Spa Newbury

I happen to love Spa Newbury. I have been several times and have found it to be a wonderful reprise. Then again, I have been to many spas so I tend to think I have a better idea of what is great - and what is not. I love the fact that when I go in there is great food (and I mean real snacks not just an apple), there are great and plentiful magazines and the people watching in their first floor space and huge reception area windows are all superb. Their services are exceptional as well. I mostly go for their massages and I remember Tina and Beth best. They both have MAGIC hands. I think I have always received a gift bag at the end of each visit and I love the ""stress relief oil"" packet that always comes in this. Its a really nice gesture after the end of any spa visit. I love that I can now book my appointments on-line and that they are open 7 days a week so I can go anytime I want (within reason). I also love that they keep their spa tidy and well organized. While I love my cell phone just as much as any, I love the fact that they truly do not allow this in their spa which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Praise true ethereal peace! While I have been to much larger spas, and if I wanted a relaxing time at a pool or another spa experience I would book elsewhere other than Newbury street, I will say, this is one of my favorite local Boston haunts. They always seem to have what I want and provide it effortlessly. It has been great every time I need. Pros: Friendly, Knowledgeable Cons: Have not found any yet! more

At the beginning of my visit I sat in the ""waiting"" area that was extremely tiny. I received a phone call on my cell from my mother about funeral arrangements for my gm. Obviously I needed to take the call. The receptionist interupted my call and indicated there was no cell phone use in the waiting area. (which I can understand why since there was a person getting a manicure in the waiting area) However, she attempted to block my exit out of the building so that I could continue my conversation! Pros: I'd Give This Spa a Zero Rating If I Could! Cons: Rude Staff/Overpriced more

I've never experienced more difficulty, or a more rude experience with any spa or salon! I had a gift card so I went for a pedicure and it was hard to get an appointment, then when i came they insisted on charging my credit card and refunding me which took several weeks because of ""problems with their system"". The pedicure was in this back room and seemed very drawn out. Definitely not worth the price! At this point I still have money left on the card, but was reluctant to even make another appt because of my first experience. I did try again though and this time the woman on the phone said that I have an older card so it will take them several days to verify my card and book me an appointment. Again, they're having ""problems with their system"". All of this may have been ok if the woman wouldn't have been so cold and rude over the phone. Definitely not worth it, I'd rather pay at another salon than get a free pedicure here! DON'T GO! Pros: very few Cons: rude manager, inconvenient scheduling, over priced more

WAY to much money for poor service, loud background noise, and EXTREMELY RUDE manager! I can't believe that I subjected my mom to a surprise ""girls spa day"" that made us miserable. more

I can't say just how badly I was treated at Spa Newbury. From the moment I entered the spa, I was not greeted, the chairs were dirty, they served ice water in thirty degree weather. They not only overcharged me, the beauty treatments I received were only so-so. The owner is a mean-spirited person not suited to running a day spa since her customer service skills are non-existant. She was horribly rude, impatient, and a complete and utter horror of a person. No one could pay me enough to go back there and be mistreated! I went there to relax and unwind after a long and stressful day! I was so upset for hours afterwards. I would expect in this economy that she would be nicer to paying customers. Pros: the Owner more

I never had such a terrible experience at a day spa in my life! I will never never go back to this over-priced spa where they treat the customers like garbage. I actually signed up for City search just to tell everyone to avoid this pretentious place. The ower has absolutely no customer service skills, she was inexcuseably rude to me. I only treat myself to a beauty service once in a great while and I am horrified that I spent money on a terrible experience. I was upset for the rest of the day after the owner actually lectured me about tardiness (which was not the worst part, she was rude to me again later), when I was more than 5 minutes early! I had to fill out pathetic forms like I was in a medical office. They cut my services short and when I asked to talk to the manager, the owner blamed me, did not apologize and once again was rude to me! Who the hell does this woman think she is? Does she not know how much money we spend to Relax? I will not EVER go to this place again. Pros: NOTHING Cons: RUDE, INSULTING OWNER more

I can not express enough how horrible Spa Newbury is. The owner was rude and very unprofessional; while booking my appointment she was very impatient and condescending on the phone. As for the spa, it Pros: NOTHING Cons: EVERYTHING more

I say believe the positive reviews of Spa Newbury and put the negative ones in the trash with the people who wrote them. I have been to this Spa over a dozen times. If you read the negative reviews closely you will see most who criticize this Spa do not use or have misused it. Rather unfortunate they would speak so poorly of something they know nothing about. Pros: Fabulous services staff schedule. Affordable. Open 7 days. Cons: Promotions seem to attract a low level of class clients. more

