Splash Salon - Facial

I kicked off my Fall Break today by going to Splash Salon on E. 82nd to get a facial. I purchased a gift certificate for a facial at Splash on livingsocial.com, a local business deal-a-day site. First of all, I highly recommend joining deal-a-day sites such as livingsocial.com and groupon.com. These sites email you a deal every day that you can purchase. The deals are services or store gift certificates for around 50% off or more. These sites offer lots of spa and salon deals, as well as deals for restaurants and other retailers. It's a great way to experience your city for low prices.

I called Splash to make my appointment about a week in advance. Although I was available all day Thursday or Friday, they only had Wednesday afternoon open, so I took that appointment. When I arrived at Splash I was greeted by . . . well, no one. The girl at the front desk was talking to a customer on the phone, however she did not pause to say "I'll be with you in a minute" or "Have a seat on the couch." After about 3 or 4 minutes of me standing there, a hair dresser who was cutting someone's hair beside the desk directed me to the waiting area. Shortly after, the receptionist came and got me and apologized for my wait. They did have an impressive array of beverages that were offered, and the salon was trendily decorated and attached to a boutique. Some of the decorating appeared to be in progress.

The receptionist led my through the boutique and the pedicure area to the facial room. The room was small, but seemed adequate. Sarah, my facialist, asked me to fill out a release form and asked me some thorough questions about my skin. She then left and allowed me to get ready for my facial. One nice spa touch was the heated slippers that were provided. Sarah came back in, turned on some piano music with nature sounds, and began my facial. She used a cleanser and exfoliator, which she massaged into my skin. Then she asked if I wanted extractions, which I did. If you have never had extractions done before, it is when a tool is used to press out the gunk in your pores. It can hurt a bit, especially on the nose. Sarah then applied a mask. During other facials I have had, the facialist used the 10-15 minutes of waiting for the mask to set as a time to do some neck, shoulder, and arm massage, however Sarah did not do this. At the end of the facial, Sarah applied a moisturizer and then left me to get dressed. As with a previous salon I reviewed, Splash did not have a mirror in the facial room. When I came out, Sarah led me to the front desk and I checked out.

The livingsocial.com gift certificate that I bought cost me $39, and the Splash facial is regularly priced at $75, so this was a good deal based on the original value. However, the service was average, and there were some key pieces missing that are available at other places. So I would say that the facial was worth the deal I got, and gave me the ability to experience a new salon, but I will not be in a hurry to go back.

Service Quality Rating: 3 stars out of 5
"Spa Experience" Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Price: $$$ - regularly charged price ($ - price I actually paid)

Price Guide
$ = less than $1 per minute (very budget friendly!)
$$ = about $1 per minute (reasonable)
$$$ = more than $1 per minute (an occasional treat)
$$$$ = about $1.50 per minute (only if I get a gift certificate or great coupon)
$$$$$ = more than $1.50 per minute (I'll be surprised if I ever get to go to one of these)