milk + honey day spa

09/01/2008 Posted by singtx

Two friends and I made appointments for our wives this past Saturday after reading the reviews on this site. All three had wonderful things to say about the techs with the exception of one lady at the front desk (short brown hair, nose ring and a slight acne problem). I did not get her name, but we had some issues with her. The first problem one of our wives encountered is that no one at the front desk greeted or helped her. So she just waited until another lady who didn't work the desk greeted her and took the printed gift card she brought and put it down at the front. The second issue is this lady sushed my wife and friends because they were laughing and having a good time during their appointment. While I understand a spa is/should be in a serene setting and that they're tyring to make appointments on the phone, it also makes it seem like the spa isn't a place to gab with girlfriends...which it should be! To quiet down three ladies having fun in your spa is unreal. Lastly, we met our wives as they were checking out and the attitude and tone of the girl's voice was simply condescending and rude. Once again, she gave us a glaring stare because we were talking and laughing too loudly. We were just trying to make sure everything was taken care of before we left and to make sure all the girls received their tips and wages, but it wasn't. They couldn't find one of the gift cards (that was put on the front desk) and couldn't find it in the system for a while because it was purchased too recently. The lady who finally helped us out was professional and had a smile on her face. She solved the problem, apologized and we were on our way. What great service she offered...these are the employees who should be rewarded. It only takes one person to ruin the customer service experience...we walked out with a bad taste in our mouths.

Pros: techs and location

Cons: front desk lady with short brown hair and nose ring

08/05/2008 Posted by austintxgrl1

I've been to milk + honey on several occasions and have always had a great experience. The spa is very tranquil and inviting. The clean lines and minimalist decor is refreshing and relaxing. The staff is accomodating, knowledgable, and have always made me feel at ease. They take the time to learn what your treatment goals are and have recommended some great products that I still use today and I've seen a BIG difference in my complexion as a result. I have no complaints and would highly recommend this spa as one of the best in Austin!

08/04/2008 Posted by Manney11

I have had a lot of facials in my lifetime, but I have never had one as bad as this. I could not even stay to finish it. The lady started off by lecturing me over my diet habits, basically I wasn't a vegan so she did not approve, then she moved to the skin care products I used. Also my skin had been breaking out from all of my traveling and working outside, hence why I went in to get a facial. I was well aware of that and did not need to be belittle for 10 minutes on the condition of my skin I just wanted it exfoliate and clean. I had also seen a dermatologist who prescribe medicine to me, but of course a person who did not spend 10 years in college knows more than him. Her attitude was horrible and rude. it is rare you encounter such a know it all as her, but at least the people at the front desk were very nice and did not make me pay. DO NOT USE this place unless you want to be lectured on all or your so called flaws in life.

Pros: they did not make me pay for the horrible service

Cons: the facial was horrible

07/28/2008 Posted by shimmershell

I received a gift certificate for Milk + Honey for my birthday. Now, I'm not much for treating myself so this was a big deal to go down there and actually try to relax. When I made my appointment, I was told I could park in the garage of the Amli and they would take care of the ticket (certify it..whatever it's called). When I came in for the appointment and handed them my ticket, the front desk person smirked and said, "yeah, um we don't do that on the weekend." I told her that over the phone I was told they did but she only shrugged. Wanting to not make it a bad experience I chose to ignore her. I was taken to a waiting room and waited, and waited, and waited. I did show up early but still I had to wait for 15 minutes after my scheduled time. The place looks nice, but not so comfortable. The chairs you sit in for a manicure are hard blocks with no back. The nook you sit in for pedicures is hard wood...very uncomfortable. The girl that worked on me was nice enough it just sucked having to hear the other girls talking annoyingly about the customers. I could only imagine what they would say about me after I left. Too pretentious for my taste and not worth the money!

Pros: Looks nice

Cons: Not nice enough for the price

07/21/2008 Posted by Bedger

Okay, I want to start off by saying I am a Medical Aesthetician. My best guy friend went into Milk and Honey to get a facial and had the worst experience ever! The lady who did her treatment really messed his face up for at least 3 months. She had done extractions on him. He said it felt like she was scrapping his face. I have been in the business for years and NEVER I have never seen anyone's skin look like his did after a facial treatment. He called me to look at his skin to see if it was normal. I looked at him and my mouth dropped. I felt for him. I had finished the job she started. What she did was not get all the congestion out of his pores. Therefore he broke out terribly. Let me tell you, he hardly breaks out, so this was a huge deal to him. She obviously was not trained well enough. It has been 3 months and his skin is still scarred. Now he is doing treatments with me to fix what she had done. Please do not let this happen to you.

Pros: Pretty Office

Cons: Not well trained estheticians

07/09/2008 Posted by letscelebrate

I walked into milk + honey spa over the holiday weekend to get eyelash extensions. Chad was quick, very professional, and great at what he does. I left feeling sassy and fun, just as a lady should leaving a spa! I'll be back soon for a pedi.