Spa Newbury (249 Newbury Street) is a phenominal spa. I brought my mom who has cancer there. We were both incredibly impressed with their services and professionalism. We will never forget the experience. The owner took the time to learn about my mom's condition, make sure we got the right products, nothing that would be too strong or irritating for her skin and fragile condition. They went overboard with satisfaction, saw to our every need and simply did anything and everything to make us as comfortable and happy as possible. I could not dream of a better experience. I do not doubt that any customer who shows the slightest amount of respect towards this business will receive the same. Enjoy and thank you to a truly talented spa and staff. Pros: Experienced with terminally ill, Friendly, Professional, Trustworthy more

Ok, you need to run away if you have to, just please don't come here. I'm disappointed that I didn't read reviews before going for my facial, but I had a giftcard, so I decided to just go. I had a really uncomfortable facial, I just couldn't relax at all and as a previous review stated, the towels are old and rough, but also smell moldy. I was rushed out of the room after because they were overbooked and needed the room ASAP. The owner barged in and I hadn't even put my shirt back on! Also, she does grab your purse, it's really true!! When I politely confronted her about not touching my property and barging in on me half dressed, she rudely stated that they needed the space and that I basically needed to pay and leave. When I tried to complain to the owner about my facial (and how red my face ended up being), she FLIPPED OUT on me calling me rude and telling me I was wrong. I asked for a price reduction due to the fact that I was having some sort of bad reaction to my treatment and she was dismissive and had a disgusting attitude in general. If you are lucky and smart enough to read these reviews, PLEASE RUN AWAY FROM THIS SALON AS FAST AS YOU CAN! Pros: Nothing Cons: Rude owner, knowledgeless staff, awful experience more

I received a call from the owner this morning. Right from hello I could tell she was unpleasant. She asked me questions such as what kind of work I was looking for, my massage experience, etc. When she got to the question about my hours and flexibility, I told her I was looking for day and early evenings. She was ""confused"" by this and asked me if I was specifically looking for a day job. I said yes. She was very damanding about her workers being there 7 days a week for 8 hours a day or more, then she laughed at me and in a callus voice said, ""good luck finding a day job"" and hung up. If you are planning on applying here, DO NOT!! Cons: Rude Owner more

I had a gift card from my mother in-law and I made an appointment to have a signature facial and a manicure at Spa Newbury. All stuff were very friendly....BUT I had the worst facial and manicure I have ever had in my entire life!!!!! As for manicure, I can do better myself. It was so bad that I wanted to get out as soon as possile. I can not believe, they charge more than $25 for that aweful manicure. I always go to ""My nail salon"" in South End and I pay $15 for it for manicure and they do such beautiful job. I was shocked.....I mean......you don't have to be trained to be a manicureist? Facial was not great either. The towels they use are so old and hard that they hurt my skin. I normally enjoy and fall a sleep durling the facial and massage, but this time, I couldn't wait to get up and leave. (and...may be I should have, because my face is SO red from this facial that I cannot go out today!!!!!!! Hopefully it will be fine by tomorrow) This never happens to me before and I am SO disappointed. I still have a balance ($50) left on my gift card, but as soon as I left there I through it away. I would never ever go back there AGAIN!!!!!!! This is a nightmare. Pros: ......I am not sure Cons: Worst manicure and facial more

Owner, Rude, really Rude and Extremely Rude, there is not need to treat clients/people like that, if you're miserable then get out of the service industry. more

