Emerge Spa & Salon

Every time I have called to make an appointment at Emerge I have felt as though the receptionist was doing me a favor and that the individual who will be cutting my hair is also doing me a favor. No thank you! I am a very reasonable and down to earth person. I am just looking for a quality hair cut and a positive experience. It is hands down the worst salon I have ever been to. Needless to say, I am never going back. I have never written a review in my life, but I felt as though this experiene has required one.

I had such high hopes when I made my appointment at Emerge Spa for a body treatment during my stay in Boston to look at colleges with my teenage son. What a complete let-down this place was. It was one of those places that looks pretty when you walk in, but the good feeling completely fades as you are given little in the way of friendly service. The reception was as cold as can be. No actual welcome. No "we're glad you're here"....no pleasantries at all. Just a stony escort up to another floor where the women's locker room is located, cursory instructions on where stuff was and then a departure. Plus, did i say COLD? The locker room was too cold for comfortably changing clothes, the amenities were sorely lacking -- there was no face cleanser, no makeup remover, no facial lotion but the towels were neatly rolled and stacked. That meant you could feel free to take a shower, but your mascara would be smeared down your face and then your face would feel tight and dry because there was nothing for women to apply to their sensitive skin unless they had ignored the spa's admoniton to 'just bring themselves' and had brought it with them There was a steam room and a sauna , but the steam room was of the most basic, tile and glass form as to feel like a shower stall at the local "Y". Depressing. The 'lounge' where one waits for treatment was, again too cold, and the seating was anything but comfortable. Did i mention that it was cold ! And the lighting was too bright for such a room, and the zen music was too loud. The ubiquitous offerings of fruit and tea were there, but looked a might dusty. And, sadly, there was no refreshing pitcher of 'spa water' (you know, what you find at most first rate spas that is flavored with cucumbers, or lemons or orange...etc.) The dispenser for hot water for the selection of teas was empty of water and I had to refill the device myself in order to make myself a cup of tea to warm myself before slipping out of my clothes in front of a stranger. And, it wasnt as if theyd been so busy that all the hot water had been used up I saw only one other person awaiting a treatment when I was there.

I filled out the little questionnaire that was provided in the lounge and made a request that the treatment be provided with minimal conversation. Not an odd request, there are those who come to a spa in the mood for chattiness, and others who wish to submerge themselves in the soothing and quiet music to escape. The service itself (a turkish scrub) was adequate, though it wasn't what I had orginaly wished to receive, and the technician kept trying to chat me up about myself and life and the day, in spite of my request for little conversation.

I might also mention here that days I had tried to have my service upgraded to a 90 minute treatment that would be more indulgent and more profitable for them..but they couldn't be bothered to make the necessary arrangements to have the right service esthetician there for me on that day. Again, Customer Service truly is terrible there. Also bizarre was the fact that i had emailed and phoned to confirm my appointment and they still got both my first and last name completely wrong -- how they processed my credit card without that is a mystery to me. And yet, the most mind-boggling thing about my visit is that i told them prior to my visit that I was a writer interested in taking note of their facilities for a beauty book that i am currently writing. Needless to say, they won't even get a mention in my book. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place.

Stay away. They really pressure you into buying stuff you don't want. Really expensive stuff. When I didn't buy it, they just charged my card anyway. I have been fighting to get a refund. Plus they are super expensive. It was like $145 for a facial and wasn't even that good. Awful experience.