Viva Day Spa + Med Spa | Lamar — Local services in Austin

I have never been to a spa in my life and that is sad to say....I received the Spa Viva Diva package (Massage, Mani/Pedi, and Facial) from my husband for Christmas and was finally able to use it. When I called to schedule the appointment, it took a bit of time for the concierge to be able to find a day that they had appointments for all 3 services to create an entire day as it is about a 6 hour experience. She seemed a little irritated a bit when scheduling it, and me asking questions, but I was hoping that that did not set the tone for the actually day and experience at the spa.

It did not to say the least!! I got to the spa right at 9am and was greeted very happily and sweetly by the ladies in the front. They greeted my by name right off the bat and had everything ready for me to get the day started. I am an extremely nervous person, especially when I have no idea what to expect or being at a new place. The lady who helped check me in was extremely helpful and calming. I parked in the parking garage and she gave me a 5 hour code instead of just the 2 hours because I was going to be there for 6 hours. That was so helpful!

She took me directly to Caitlin to start my day with my 2 hour massage. Now Caitlin....she is probably the best massage therapist I could have asked for for my first time. She was sweet, genuine, happy, and just down to earth. She started by asking me about my massage experience and when I told her I had none, she immediately put me at ease by going over step by step what to expect. The actual massage was the best thing I have ever felt in my life! I discussed with her that I have spinal stenosis, bulging disks, and lots of muscle pain and knots. She went to work and gently, but firmly unknotted my neck. I had no pain for the rest of the day which is unheard of for me as it is a chronic pain issue. We had great conversation and I greatly enjoyed my time with her and was sad when it ended...But then she brought me to lunch and my Mani/Pedi with Tony😊

The last time that I had a Mani/ Pedi was about a year ago and before that was February 2020 before my daughter was born...so my feet care is terrible. Tony took the time to care for my calices and in grown toenails. We had fun conversation and enjoyed a laugh or two. He helped me pick out a cute fall shade of Purple that I love! He took great care in making sure that he put an extra layer of clear coat as he knows I am a chef and work with my hands all day long. He wanted to make sure I got the longest wear out of my nails as possible. He made sure that I was comfortable to whole time, had enough water, wasn't too hot, and checked if I needed anything else. Best Mani/ Pedi ever...don't ever want to go back to a normal nail salon again!

Toni then brought me to Mackenzie for my Facial. Mackenzie again asked me about my last facial and I let her know I had never had one. She was so sweet and made sure I was comfortable before we got started. She gave me the option to talk me through the creams and things she was using as she went through them. As I got more comfortable it became very relaxing. She gave a wonderful massage and facial! My face was glowing when I left and I could feel a difference in my pores! She is very knowledgeable about her craft and was helpful in providing recommendations for a better skin care routine.

Thank you Viva for having a great team of professionals who are amazing in their fields! If you are questioning going to Viva..DONT!!! Just do it!! It will be the best choice you make. All of the Viva locations may be great, but I would always recommend the Lamar...

If I can give zero stars I will for this spa!!! The massage with Alma was excruciating!!! I have never had a massage where I cannot wait to get out of the room. That is how bad it is. It was for $185 massage. On the intake on their iPad, I was specific that I will be needing deep tissue massage. I even asked to concentrate on my neck, shoulders, the whole back upper and lower back. I even circled the area on ipad the back area she needs to concentrate on but still she gave me a lousy touchy massage using her palms. After she did that, I asked her if they never really use their elbows on deep tissue. Alma told me that it depends on the practitioner and that she felt there is a miscommunication maybe because she was doing a signature massage on me NOT deep tissue. That was a lie because she asked me before I even laid down on the table what type of massage I need, she even read aloud what I asked on their intake form on the iPad.I asked if there’s a difference in pricing on a signature massage versus deep tissue and she said she could not answer that because it depends on the practitioner??? Duh???? You could tell she is now gas lighting me. At the start of the massage, she read the intake on the iPad and even mentioned deep tissue and I said I need a hard pressure and she agreed. I asked her to do the foot mint massage, and that massage was just poking my toes for less than a minute each foot, then she proceeded on my arms. I wasn’t sure if she does understand English.As far as I know the intake was very specific that I just want her to concentrate on my back, which she repeated when she brought me to the room if I wanted just my back, which I said yes. Oh she massaged my hair and scalp for more than 20 mins even after I told I need my back to be massage. I think I know what she’s doing. She was killing time so she cannot do the hard part of doing the back massage which she was asked. She told me that when I got into the room, she mentioned that my scalp will be massaged. I do not remember her telling me about a scalp massage because I was very specific for a back massage. This lady need a different job, she cannot follow simple English instructions. This lady should need to find a different job. This lady is VERY lazy!!!!! She thinks she can get away, just rubbing her palms against my back and holding my hair as if she was doing something on my scalp. Extremely Frustrated, disappointed, upset since I waited for this weekend to come due to this massage. I just felt like the $185 charge should not even be charged at all to pay for something that was nonexistent— the massage I requested 🙈. I was charged the Swedish massage out of the $185 which if am going to be asked, NOT worth a Swedish massage. There was really not a massage that happened as I expected it to be. Never ever going to recommend this spa to anyone. if I were the manager, I am not going to charge any for this excruciating massage. Maybe I will feel better if I was not even be charged a penny for this horrible, horrible...

Pretty lackluster experience with Erin-Kate (EK). I get monthly facials but this was my first hydrafacial. I got the most expensive hydrafacial, 75 minute platinum hydrafacial as a birthday gift to myself but I wish I didn’t bother trying this location. Erin-Kate didn't get me from the waiting area until five minutes after my appointment time, she didn't start the service until seven minutes late and she ended around six minutes early, so the service actually ended up being around an hour versus a full 75 minutes. Had it not been for a birthday discount, I would’ve mentioned something at the front desk but I wanted to get out of there because parking is only validated for 2 hours and I was already running close to the end since I got there over 20 minutes early. Erin-Kate had the wrong name written on the bed and she had no leg riser so my back was uncomfortable the whole time. Zero check-in if the bed was ok - it just felt like she was going through the motions. I typically prefer a more relaxing, quiet facial experience but this felt too silent especially for her knowing it was my first hydrafacial. She explained a couple of steps in the beginning but didn’t really explain what she was doing later in the service. It was also tough getting her to give her opinion on serums based on my skin’s condition, which should be an easy task for an experienced esthetician, but she kept resorting to “it’s whatever you want.” When I was asking questions at the end of the service it felt like she was rushing out the door - no offer for tea or water after, she tried to rush me to checkout so I asked to stop for water. I’m giving it an extra star because the hydra facial service is something I would like to try again with a better esthetician, but overall, I wouldn’t return to this location so I’ll have to stick with the domain...