The SPA Day Retreat Review

First time getting a massage. Was definitely super nervous as it's something that's very much outside of my comfort zone but it was a gift so I went. Everyone there was super nice and did everything they could to make sure I was comfortable and that it was an enjoyable experience for me and I really appreciated that. Plus it doesn't hurt to sit up straight anymore so that's pretty sweet.

Went with my friends for a relaxing girls day out and loved the experience. Lovely staff and atmosphere. Everyone was friendly and I look forward to returning very soon.

Gabrielle did an amazing job and made me feel so welcome and relaxed. Thank you!!

My husband surprised me by treating me to a 45 minute massage. When I walked in I was blown away by how beautiful and calming the interior was. The massage room was beautifully appointed and soothing with low light, soft Japanese music. It was my first experience being at a Spa and receiving a massage. It did not disappoint. My masseuse Natasha had magic hands and 45 minutes flew by. I highly recommend. Not only is it beautiful and relaxing but also very affordable. Can not give enough praise. I will return...next time with my husband.

Very disappointed with their customer service and work. I had Ombre done a week ago. Not only they booked me with a different Stylist I specifically made an appointment with after reading all the reviews, the front staff was not helpful at all. I went ahead anyway after driving over 40 min, the Stylist they've booked me was very nice and her cut is good. I am not sure if there's been miscommunication (showed a picture that I wanted).. but, my hair color does not look like I had Ombre done at all. Instead, it looks like I have bunch of grey highlights. I gave a week to settle, and it still looks the same and not sure if I can fix it as my hair has been bleached. I called three times and left messages to the front staff to have Manager to call back and haven't heard anything back.

I was very looking forward to getting my hair done at The Spa as they advertise themselves as a high end spa and the experience was completed disappointing. I keep telling myself it looks alright but, I keep hearing comments whether I got highlights done. It makes me sad :( Spent about $250 and wasn't worth it. Will not go back and will not be recommending.

Angela did an amazing job on my colour correction/highlights. I can t thank her enough! I get compliments on my hair all the time. The experience was wonderful, the salon is in this beautiful old house on a large property. Staff are professional and really make the experience worthwhile.

I had to give one star though I don't think they deserve that. Taking advantage of teenage girl that goes to get highlights shoulder length and ends up costing over 320 dollars. Was not told about price changes before it started or cost for extra time. Pretty bad if you ask me

I've only tried the pedicures so far. The space to wait for the pedicures to dry and the area where they're done are clean and relaxing. Nice ambiance. A bit pricey but worth it if you can splurge for some self care.

I went in for an eyebrow waxing to clean up my eyebrows before my wedding. I have microbladed eyebrows so wanted to get the hairs growing outside the lines removed. The treatment was done in a dark room (I don t know how she even saw what she was working on) and then after the treatment I wasn t even handed a mirror to make sure I was happy with the job. Well I wasn t. When I got home I plucked my eyebrows for another 20 minutes to get all the stray hair she had missed. Not $23 well spent unfortunately.

My friend and I had pedicures here and it was bar none, the worst pedicure and experience ever! Firstly, there was no base coat applied to our nails. Halfway through the pedicure and prior to the wax application, we were asked to move our feet to the side of the chair to empty and clean out the basin. So there we are - feet hanging mid air to the side while cleaning is done. In all my years of pedicures, I've never encountered this. Basin is usually emptied whilst feet are on pedestal and cleaned AFTER the pedicure is finished. To add insult to injury, the services here are pricey. Be warned and go elsewhere. I will never go back!

Good prices and great service! Beautiful interior. First class Spa right here in Ottawa

Fatma is great. Efficient and painless. I will definitely go back and see her for esthetic services.

Guys if you want to keep your girlfriend happy, this is the place to send her to get pampered! Easy to buy a gift card from their website so it's a great last minute gift.

Love the atmosphere here you really feel taken care of. My hair has never looked better!

Staff is always very professional and I have always been satisfied with the services received.

Mmmmmmm. So relaxing......After an exhausting morning trying to do all my Christmas shopping at Dollarama- I gave up and blew my shopping budget on me - Candles, chocolate, scrunchies) Tracey cut and styled my hair and made me feel gorgeous ( not so easy as I m transitioning to grey...I love my grey gah I hate it gah!) Seriously, Tracey is a magician with scissors.

I also had my brows expertly shaped by Isabela. I feel pretty oh so pretty and completely irresponsible as now children will get change I found in dryer for Christmas. ;)

The Spa is wonderful. The ambiance is Zen without being pretentious and I go to feel better about myself - it works.

