Toscana European Day Spa & Salon

I purchased a Groupon and went here for a facial. It was my one of the relaxing experiences that I was anticipating. The lady applied a lot of pressure and was the really quick with massaging on the products. She used a towel instead of a sponge when taking the products off. Even though she used Eminence which I really like, I would not go back here. In between, she put the steamer on my face and did not return until after 10 – 12 minutes. At the time of the mask, the same thing happened, even though the mask had dried, I kept waiting. She popped a pimple which I specifically told her not to do. My skin looks fine but I was tense each time, she touched my face after. I wouldn’t recommend going here if you are looking to unwind and get a relaxing facial done. One of the samples she gave me, was already open too

Bought a groupon for a facial here. After reading so many good reviews about Christina, I had high hopes.
I got there a half hour early. I was greeted by a super nice guy, Stanley (hairdresser) and then I filled out a client form and sat downstairs to wait. The receptionist offered me water and tea as well as Stanley.
Down in the basement, it was quite cold. Luckily, I kept my jacket on instead of hanging it upstairs. Christina took me in and I changed to the towel wrap. I laid in the bed and she began cleansing my face. Throughout the whole facial, I felt like she was rushing and her pressure was hard on my face. It was rough.
I’ve had a lot of facials before and this wasn’t my favorite. The room was cold too especially when she would use a warm, wet towel to wipe the product off my face. The extraction wasn’t too bad and the products seemed okay. I actually didn’t like how many different scents there were. There was some citrus, strawberry and even cocoa. She used an antioxidant which tingled but then started to sting.
My face feels nice after but I didn’t enjoy the facial much. Original price is $ 95. Not worth it. Christina is super nice but I wasn’t into her technique or the products.

I treated myself to a European facial with Christina, and she was fantastic! Toscana is conveniently located on Newbury Street; the top level is a salon and downstairs is the spa. Christina was very gentle and explained each transition throughout the facial She was very knowledgable and really put me at ease. She also gave me a nice neck and shoulder massage. By the end of the facial, I was so relaxed that I nearly fell asleep.
For me, the whole experience was great. There was another staff member who entered the facial room twice throughout my service, and I can understand how that might be distracting or off-​putting to some, although I was wasn’t really bothered by it.
I really liked the warmth and vibe of the spa, and I would definitely return.

I was at the Toscana Day Spa last Saturday with my sister-​in-​law and her bridal party, for a day of pampering, and had such an amazing time! We were a large party of six, yet the owner and her daughter made sure that everything ran smoothly. In between, we were treated to fresh fruits, chocolate, mimosa, and water.
First, the esthetician Christina diagnosed my skin type and issues, and then gave me a facial, using a combination of organic products that met my skin needs, from a brand called Eminence. Afterward, my skin seriously GLOWED and stay soft for days.
Then, I met with my massage therapist and was offered a choice of Swedish and Deep Tissue massages. I chose the Swedish massage and told her that I had been having really bad lower-​back pain after my C-​Section from nearly two years ago. She gave me what felt like a combination of Swedish and Deep Tissue, depending on the areas of my body, and it really took away my pain!
Afterward, I relaxed in my comfy robe until everybody was done. Doina (the owner) and her daughter continuously checked in on us, to make sure that we had everything we needed.
While checking out, I purchased an Eminence «Youth Shield» skincare kit (highly recommend!), and was told that I can always place an order over the phone and receive free shipping. Whoo-​hoo! I will definitely revisit.

Let’s just start by saying that estheticians should really look closely at people’s skins and after asking questions about skin types & gathering information about the client’s skin issues they should direct you to the right products. This lady sold me an $ 80.00 Eminence «exfoliate cleanser» that was supposedly good for dry skin. Me being so naïve and believing everything she said to me I bought it thinking it would work. I gave this a try for a few weeks and I absolutely hate it. It feels like I’m putting a moisturizer on my face rather than exfoliating and when i looked online this is mainly for normal to oily type skins when I told her the complete opposite. I called the salon and express my concerns and tell them that I would like to return it for the correct product or get my money back. «Her response: you cannot return it because we don’t know where you stored it and it’s been a couple of weeks» I asked to speak to the manager or owner and she Rudely said: «well she will tell you the same and won’t take it back so…» I think this is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS! I paid for a product that was not for my skin and clients have to test it out first to determine whether they like it or not! I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THIS PLACE AGAIN & I will make sure to tell people not to go. The manager/​owner never called me back so I will make sure to show up in person and I will get my money back. This place gave me such bad taste in my mouth I have never seen such ghetto customer service in the Boston area.

