I visited Eva Szabo's Spa in Shadyside for a ""Personalized Facial"".
Rarely have I felt so umcomfortable in spa. First of all, I did not feel welcome.
Neither the lady at the front desk nor the cosmetician were able to appeare somewhat friendly. The cosmetician did not introduce herself to me. She accompanied me to a small room that was more like a closet and only told me to change into gown and lie down. When she came back, she just made some adustments about my position and then started a thorough cleansing with steam and facial massage techniques (totally fine), the manual extraction (I was ok with this being somewhat painful; it was not my first facial and do want to have this done properly). She gave me a facial mask, massaged my scalp, neck and shoulders a little bit and then left me alone for a while. People were talking loudly outside and I was not sure if I'm supposed to relax now or if she will be back soon. I was a little puzzled that up to this point she was very silent and did not give me any information on what is happening. I expected her to analyze my skin and ask me questions (possible intorlerance of certain products/ingredients, life style etc.) or tell me anything about what she's doing (e.g. what products she's using) - actually, I was waiting for my ""personalized"" facial to begin, but it never happened. Also, she did not give me that ""hand massage with warm mitts"" that according to their leaflet should have been part of my facial. When she came back, she simply took my facial mask off (not with a compress - how disappointing!), put something on my face that probably was a moisturizer and only said ""Very nice. Take your time."" A bit confused I asked her if we are done now. Well, we definitely were done. She left the room and I looked into the mirror. Of course, after a manual extraction you know that you don't necessarily look like you want to go on the street without make-up, so I used my own concealer that I always have with me. Previous facials I received in other places (regardless if cheaper and even more expensive ones) always included a very light make-up or at least the cosmetician asked me if she should cover some spots. I think Eva Szabo should not let any guest leave looking like this, and I was glad that I could use my own make-up before leaving.
At the front desk I paid $80 and asked for the name of the cosmetician. I will definitely not schedule another appointment with her again. I tend to give businesses second chances, so maybe I will give it another try.
I have to say that I have experienced a lot better sevices at different places in Europe in differing pricing scales from
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