Outstanding! Not only do they have a wide variety but the price perfect too. The hot stone massage is among the best I ve had and I will surely be back. My wife loves how cozy the location is in the gorgeous residential looking house.

I got my hair and makeup done here for a gala and was very pleased with the results!

I have been a customer at the bells corners location for over 4 years (1 time per month for RMT and a few other services throughout the years). I had a series of unfortunate customer service events while I was there, but kept returning because I really like one of the RMT s. I finally decided last month to stop going there after they had to cancel my monthly appointment and were unable to reschedule it prior to my next already scheduled massage.. for the 6th time. I carry a lot of stress and pain in my back so I really rely on the regular massages as a way to treat that pain.

My mom offered to take my sister in law and I for pedicures at the day retreat location. I had never been to this location so decided to give it a try, despite just having decided to no longer visit the bells corners location. So I was already skeptical given the experiences at the other location...

The location was nice and the staff was polite. The pedicure was a bit rushed but overall relaxing and good. The aestheticians asked where we wanted to wait to let our toes dry and we chose the upstairs area. We stayed chatting and letting our nails dry under the fans for about 55 mins (they recommended to stay for 30 under the fans). When I pulled my feet out from under the fan, the polish had already smudged on one foot, I lightly touched the top and it was not even close to dry. That s not normal so there had to be an issue with the polish. The others toes were both totally dry and they looked great. At this point we had almost been there for 2 hours so we went down to pay.

I told the person at the front about the polish not drying and she offered to have a polish change done but didn t have time for another 30 mins. I really didn t want to wait another 2 hours to have it changed and let it dry. They offered for me to come in the following day to fix it but I was already busy, and really the only convenient time for it to be done was the 2 hours that I had already dedicated to getting it done. The girl offered to add an extra upgrade for next time on my pedicure and said she would leave it on my file. My mom paid for all of our pedis and we gathered our things to leave. I was a bit upset as we we leaving because there really wasn t an effort to make things right within my schedule and we still ended up paying nearly $100 (+$20 tip) for me to leave with my toes looking like I painted them myself at home.

As we were walking out a lady came up and asked if was the one who had an issue with the polish drying. I said yes that was me and she offered to put a polish change on my file. At this point I said no thanks as I had too many bad experiences at the other location and after the way that this visit had ended, I would not be returning. She then upped the offer to be a free pedicure and again I said no thanks. As we were leaving she assured me that the free pedicure would remain on my file for the next time if ever I decide to come back.

I appreciate the effort on her part but the issue of lacklustre customer service within The Spa is systemic and I don t want to go back again to have another mediocre experience. Once we were put up stairs, not one person came to check on us to see if we needed anything or if everything was drying properly etc. When I went down to let them know about the polish, no one even looked at the polish as I was describing it and trying to show them. They didn t even know what colour it was and left the polish out on the floor for someone else to experience the same issue. Then, we paid for the service with them offering a small upgrade for the next time.. once they realized that I was not returning, that s when I was offered a free pedicure. If a customer is not happy with the outcome of the service and you are unable to remedy the issue, why make them pay at all? Only to offer them to come back and experience the same thing? There are so many other spas in Ottawa/Kanata who really go above and beyond to make you feel special... it s just not worth it to go to one that doesn t.

Will never recommend this place. My mum and I went to get relaxing massages and it was anything but relaxing. We were taken up to change and there were no towels or robes and the staff didn t seem to know what they were doing. Then they asked us to take off towels in the room under sheets - but they were wrapped around us so was a little awkward. Actual massage was fine. Except the next day... my neck and back are more sore than ever. And this wasn t a Swedish or deep tissue massage. The massagers also started prepping us for a facial and then walked out of the room and came back in declaring that we didn t have facials booked and left. So my mom and I were left there confused about whether we should move or not. After all this they had a problem with our gift card. The whole experience was not relaxing. And the price is ridiculous. Would not recommend.

I went to get a treatment. I stood and observed to get a feel of this place. I saw the (manager?) belittling the ladies working there. I promptly walked out.

I had a facial and mani/pedi with Nancy. Best facial I've ever had. So relaxing.

