated and has a great view of the city. more