Destination Day Spa

Don’t let the exterior of Destination Day Spa fool you. Once you go up the stairs and into the salon area, you are transported into a relaxing oasis.
I would never have discovered this place had it not been for a Living Social Deal. It was a «relaxation» package that included a half hour massage, manicure and pedicure. The first step was the massage. I was very excited that the massage table was actually long enough for me. I’m six feet tall and at many places, when I lie down, my feet are dangling off the table. The massage therapist spent the entire time on my back, neck and scalp which provided for intense relaxation and almost made it hard to get up off the table once the massage was done.
Both my manicure and pedicure were great. My fingernails were in rough shape after several months with gel nail polish, and they managed to make them a uniform length and shape. The pedicure was great, although the water tended to spill some once the jets were on.
I really enjoyed my experience here, especially so because of the great value of the Living Social deal. It is a long trek for me to get out there, so I do not know how often I’ll visit, but I do highly recommend it.

I’m honestly surprised by the reviews so far. Now, I’ve never had a haircut so I can’t speak to that. I’ve had facials, massage, and a pedicure. The pedicure was actually my least favorite as there was no calf or foot massage. I felt the facial was pretty routine. Now the massage! It was the best massage I’ve ever had and if I could afford it, I’d go regularly. I get Angela, the owner, and she knows what she’s doing!

Perhaps my expectations were a bit too high. A woman at work that I feel has impeccable taste loves this day spa. So, if it’s good enough for her, I felt confident that I would absolutely love it, too.
So, on Wednesday, I made an appointment for a hot stone massage and was able to get in on Friday. Because of the road construction, I was advised to allow a bit extra time for travel. As noted by the previous review, the location looks a bit shady. But once inside, I liked the interior. I was relieved to led to a room in the back, where you could not hear any of the road construction. I was a bit put off because of the condition of the massage table linens, they were threadbare. And even the towels were stained and needed to be replaced. Also, the room really needs darkening blinds to shut out the daylight, to make the massage experience seem more relaxing.
Also, the person that was to perform my massage seemed to get lost and I had to wait for her to show up. The massage oil that was used had a very heavy lavender scent. I did not care for the scent. The stones were very nice and hot and I liked that. But the technique that was used was not that great, so this was by far my least favorite hot stone massage ever. I find out later that my massage was done by the owner. Sorry to say, I don’t believe I will visit this day spa, again.

Another Groupon adventure to the far away land of Wexford. I was a little dubious as to how this was going to go since the edifice is kind of run-​down, their sign is just a banner, and it took a while for someone to meet me in the lobby. However, my fears were mostly unfounded. I was getting three services: signature facial, haircut, and a pedicure. They scheduled the services in the correct order (facial, haircut, pedi), which I really appreciated. As the facial progressed, I became more and more comfortable that Destination employed skilled people. She had good technique, used Dermalogica, and gave a fantastic massage. The only weird thing is that there’s no steam or extractions. I thought maybe the Groupon was for an express facial, but, no, this is their signature. So, if you’re looking for serious skincare, I’d go elsewhere. Actually, I’d recommend that you just book a massage, and go somewhere else for a facial.
Next was the haircut, and unfortunately, this was the low point of the day. No exaggeration, the consultation to completion took less than 20 minutes. My hair looked exactly the same, just shorter. It was pretty disappointing. After that short interlude, I was off to my pedi. The lady doing the pedicure was very nice, skilled, chatted the right amount, and the polish has lasted a few weeks now.
All the services, along with about a 20 minute wait, took about 2.5 hours. I’m not sure if their services are typically this short, or if they abbreviated them for Grouponers, but I was thinking it would be at least a 3 hour day. In sum, if I lived closer to Destination, I would probably frequent it for massages, and occasionally pedicures.