Not impressed at all.
Beautiful place, that's about it.
Spa pedicure which costs 75 plus tax is extremely rushed.
No time to soak before they start clipping and scrubbing, which makes for a very uncomfortable pedicure.
The nail polish was rushed with no dry time between coats, so you h av c to wait under a dryer.
40 minute later my polish was still wet and smugged. No checking g to see how things were coming along, no I had to go down the three flights to let them know. Waited 10 minutes to see tech.
By that time I figured out the dryer I was given was broken( you would hace though they would have realized that upon turning it on), and exchanged it for a working fan.
No offer to fix the smugged polish, I had to go and ask another tech, to get me the polish so I could fix it myself.
Two and a half hours later, and just leaving now, not relaxed at all.
I will not be returning, nor recommending, instead I will be suggesting others avoid.
Hopefully the bells corner location is a bit better

Note: after receiving a message, then calling repeatedly for five days in an attempt to talk to the manager, have to say extremely disappointed disgusted.
Will avoid in future including upcoming bridal spa trips for both myself, my sister in law and friend.
Don't let the pomp fool you.
Better to go with a low key local place that you know you will leave feeling happy.

Quiet, relaxing music and a knowledgeable skilled pedicurist named Lacy made it a perfect 1 hour retreat.

JUNE 13 /2020 - THE SPA / Happy you are open again.

I want to THANK the front line girls that are doing the bookings - the great management making sure clients are getting the best service - and SUGAR LADIES really appreciate the service you provide.

VERY MUCH MISSED.

BEST SPA IN OTTAWA 2020
THANK YOU
BUFF

Booked day spa for 2 men. They had no robes, no slippers, no nail finishes for men. To top it all off when I told the women at the desk I did not enjoy the facility and was not satisfied she said "so sorry to hear that will be 378.50 please"
I am not kidding. No manager on site to speak with! But I received her card Claudia Rivas, shame on you.

Beautiful building. Amazing, soothing atmosphere. Professional and confident staff. Had a couples massage and really enjoyed the experience. We certainly recommend the place to friends and family.

I have going to the Spa for a few years now.... but lately no one available to meet the needs. Three times l tried making a sugaring appointment only to hear no one was available and not because they were all booked up but a variety of excuses....frustrating....poor managing maybe?

Becky was great! Will definately p look an another massage

My family and I found the website for The Spa, and saw that it offered registered massage therapy. we found under the category of registered massages therapy, there was an option for deep tissue massage. We booked the appointment, and had our massages without incident.

When it came time to pay, I asked the cashier if she could provide three separate receipts for benefits claiming. It was at that time that I was informed that the 3 different people that provided massages were not registered massage therapist in Ontario. They were visitors from another country. As a result, no benefits receipts could be given, and I had to pay just under $300 out of pocket.

I spoke with management to which they apologized for the confusion, but refused to refund my money.

I tried to contact the owner, but she has not responded to my email. I feel like I was scammed by this company.

Great service. A really relaxing place to be. Thank you

Prices were fair. This is my second time visiting this location and I always feel welcomed.

One of the best Spas I've ever been to. Beautiful old building, polite friendly staff. Thank you Jane for an amazing deep tissue massage.

I love it here. They are friendly and welcoming and it has great atmosphere. The reception desk also takes extra care to make sure the right time for an appointment is booked and has made the effort to squeeze me in short notice.

Terrible customer service! Booked two appointments last week for a massage, my first appointment was Tuesday they called and canceled two hours before my appointment that day. So we rescheduled for the that coming Thursday, they left a voicemail that morning saying that appointment was canceled. So in three days I had two appointments cancelled. So I called asking if they had anything available girl said we have nothing. You would think the would try to get me in. I would not recommend this place.

I had a bad experience the last time I visited a spa (not this company) so I was sceptical. I received a massage, mani/pedi and a hair cut. This location is clean, and have super friendly staff who are very good at their jobs!! I was extremely impressed with my relaxation message, my nails on my feet and my hands looks great and my hair looks and feels fabulous!!! Love love fruit water! Will definitely return & highly recommended.

The nail technician I had at the spa was lovely but I am very disappointed in my manicure. I got french tips and it looks like I did them myself. The lines were not well done and I can see the white of my nails underneath. For a $60 manicure I will not be going back. I give them a 2 star because the hand massage and paraffin was really nice but really disappointed in the colour and it has chipped after two days.

Edit: I would like to add that the owner called and emailed me offering me a free French manicure. I live too far away at this time to take them up on the offer but I thought that was very kind, professional and they handled my unhappiness very well!!

Unprofessional.
I was a spa client for 3 years and was charged special rate for a service with Claudia.
She is now a manager. I saw another esthetician. When I went to pay, they said it was no longer the special rate.
I asked why and they said I can't have the special rate unless I come in every 3 weeks. Prior to that, I never ever had to come every 3 weeks. Claudia always had the girls charge me the special rate. I spoke with Claudia and she did not budge.
I just wanted to know why and if that was the case, they should not have allowed me to have special price for more than 2 years.
I wrote the owner/manager, Christine.
She sided with Claudia and made feel bad for writing. Shame on them.
I will not return. There are some nice girls working there. Danielle and Jana.
Management is a real disappointment. One star for Danielle as she tried to help.