07/01/2008 Posted by lindsay713

I live on the north side of Houston but visited Austin for a women's convention. My boyfriend and I made a weekend of it, stayed downtown near the convention center and were able to walk to and from the spa for our half day of services. A rain shower came through as we were finishing our nail services and getting ready to leave, so my BF suggested we get a cab...hello?...the nail techs and I helped him with his perspective and how a short walk in the light rain would be quite the romantic cap to our awesome day! Those girls were GREAT! It's been several months since our visit, so I don't remember anybody's name, I apologize, but the experience was a great one, nonetheless. We had a couples massage, and both got facials and manicures. The only time we weren't getting our sevices together was during the facials, but that makes perfect sense. My massage was nice, he REALLY enjoyed his. We both were very happy with the results from our facials and mani's, but the most impressive part of the entire experience for me was the professionalism of every staff member we encountered. During my facial a cabinet door slipped out of the estitician's (sp?) hand and didn't exactly slam shut, but made enough of a noise for me to jump a little. She was so concerned and sincere about it being an intrusion it was all I could do to try and reassure her that it was really a non-event as far as I was concerned. We'd definitely go back and have already recommended the package we got to other friends who live there!

Pros: upscale feel, convenient downtown location, GREAT staff

Cons: not a huge place, I could see the common areas getting crowded

06/24/2008 Posted by keya01

I discovered M+H after boycotting my last spa over poor customer service (Mecca was the name, and you can read my review of it for the reasons why). Lucky for me, M+H has been great and I try to make it for one facial and one massage a month. The location is convenient and on my way home from work. I used to like the reception desk better when it was just a regular height, now it is too tall and sometimes I'm not sure if anyone is back there when I walk in, but when they do see me they are very friendly. The locker room is a little small, but it is fine if you go on a weeknight. I've learned to try to avoid the weekends when there are a lot of other patrons using it at the same time, but on weeknights, sometimes I have the whole locker room to myself, or maybe one other person and it is great! One other thing I like about the locker room is that it is fully stocked with products you may need (lotion, deoderant, hair gels etc.) so you don't need to bring anything from home. After you slip into your robe and slippers you can wait for your service in a very relaxing waiting area. There is a good selection of magazines and I love snacking on the animal crackers, pretzels or walnuts. Also, they usually have refreshing pitchers of water with lemon or orange slices. The services are great too. It took me a few times to find the perfect massuese and esthetician for me, but I did. I love getting my faicials from Aleisha, she gets it perfect for me, an my skin has improved a lot since I've been seeing her. Specifically, she does the extractions well (without hurting me), pays close attention to detail and gives a great massage. Curtis (Tarzen) is an awesome massuese and gets the pressure just right. He has a very calming personalilty and I just feel great after I get a massage and wish I could afford to go more often. M+H also e-mails a great newsletter and hosts fun events each month. I always look forward to getting the newsletter.

Pros: Aleisha and Curtis are great, good location, relaxing.

Cons: Univiting reception desk, small locker area, crowded on weekends, no steam room.

06/08/2008 Posted by butterflymama

"Take me to the land of milk & honey..", sings James McMurtry, in one of his newest songs. And lead me to the man who won't eat honey because of the growing shortage of bees, but will remind you how beautiful nature is. I had my first massage at Milk & Honey this morning with Tarzen. Oh my. He is REALLY good and I have had more than a few massages in my day. I generally avoid salons because they are out of my budget, but being as it was Sunday and I wanted to book something last minute, it was actually worth every last dime to be in such a comfortable setting. I loved the grapefruit water and fresh almonds and apples to snack on after my massage, but mostly I was moved by this master of bodywork. Part of what makes Tarzen's technique special is that he uses a great deal of strength to iron out those kinks but without the pain that can often accompany such deep work. His touch is something special indeed. It is also obvious that this massuere understands there is as much of a gift in giving as in receiving. What a treat! Like honey from the bees!

05/24/2008 Posted by BeauteBee

As a special birthday present to myself I decided to spend this morning at Milk + Honey and treat myself to a well-earned m+h retreat package that includes an aromatherapy massage, facial, lux pedi and mani. I arrived at 9AM and was told that there was no availability for the mani/pedi until tomorrow, but I was rushed back and shown the changing room. The ambiance of the spa area was pretty relaxing and my massage with Mandy was great. I drank water and snacked on almonds while I waited, and then things went down hill. One client was upset and complaining to a therapist in the waiting area, people seemed confused, and the facial...well, let's just say the entire treatment felt like a sales pitch for their products and was NOT relaxing. When I went to change, I tired to rinse off in the shower and the handle broke in the shower…ok!?! Then, when I went to check out there was a countertop full of products that I felt highly pressured into buying! Finally, when it came time to pay the woman behind the desk said I would need to give her the tip amount in a percent that would be added to my bill and it would be divided between the staff…it was awkward and uncomfortable and I left stressed out and NOT relaxed. Made to feel shamed for not buying the products and strange about splitting a tip when I would have given more to the service I truly enjoyed. Plus, when I called to cancel the mani/pedi the lady made the rude comment, “you just barely got out of it didn't you” because it was close to 24 hours notice…what was that about!?! OVERALL: Nice space in downtown Austin, but not what I expected (or worth what I paid) and the high pressure sales and rude reception destroyed the work that is done in the spa…the point of an “urban retreat” to me is to leave happy, relaxed and refreshed... especially on your birthday! Best of luck & I hope this feedback helps!

Pros: downtown location, decor, comfy robes, water & snacks

Cons: customer service, price, facials