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About Chi Day Spa Covent Garden
My husband and I went for a massage and facial treatment, advertised as two hours. It was a special offer on a website, but we still felt ripped off for what we paid, considering the experience. The therapists were sweet, but seemed incredibly inexperienced. We had to wait quite a while in a reception area upstairs in a small hectic hair salon before our already postponed (by them) appointment. Though we were offered drinks whilst waiting.When we were brought down to adjoining rooms in the cramped basement, I was left alone in the room for ten minutes filling in detailed forms, which the therapist didn't glance at.She asked me cursory questions about my skin before telling me which products she would use- Dermologica; nice products that my sensitive skin is usually fine with.The tiny room didn't help things, as she had to squeeze past me physically to get around the massage bed.It was awkwardly shaped and dark, with incongruous touches like a red neon alarm clock.The massage came first and was ok, nice oils, and she asked what level of pressure I wanted. But it only lasted half an hour when it was meant to be a full hour, and the rooms were too small for the beds, so my feet were bent against the wall at some points during the treatment.My husband found it very uncomfortable as he couldn't straighten his legs, and he isn't excessively tall.He also reported that his therapist forgot to put the face cushion on the bed for the first ten minutes of the massage so he couldn't rest his head!The facial was the worst part, I had never thought about or appreciated the level of skill and sensitivity and PRACTICE that a skilled facialist must have until I experienced this treatment.Some parts were weird, some painful and generally it was highly uncomfortable, she meant well but she was not experienced or a natural at it, and so it actually became a really stressful experience!She spent ages trying to scrub off my mascara (which was the only make up I was wearing) with cotton pads, but she went back and forth on my eyelid instead of smoothing in one direction, so I winced.When she applied product, she started down on my neck with lots, but seemed to underestimate the area needing to be covered, as she tended to run out before she got to my cheeks or forehead, which felt unprofessional and interrupted the flow, and was sometimes uncomfortable.She scrubbed my face far too vigorously with the Dermologica granules, and then didn't remove the exfoliating grains thoroughly so the massage which followed left me feeling grazed!When it came to the extractions (not pleasant even in the best facial, though Eve Lom comes close!) she went straight in without warning to the bridge of my nose, with such pressure that tears came flowing out of my eyes! As she had heated my face with 2 flannels laid on either cheek, which left the bridge of the nose uncovered, this area wasn't even warmed.She didn't attempt any further extractions after this, but turned my head as if she were looking for clogged pores on either cheek, but for literally a second, so fast that she couldn't have examined the area at all, it was like a little kid pretending to give you a face treatment.I feel bad criticising my therapist as it feels like she was thrown in the deep end without being given enough training, and she was a nice sweet person who was trying hard. There were SOME nice moments during the experience, but mostly it was all over the place and not as described. I thought that perhaps I had got a trainee and my husband got lucky with the experienced therapist, but his experience was very similar to mine. I was picking leftover bits of face mask off his face for ages, his stubble and sideburns were white with product!I was left with small red marks on my nose from the extractions for a few days, as well as a face which looked fine, but felt burny and red raw.My cheeks have been flaring up since the treatment, with the excema and sensitive rashes I have always been prone to but had recently managed to suppress with months of mineral make up and gentle skin care.I really wanted the whole thing to be lovely as it was a treat from my husband, so I was more disappointed than if I had bought it for myself, and he spent the whole time worrying about what was happening to my sensitive skin! On the way out a man who seemed managerial called us to the counter to give us loyalty cards which we promptly binned. We both wished later we had told him why we did not intend coming back, but it was awkward at the time as it was a gift, criticism would have felt like a personal attack on the poor girls, which we didn't want, and besides at that point we didn't know how bad the others experience had been!It feels like the salon is offering cut price deals as a way of training their new employees, which would be okay, if it was advertised as such, and cost less, and you knew what to expect, but not okay in a glossily advertised spa treatment.I am sorry to say I would not recommend this venue!
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