Loved it. So relaxing and a beautiful place. Staff are so pleasant.

Very nice atmosphere polite employees and the service is GREAT!

Excellent customer service and amazing services offered!

I have been getting my hair coloured and styled by Ali Bell at the Spa Day Retreat Kanata for years now and I honestly couldn t ever imagine going anywhere else. The best environment, customer service and care you could ask for! Ali is truly the best hair stylist you ll ever find in town. Couldn t speak more highly of this salon! Thank you

My first choice for calm, relaxation and pampering of any kind. The staff is warm and welcoming and the atmosphere puts you in your own Xanadu. Visit just to see the beauty of the building itself.

i just had the worst and most expensive blow out of my life. i went in for a wash and blow dry and left extremely disappointed. number one, it cost me $60, number two i left and my hair was still damp, number 3 so much product was put in my hair that it is greasy already, number 4 my hair looks WORSE than when i do it myself (and i am NOT good). the stylist could not even smooth out my hair using a round brush a blow dryer. if you want a nice smooth blow don't go to the spa. i am not willing to pay astronomical prices for a poor service even if it is in a nice "atmosphere". BEWARE you do not get what you pay for here!

I ve been looking for a new waxing lady since my main one is off for medical leave so I looked up the spas nearest me and out popped up The Spa in Kanata, so I called them up and asked them what wax they used for Brazilian waxing and they said hard wax so I booked in my apt. The day of my apt when I walked in I was greeted and seated and everything was fine till I got called into the room, and the waxing had started. When she first applied the wax I realized it wasn t hard wax but it was Strip wax. I brought it up to the estheticians attention and she said that it was fine because it was gentle as well and wont break on some areas like hard wax sometimes does. During the apt it felt different and hurt a lot more than it ever had, but I thought that was just because it was a different wax. Once it was done I was red like always so i went to pay and continued on with my day. Throughout the day the redness wasn t going down at all and some areas were very tender, once I got home I realized that the areas that were tender didn t have any skin at all. Fast forward to this morning (morning after apt) the redness is still here and the spots with no skin are now starting to heal and scab over, so I called The Spa to tell them the situation, told them that I didn t want anything from them just to bring it up to the esthetician and that s it. The phone conversation wasn t even a minute long and I wasn t even told an apology. I ve been getting waxed for over 3 years and have even had laser done in that area and have NEVER had such a bad experience with anything down there .
Defiantly not going back and still on a search for a new waxing place.

Tracey did a fantastic job listening to what I was looking for and she took her time to be very detail oriented when doing the cut. Never have I had someone pay such close attention to detail when cutting my hair. I felt very safe and am happy with the result.

I have very special hair: tight curls on the top and loose waves on the bottom and I have been searching for someone who will take the time to analyze it before cutting it and to take the time.

I'm looking forward to going back for my dry shaping+trim in 6 weeks.

I have also had several massages, and though a little pricier than the clinical massage you find in a physiotherapy clinic, the environment is worth it.

I got a recommendation to have a hair cut with Tracy. OMG! I loved what she did with my hair.
I will be back for sure.

I had a lovely time here at the Spa Day Retreat! Everyone there is always is so kind and welcoming and you really get the most amazing services done, I always feel so relaxed when leaving. You can really count on the staff's professional and warm attitude to make the entire experience memorable.

Nice place. Staff are reasonably good but not great. Quiet sitting place for after treatment (attic) feels neglected.

Just had a superb pedicure with Nancy. She was very attentive, making sure I was happy with the nail colour I selected. I highly recommend Nancy - leg and foot massage was simply divine.

Really clean, pretty facilities. The staff are always friendly. Got a manicure and pedicure this time, and I highly recommend them.

I was looking for a total relaxation massage, instead I got an overheated room with a squeaky bed. Every time Gabrielle would start massaging, the bed would squeak. It continued to do so throughout the entire massage. I found myself thinking about it the entire time, there was absolutely no relaxation at all. I did ask Gabrielle to turn the music up, to see if it could over-ride the squeaky noise, but it was impossible. Gabrielle was good, but she did not use a great deal of pressure, she was probably trying to avoid the bed squeaking, and she massaged very quick, in a fast motion, and that in turn did not allow me to relax, as I felt things were going in fast motion.
When checking out the clerk asked "how was your massage" and I told her it was difficult to relax because of the squeaky bed. She said, "I will let my manager know about that bed". And that was it, she didn't offer any other assistance or follow up, which I found strange. I know when I work with the public, our company never lets a client leave the building unsatisfied.
Not a relaxing treat, that I thought I was giving myself.