a friend and i booked appointments here.The spa asked for a deposit of 25$ for my service, 50 for hers. We charged it on her credit card as it was easier instead of using two seperate cards. The morning of our appointments i couldnt get hold of my friend, i hoped we'd meet there. She didnt turn up but i went for my service. When i walked in, i gave them my name and was taken to my room right away. I undressed and the esthestician (jill) came within a few minutes. Jill was very kind, she began my facial and i relaxed. 5 minutes later a frazzled woman bursts in the room (the owner). She SCREAMS about my friend, i explain that i had no idea where she was. So the woman went off on a tangent about how rude and disrespectful we were. she leaves..slamming the door, but 5 minutes later, barges in again demanding that i pay extra for my facial and she was going to charge money on my friend's card to pay for the missed services. Not only was the way she screamed this at me totally disrespectful, but then she grabbed my purse, OPENED it and reached inside! (i could only peek as there was soap over my eyes and face). Then she threw my bag on my stomach (i'm 7 1/2 months pregnant!!) and said ""get the money now"". I was so stunned i didnt know what to say! it so out of line and completely nuts! i wish i had left but i felt sorry for Jill so i payed right there and finished the service..when it was over, i was pressured to buy products.. wow. I could understand if she was angry about the missed services, but i am in no way responsible for my friend and i did not deserve to be treated with such total disrepect. Sadly, I found out later my friend was unable to make it due to a sudden tragedy i wish to not include... please trust me, you dont EVER want to visit this spa. Its cramped, ugly, and overpriced, the salon manager/owner has a DISGUSTING attitude and is out of her mind. I had NEVER been treated so poorly! i'm still in utter shock and disbelief. Pros: its on newbury st?? Cons: horrible customer service, this facial left scars and burns to my skin, very mean very rude manager (selina), cramped hot and musty space. RIP-OFF more

Customer Service? I think not. Incredibly rude woman by the name of Linda answering the phone. Audibly huffs/puffs levels of frustration through the phone. more

I was excited for my first time to go to a spa. I saw the pricings for the spa and they are prices that I can't argue with. I got a facial and an ""aromatherapy"" massage. When I first went in the spa, it was busy, a ton of people, and they seemed so hectic (ironic for a place dedicated to relaxation). People did not greet you until they realized you were their customer. The facial I got was very relaxing, I was on a massage chair and the person did a great job. Later on, I received my ""aromatherapy"" massage. Notice the "" "" 's? That's because there was nothing relevant to any therapies of aromaaa... She gave me a painfully slow massage with lotion.. lol! And it was only twenty minutes when I should've gotten another ten. Cons: busy environment more

I would not recommend this spa to anyone, and I will never return there. The service was nice, up until the end where they charged me more for the services then they repeated to me on the phone a week earlier. I booked a body wrap with them and a massage, and I asked the girl how much it would be. She told me a specific amount ,and I repeated back to her (not only the amount, but the services as well). I received the services I booked, but they ended up charging me more than the amount they told me on the phone. I had all of my money counted out and ready. Then they had the nerve to accuse me of not paying attention and hearing what I want to hear. They were EXTREMLY RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS. Some of you may be thinking I did not account for the tip, but I assure you I already had. The worker there messed up and would not admit to it.....HORRIBLE place...I would not recommend it. One can get better service at many other spas in town!!! Cons: Service more

My sister and I went her during spa week--I got the deep pore cleansing facial and she got the massage. They were quite good. Selena gave me good facial. I did come back for a second time about a month afterward and had another facial done by another person. She was ok too. However, as some of the reviewers had said, the place was not quite ""spa-like"" --a bit noisy from the street below. And I felt like they try too hard to sell you their products. But all in all, I was happy with the services and would come back. more

I was so annoyed at my treatment at this spa that I took the time to join CitySearch. My initial contact in the morning was with a receptionist who took until 5 p.m. to determine whether an appoinment was available. I was about to call another spa when she finally called. The practitioners were fine, but I was situated in the room immediately next to the street. I was about to ask that the rather loud ""soothing music"" be turned down when I realized that the volume was up in an attempt to distract from the backup whistles, emergency vehicle sirens and general street noise below. It was impossible to relax! As I was preparing to leave the room, I stopped to put on eye liner when the owner entered abruptly, grabbed my purse and said the room had been overbooked and hustled me out! She smiled while scolding my daughter for not wanting to buy their products. ~ New in Town Pros: Pleasant practioners Cons: Horrible customer service more

This place has the best brazilian in Boston. Having been waxed at Bliss NY for many years, I was accustomed to a quick, sanitary wax that was as painless as a wax can be. When I came back to Boston, I tried a half dozen places based on user reviews and referrals from friends. I found places that double dipped the stick (one place that left the stick in the wax after I was done) and most experiences were very unpleasant due to the quality of the wax. I never got in growns before and I was getting them every time and found out later this is mostly caused by bacteria...great. I visited Spa Newbury based on their website and they were great. It was less painless and they used a new stick with every dip. It was relatively quick but not too quick that she left any stray hairs. They are pretty expensive ($75) and their cancelation policy is tough but I would not go anywhere else in Boston for my wax again. Pros: Sanitary Cons: Price, cancelation policy more