Spa Critique

For Christmas, Kit got me a really nice spa membership to Gene Juarez downtown. It’s a three month “passport” to spa services – you get one a month for 3 months and you get to choose if you want a massage or a mani/pedi or whatever.

He thought it was a good way to check out the spa and decide if it’s a good downtown option for us on a regular basis. So far I’ve done 2 months and have one treatment to go – but I thought I would share my thoughts so far.

Gene Juarez means well, but I think they have gotten “tired”. They have turned into sort of the mass market spa/salon, and while they offer nice services and are well located, I think they are phoning it in on the customer service and maintenance of their facilities.

First of all, the entrance to the salon on Pine is pretty less than average. There is a little retail storefront for product and usually a salesperson there that leads you to the elevator in the back that takes you up to floor 4 where the salon and spa services are. All fine except it just looks a little bit dirty and shabby. The gal or guy working there is nice, but sometimes a little “insincere”. Last time I was there, a not so well groomed tranny was working the storefront. She/he was perfectly nice, but looked as if she/he were well past a few grooming appointments herself. Hair and make-up ok, but the lowcut top with ½ inch chest hair grow-up was a little unsightly. Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoy the beautifully well groomed tranny’s around town, working the MAC counters at Nordstrom, doing their thing. They are spectacular and their make-up is AWESOME – but c’mon, you can’t show up for work looking like you’ve been up for 2 nights straight with your “look” all messed up.

Next – 4^th floor check in people –AWESOME! Super nice, so really pleased at how well the front line is taking care of customers –

Nail treatment – my first Mani/Pedi was really good. It was really the best manicure I’ve even gotten. It lasted through 2 airports, 4 rounds of golf and a week at the beach in Maui without a single chip. Really good, and so was the pedi. I would definitely go back for that. Great job from Julie – but she may have told me TMI about her entire life….. just a little. Sigh…Still, good job.

Massage- Here’s where we get back to the less that great treatment. Get in the spa area, they warn me that the normal “foot bath” attendant wasn’t there today, so I would get my foot bath from my massage lady. That’s fine. I was led into the changing room, given a locker and told to change and go back out to the cozy little waiting room area. I could barely fit my coat, bag, shoes into the super little tiny locker, so that was irritating. Then, I pull out the robe, and the lining is sort of tattered and torn which is also irritating. Doesn’t someone do quality control and cull out the older damaged robes after they come back from the laundry? In my case, apparently not. I was kind of discouraged by that. Also, I think my robe was a small, so I felt like a medium would have been better and was worried it was going to fly open during my little foot bath. So, also a bit uncomfortable when it should have been nothing but cozy. Then, my massage gal – she was really nice, but why do they make you fill out the form and go over with you what kind of massage and pressure you prefer – and then THEY DON’T DO IT. It was one of the weakest massages ever. I don’t know if this lady was just tired or it was the best she could do, but it was so light. I had told her I liked FIRM pressure, ha. She didn’t talk to that was nice, and the room was nice and warm and all that, but I won’t go to her again.

I have one more treatment in March – I think I’ll arrange another massage just to try another person and see if I get a better robe, etc. But, if it’s not good – I think I’m done with Gene Juarez.

There is another spa downtown called Ummelina that I used to go to – but over the years it had gotten a little run down too. I heard recently that it’s improved again, so I think I’ll try it too.

In the end, I only have a few rules:

1. Walking distance from our apartment.

2. A robe with no holes in it.

3. A tranny greeter with nice make-up and no chest-hair grow-out.

Is that too much to ask, people?

Yes

no