Great, great, great experience! I My esthetician was Doina and she was wonderful. She was very knowledgable and really educated me on my skin needs.
I did have an overwhelming amount of blackheads around my nose and was prepared that it would likely cause an overwhelming amount of continuous pressure, but surprisingly it wasn’t bad.
I appreciated the fact that although Doina promoted the products she used, she did NOT push me to purchase them. I loved that! I haven’t had a facial in over a year and because of my positive experience I left with another scheduled appointment for next month.
I’d highly recommend this spa and this is coming from an extremely particular 33yr old;-)

Let me set the stage:
It’s Halloween evening, Friday night, and I’ve got a packed schedule. I miss my haircut by 15 minutes at a salon in South Boston and have to be at my next event in 2 hours — ready to go with hair done, and I have no time to get back home. I call a few places in the area but everyone is booked. Finally, I remember Toscana and a sign they had out front advertising $ 30 blowouts. Luckily, they’ve got an opening and I book it over to Newbury St. within 45 minutes during rush hour.
The staff was pleasant and friendly and my blowout was pretty good. My hair was super shiny, though it didn’t hold/​last for as long as most blowouts do, even though I asked for specific products to aid with that. Still, for $ 30 and 45 minutes notice, I was so pleased with how it turned out. I have to reiterate: everyone from my stylist to the receptionist to the man who offered me tea or water was so friendly and polite, even at the end of a long Friday.
5 stars for customer service, 4 stars for blowout quality.

So let’s start with the fact that I had a 3:30 appointment, arrived at 3:20, got taken at 4:05. I literally sat in the room for 15 minutes. I could hear my esthetician outside talking. It doesn’t take that long to change. The facial itself was as bad as the service. No massage, no frills. The woman applied a mask and would leave for 15 minutes. I swear she was giving another facial at the same time. I may have said 5 words to her as she wasn’t in my room long enough. I have enough face products at home. If that’s what I was going in for, I would have stayed home. Seriously not worth any discount they could give.

Update Update!
Just got my hair did again by Stanley. There is something about him which you don’t get with others when it comes to hair. He just gets it. Also, he used to work at another salon, so I’d like to say that Toscana is much cleaner and modern.

Oh this worked! I’ve been trying to update this review for a week.
I wrote some pretty things about how lovely it is and how people are so nice but it’s all glitched out.
I’m actually going there today for like. Five hour keratin treatment so maybe I can update in real time
I’ve had keratin from Stanley before. My hair was pin straight and frizz free for like 6 months. Super excited to get it again! I’ll post a before (which includes a frizzy unbrushed version of the otherwise awesome cut I got a couple of weeks ago) and after picture when I’m done.

Amazing facial from Doina. I felt rejuvenated after my lush treatment here, the spa is clean and welcoming. I would recommend this to anyone in need of some pampering!

1 or 2 stars? Probably should have been one. Why do I stray from Elizabeth Grady with groupons (and I should have checked Unilocal before buying)? I’ve had mostly weird facials when I do that and this was no different. I’m glad I discussed the order of procedures before we started because I don’t understand why anyone would extract *after* the (supposedly) relaxing massage. And having a massage while steam is blowing in your face isn’t relaxing either. That’s supposedly the «European» way, hmm. The people working were nice and she *did* do it in the order I preferred, but my face stung when the mask went on, it stung after we were all done and my face has been flaking for 5+ days after. I have sensitive skin but it’s never done this before. I should call to complain but am just chalking this up to lesson learned.

Hate to pile on, but knowing my experience is the norm here I just have to chime in. Like many others my Groupon appointment was 25 minutes late which really pisses me off as I needed to leave work early and then was late for my 6pm meeting. She nervously spewed something about Verizon being the cause?
As I was waiting, the 430 appointment came in early, I laughed and told her to get comfortable as she was gonna be waiting for some time. The basement looked like a spa storage room, it was very awkward. The water they had out was a half drank water bottle, pretty sad.
In the treatment she was incredibly rough, I can stand most pain from facials, being the tough guy that I am, but at one point I felt like a little boy getting a splinter pulled out of my face. The whole experience felt rushed, rough, and ultimately like I had just been to the dentist… not a spa. She did leave mutiple times and gave me a should massage for about 6 seconds. One plus my skin looks pretty good, but I would never go back.