Best Manicure & Pedicure Ive ever had,
and the owner threw in a free massage,
very pleased, just a misunderstanding,
Customer service was top Shelf at the end of the day,
Oh and, the building is immaculate
Thanks a bunch Christine.

Established In 1996 The Spa Family Has Two Locations ..In Ottawa Ontario Canada. The Spa Family Has a Resort in Negril Jamaica The Spa Retreat Boutique Hotel ..

They waited until I got home from work to tell me I was fired, didn't even tell me to my face.
They fired me because I refused to cut my clients nails that were too short to cut, she would have bleed. They assign you a station to work at and then yell at you for setting up the wrong station cuz someone else changed it. Everyone talks behind everyone's back.
They ruined my career, no one will hire me now and I have to some how support my two children on welfare.

I have been going to both locations for years and always have a great experience with my services. The 2 locations are old stone buildings that are both heritage buildings in the city. Incredible renovation and woodwork created in these places.

My friend and I got a bio-gel nail set done the yesterday. I went to the SPA day retreat because I had a gift card from Christmas. The people were very nice, but the service I paid $150 for was not up to my standards. They French tip on both mine and my friends nails are horribly uneven, and today they're ALREADY chipping and getting dirt particles stuck under the top coat. We've literally had them done for ONE DAY. I am not impressed.

Dissapointing. I have been a long time eminences skin care line user for many years. I usually buy them online but I wanted to see if anywhere near me sold them in stores. I googled it and the spa day retreat was one of the first to pop up. So I decided since I was in need of products fast I would go in to buy them myself. To my surprise after driving 20 minutes to Kanata I was told they didn't have the products I wanted in stock and they didnt know when their next shipment was coming in . The cashiers were trying to help by calling someone to see if they carry the products I was looking for but still nothing! I left disappointed. Back to ordering online.
P.s. if you don't have the products, you shouldnt be advertising them online. False advertising.

Went for a prenatal massage and pedicure. Staff were very accommodating and were able to fit me in last minute with both appointments back to back!
Was very pleased with both the massage and pedicure. Would recommend to anyone :)

Had a great experience with my wife. Planning on returning in the near future

Service is great. The staff is great! A welcome environment

Staff here are amazing, they really make you feel welcome. Very calming place

I had the most amazing facial with Lacy!! So so relaxing and I honestly learned more about my own skin! I love her passion about skincare and am looking forward to the results of the products she recomended! Thanks Lacy!

Always very accommodating and friendly staff. Clean too.

Great service, great results. Very friendly staff. A little pricey but you get what you pay for! Their complimentary fruit water is a must try.

I highly recommend the makeup lessons offered by The Spa Day Retreat. Their Jade Iredale products are definitely the best products offered in the city for makeup application. The Spa also generously donates to many of the charities I volunteer for in the city.

Great service, lovely smell and peaceful and relaxing place. I wish I could afford to go often.

Wonderful services, highly trained and knowledgeable staff and beautiful environment

Holly is Registered masseuse. She was fantastic. I will ask for her again. Helped my sore shoulder & left feeling so relaxed & flexible.

I have been coming the spa for years. It's a beautiful and relaxing environment. Not only this but my hair stylist, Ali is the cherry on top. She is the most fabulous hair artists I have ever had. On top of her experience and the amazing work that she does she is so warm, friendly and personable. She makes you feel at home and I truly look forward to my appointments because I get to chat and catch up with her. I hope to see her for many years to come :-)

Professional and very polite staff! Went for mani, pedi, haircut and wax. Cannot say enough how amazing it was!

Everyone is awesome and awesome atmosphere togo into as customer or clients

Lovely place! Went here with my mom and had a very relaxing experience. We had the paraffin wax pedicure and I would definitely say it is worth it. Feet feel smooth are my toes feel pampered.

Had a pedicure here. The location is convenient if you live in Kanata and there is lots of parking. The experience tends to be hit and miss though.

Avoid if you care about your privacy! This is the only business I know of that requires a name and other details to simply purchase a gift card. The receptionist is clearly instructed to say that the gift certificate won t be valid otherwise. Given The Spas very unusual business practices I simply walked out without making a purchase. I trust many other folks who care about their privacy will do the same during this Holiday Season. It is obvious The Spas cares more about their mailing list than selling a gift certificate. A sad way of doing business!