Empy’s Day Spa

I usually go to Empys for haircuts, manicures, pedicures but I recently went for a massage. Best massage Ive ever had. The masseuse was counseling me on the lactic acid build up in the muscles and had machines that could flush lymph nodes. Full disclosure– I am also going to physical therapy and she was able to take what they were doing and add to it. Very knowledgeable. Very professional.

Today, Friday, July 10^th 2015, I went to Empy’s for a shellac manicure. Worked with Catalina and she could not be more professional, competent and friendly. The salon was very pretty, clean and well maintained. Unlike a lot of nail salons where the smell kicks you in the face when you walk in, this place smells like flowers. My shellac manicure cost $ 43+$ 10 the design. I thought it was a little pricey, compared to other places that charge $ 30-​$ 35. But I caanot complain about the price since the work done was so great and Catalina worked for an hour on my nails making sure they look flawless. I have yet to see how long this shellac manicure will last but I was very impressed with the place, and I will certainly go back.

Had a lovely pedicure experience here recently. It’s the only spa around that offers 100% sanitary foot baths (plastic-​lined, portable, plug-​in units). I LOVED THIS. I won’t be going back to all those other places where you must share the water with every other foot in town.
My pedicure took a long time (like an hour). The technician was meticulous. 3 weeks later, it looks as nice as the day I got it.
A bit more expensive than all the ‘express’ places (it was about $ 45, plus tip), but I will be returning less often — and really appreciate the cleanliness of Empy’s. I’m a new fan!

Disappointing and very expensive. Said they could take me right away for pedicure, and would meanwhile find a spot on the schedule for a shellac. Halfway through my pedicure, they said no time for a shellac but I could have a standard manicure. Are you kidding me? Had to go down the street to another salon for my shellac. What a pain and a huge waste of time! (notably the other salon was terrific at a fraction if the price). The setting is lovely and the pedicure was quite good, so I opted for two stars instead of one.

Love Empy’s — plenty of parking (in Stop & Shop plaza next to Chase Bank and Go Figure), AMAZING blowouts, mani pedis that last, and always a guarantee to feel/​look great when you leave. It’s a South American salon, and the women working there want you to be fabulous. Do I go to Empy’s to chit chat with my stylist? Nope. I go because I know that when I leave, my blow out will be perfect, it will last a couple days, their pricing is fair compared to some other Greenwich salons, and I won’t be in there forever — where else can you get a shampoo/​style on your lunch break with time to spare? There is a reason the place is always busy — trust me!

A friend won a gift certificate for a pedicure, and lovingly regifted it my way. I’m not familiar with Greenwich, but Empy’s was easy to find via GPS. Joanna gave me the most incredible pedicure I’ve ever had: feet of a midwife/​runner/​dog walker/​barefoot living connoisseur get a bit ragged, but my feet looked shiny and new after Joanna’s magic. She paid a lot of attention to detail and really gave them a thorough cleaning, and in watching the other pedicurists it looked like they were doing the same.
A few notes:
–it’s a strange setup with shuffling between services upstairs/​downstairs
–the water of the footbath was cold by the end
–no one was speaking with the person serving them, which might be typical Greenwich, but I found uncomfortable in that I’m generally uncomfortable with paying someone to clean my feet and not speaking to them at all
–fun boutique salon type items for sale, though more in the forty-​year old wealthy white woman category, though I suppose that’s Greenwich also
–no one spoke to me via the front desk on my way out
–lots of nail polish colors, though none vegan

I always feel so clean when I leave Empy’s. The pedicure is wonderfully thorough, removing all the dead skin and leaving my feet looking lovely. The manicure removes the appropriate cuticle, leaving my hands feeling (also) clean and with a decent amount of polish to take me through most of the next week. I am always more than satisfied when I leave Empy’s. I am so grateful to have found this place through a personal recommendation. So to all those less fortunate, may I personally recommend to you a manicure and pedicure at Empy’s if you want a fantastic service.

Why would this place only receive 2 stars? The last reviewer commented that they don’t have the big massage chairs with the jacuzzi foot bath, but that’s one of the things I like about this place. They don’t use the foot bath that they have with a plastic bag around it just to eliminate the amount of cleaning… it is for sanitary purposes. Those foot baths are the culprit for many foot fungus’s because the bacteria gets trapped in the jets. Most of the time I sit in the «fancy» chairs, the massage is jerking me all over the place and they’re usually not comfortable. I love Empy’s Day Spa and I’ve honestly never met a person that didn’t. You will know this from the second you walk in the door and no matter the day or the hour, they are bustling. Their mani pedi’s ARE expensive… however, they last… and you can at least rest assured that you won’t leave with a dirty foot problem. They truly clean your feet, nails, treat the skin, cracked heels, etc. Not just go through the motions. Their new location is in the Stop and Shop parking lot in Greenwich, which means ample parking.

Their manicures and pedicures are the best I’ve ever had. While $ 50 for a mani/​pedi seems expensive, the quality is unparalleled. I always see Guenga for pedicures, and she manages to remove all dead skin and any ingrown nails each time I see her. The pedicure lasts for a solid 3 weeks, while manicures often last 5 – 7 days without chipping. The staff is always very friendly and accommodating. One time I left and smudged two nails within 10 minutes of leaving, I returned and they gladly repaired them. One thing to know is that you cannot tip on the credit card, you must tip in cash.

There is no place in Greenwich that has nicer staff or that provides a better manicure or pedicure.
Empy will soon be moving to a new space near Go Figure. Parking will be abundant and her wonderful women will accompany her.

I got a gift certificate for here so I went this past Friday before a wedding. I really needed a mani/​pedi (too much gardening!) so it was a great treat. But I say treat because it was a treat. Even with the gift certificate I was not impressed. For $ 56 you get their mani/​pedi special ($ 50 on M-​W). Those prices are fairly typical for Greenwich but what killed me what their set up (I’ll explain later). Its a two story space that offers manicures, pedicures, waxing, massages, salon services, etc. The place was really busy while I was there (Friday around 1−2pm).
So I get Andrea (she was amazing!) for my mani/​pedi. I am brought my upstairs, where I think they will have those big cushy pedicure chairs where they have the foot jacuzzi… NO! They have people sitting in crushed velvet chairs with their feet in basins (that are wrapped in plastic bags (I guess to keep the cleaning to a minimum– just throw out the bag and you are done!) that the staff lug over from a sink with hot water. At first glance I was crushed. Honestly, if I did not have my gift certificate I would have left then. So I tell myself to just stick it out. So I am left to let my feet soak. Andrea comes back and starts her magic. She was fantastic because she used pumice, razor, lotions, etc as she gave me a pedicure. So after the pedicure we went back downstairs to an open station (she carried down her little cart of supplies) for my manicure. Again great service. It’s been 5 days and my nails are still looking pretty good– some chipping but nothing drastic.
I know I won’t go back because I can get a good mani/​pedi down the road for a lot less and they have the typical massaging pedicure chairs. While they might have very good reasons to not have the pedicure stations ($) I just don’t see myself spending $ 56 plus tip to have my feet in a basin of water. Plus $ 25 minimum for debit/​cc.
On the PLUS side they have valet parking bc it gets so busy. They guy rolled up my windows which was great bc while I was there it poured!