I went to Toscana because I got a Groupon deal for a facial. After living in Hawaii with the high UV rays always beaming on my skin, moving to Boston to face the harsh winters, and working long and sometimes sleepless nights, I needed a facial badly. Unlike previous reviews, and much older reviews may I add, I was pleasantly surprised with the experience. I didn’t see the reviews prior to my visit. This has been the third facial is my entire young 30 years of life. First was the most painful experience and second left my face spotty for days. After this facial, I came home and my husband said I was glowing. My face feels really smooth and definitely would go back again.
I came 5 minutes early and walked into salon. The receptionist took my personal information and showed me to the basement where I waited. The basement seems to be where all the spa treatments takes place. It was very clean. The esthetician, Christina, was running only 5 – 10 minutes late so I didn’t mind waiting while I looked at my phone. Once she changed the bedding, she asked me to enter the room and change to put on this towel/​rub that fit below my armpits. That was different from my previous experiences. I changed and slipped into the reclined chair/​bed. One reviewer complained about the size of the bed. It was comfortable and warm under the towels and woven blanket. I am 5’3″ –small to medium frame and the bed had plenty legroom.
She examined my skin under a bright light and suggested the blueberry facial to help the random breakouts I am experiencing. I been having one to three at a time in my forehead, nose, and lips. She then proceeded to place a warm damp cloth of my face. One reviewer said it smelled like bleach. It had a slight scent but at least you know it’s clean! One of the reviewed said they had steam blowing on their face. I did as well while she was applying whatever rub they use and massaging my neck and face. The steam was to help open the pores before the extraction. The extraction was uncomfortable at times but that’s part of the process of a facial. She used a disposable needle to remove the deep white heads. Hopefully, if I keep going there won’t be too much need for that. She did step away while one of the applications penetrated my skin. She’s constantly doing something so she might have stepped away to get more towels/​supplies or even a short break, which I didn’t mind at all. She came back to wipeoff the application. Shortly after came a scalp and shoulder massage which was an added bonus. I was not expecting that at all. Before I left, she applied some of their organic makeup/​powder to help shadow the redness since I was going out to dinner that Friday evening.
Overall, if you are used to getting a luxury spa experience and paying twice the amount, I can see how you would rate the spa low. I was looking for comfort and great results which I definitely got out of my facial at Toscana. Thank you, Christina! I will be back.

Love Natalia for a haircut and blow dry. She is the sweetest, listens to you and does a good job. Overall the salon is always clean and tidy. Everyone who works there is friendly. Costs are reasonable for Newbury st. No complaints from me!

I purchased the Groupon for a «specialty facial», and was pleasantly suprised with it. All of these negative reviews are outrageous. The place was warm, inviting, they offered me tea and free samples of the facial products. Christine did a WONDERFUL job with the facial, and I spoke with the manager there who seemed very friendly and pleasant. I honestly don’t know why people get their feathers ruffled over a wait or seating. The spa service was wonderful, and so relaxing.

Doina gave me a wonderful facial that far surpassed my expectations. Not only did she provide helpful tips each step of the way, she was friendly and fun to talk to. Although I was a little apprehensive about my facial, based on the reviews on Unilocal,I walked out incredibly happy and eager to try the Eminence skincare line that they carry. I had the Eminence Organic Facial which left my skin extremely soft. However, since the products are quite aggressive (meaning that the Blueberry Peel stings quite a bit), I would not recommend the facial to those who are looking for a relaxing experience.

Ignore the old reviews and book a hair appointment with Anthony Pino IMMEDIATELY!
He’s my favorite stylist in Boston, originally from Roffi Salon. He is a genius with foils. I have dirty blonde hair, I do ½ head of highlights and lowlights.
After months of mediocre color and terrible roots, bouncing from salon to salon, my coworker referred me to Anthony. My hair has never looked better. Totally natural looking, gorgeous cut and he broke my 4 week «I need it touched up!» routine… I now wait 8 – 10 weeks for an appointment and it looks good to til the very end.
If you need color or a great cut, he’s your guy! Also, he was the winner 2 yrs in a row for «Best Male Haircut in Boston» so he’s great with guys too!

My 2-​star rating averages three aspects: haircuts, facials, and customer service (ranked favorite to least favorite). Yes, the décor upstairs is nice, but it’s largely irrelevant to the overall experience.
Worst first. Both times I scheduled an appointment, I had difficulty communicating with the person on the other end of the phone. Not just hearing what they said through a thick accent (which rarely phases me), but making them understand what I wanted… the day of the week, for example, or which services I hoped to secure! The second time, my phone call was set aside for a full minute or more so the manager/​secretary could answer his cell phone. If I could give negative stars for customer service, I would. I feel that the lack of seating area (which other reviews have noted) speaks to the lack of consideration for the customer.
The facial was not just underwhelming, but counterproductive. I didn’t enjoy my time on the table, since my not-​particularly-​attentive clinician insisted on relating her and her family’s education to mine… after prying a superficial history of my education from me, of course. Nor did I enjoy my skin after the facial, since I immediately developed a giant zit on my chin from the extraction.
And, if «European» Day Spa means the clinicians giving facials don’t have to wear deodorant, I hereby vow to avoid them like the plague.
The only redeeming factor: my hairstylist, Grace, does great work, and is skilled at figuring out (and then creating) what you really want. Which, in short, is the only reason I didn’t give this atrocity of a business one star.

I was looking for a not-​so-​expensive eyebrow wax and had a coupon to this place, so I tried it out. My experience was horrible.
First of all, the entire time I was getting my eyebrows waxed the lady I had was trying to solicit services for her husband’s moving company.
The wax was too hot and ripped a thin layer of my skin off under my brows. I’m not sure how common this is, but this has never happened to me before. Then they tried to cover it up with makeup, which I should’ve said no to because it seemed a bit unsanitary, but they kind of pulled me aside too quickly.
Do NOT go here for a brow wax. It was an overall weird experience. I am not sure about their other services, but from what I am reading, it does not sound like too good of a place.