The Dewberry Spa — Local services in Charleston

I hate to write this review, but feel that my experience warrants it, especially at the price point.

After booking my 90 min. Dewberry Signature massage appointment over the phone, I realized I was not asked if I preferred a male or female massage therapist. Because this isn’t a huge deal to me, I didn’t call back, but also gave them the benefit of the doubt that it would most likely be female if they hadn’t asked. I realize this could sound silly, but having worked in this industry for many years at an award winning spa, this is a very big deal to some. It could have ruined the experience.

As it turns out, I was booked with a male therapist. Again, not a huge deal to me, but was really surprised that I wasn’t asked for my preference at booking. When I checked in, she said I was booked with “our male massage therapist,” so it’s obviously on their radar.

I will get to the massage experience, but need to back up to the booking and contact with staff. When I originally booked, I gave a credit card to hold my service but told her I had a gift card, which I was told was fine and was told about their “48 hour cancelation policy.”

I then received a call to confirm my appointment less than 24 hours prior to, and was reminded about the “24 hour cancellation policy.” At the time I just thought it was kind of funny, but actually if you’re charging this much, you need to get it together

This next part I realize I have some responsibility for, but here it is. About two hours before my appointment, I couldn’t find my gift card. I figured surely they’d have a record of it and it would be ok, and called the Dewberry to ask if it could be looked up. I wanted to make sure it was fine before going to checkout after my service. The woman who answered the phone sounded totally baffled that anyone could lose a gift card. I told her I received it last Mother’s Day and while it was unfortunate, I’d surely expect them to be able to look it up given that I had the receipt and everything. She asked me “well you got it in 2020?” Obviously that was not last Mother’s Day. I asked her to please look into this and she told me she’d have the spa call me back but I couldn’t use it without actually having the card. I figured she didn’t know what she was talking about and was honestly annoyed that someone with such little understanding or, quite frankly, manners, would be answering the phone at The Dewberry. An hour until my appointment and no phone call back. So I called, got the spa, they were able to look it up in about 10 seconds and it was no problem.

So I get there, check in is fine and the attendant was nice.

The therapists was very nice and professional in his demeanor, but, and I hate to say this, this massage was the most to robotic massage I’ve ever had. He paid no attention to any trouble spots and didn’t ask about them at all. He literally just rubbed up and down my body, using almost no technique at all. Just rubbing and some squeezing. The description says “from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head.” Well he didn’t even touch my head. He barely touched my shoulders or neck, which is really disappointing because that’s where I needed it most. It honestly felt like he spent about 30 minutes just rubbing up and down my calves.

As for the essential oils, I got the breath in of them at the beginning and nothing else.

On top of this disappointing service, there was hair all over the shower. And I know this sounds silly, but the makeup remover wipes were totally dried out. Besides shampoo, conditioner and body wash, there are no other amenities. I had to look in the sink cabinet to find the hair dryer.

The relaxation room is comfortable but very tight (I realize there’s little to be done about that), but again, there is basically nothing offered besides room temp water and a granola bar.

For a $300+ lackluster service, I’d at least expect an option for herbal tea.

The only positive part of this experience was the beautiful decor, which you’d expect from The Dewberry. But everything else was...

Couldn’t recommend it unfortunately. My wife and I booked a kid free weekend at the Dewberry (love the hotel) and wanted a relaxing couples massage to cap of the weekend.

I’ll start by saying that the staff were very friendly, and both of our therapist were awesome. The massage itself was relaxing and refreshing… but only ~45 minutes. For $198/person after the 20% included gratuity, you would expect 60 minutes on the table. I understand that it’s a one hour appt time, but make it crystal clear to clients that you should arrive 15 minutes ahead to fill out the paperwork, get changed and actually walk into the room at the start of the hour to get the most from the experience. There is fine print that recommends arriving 10 minutes ahead of your appointment time, but gives no other information. This needs to say that your time on the table will suffer from being slow to complete the paperwork or get changed.

The rating is 2 stars because we both left disappointed. The therapist deserve 5 stars for the massage but that is only part of the experience. When leaving my wife expressed her disappointment about not realizing we wouldn’t have 60 minutes on the table. The staff at the front were not apologetic or sympathetic and just proceeded to collect payment. That’s frustrating and a missed opportunity to make the situation right or at the very least show some sympathy.

This massage is something we both had been very much looking forward to and I simply couldn’t recommend it to others when there are other options in Charleston at similar or...

I had THE BEST MASSAGE OF MY LIFE from Mary at the Dewberry Spa! I'm no stranger when it comes to massages, and Mary is without a doubt the best masseuse I have ever encountered. She intuitively knew the right amount of pressure to use. I could tell that she knew a lot about human anatomy because it was like she was feeling out the edges of my muscles and was able to tell where I needed work. At the end of my massage, I asked about the type of massage she did, and it turned out that she had 15 years of medical massage experience. She was also friendly and made some suggestions to help me with the issues I told her about. I felt like I was floating when I walked out of the room!

The spa itself is small but very, very cute. There's a relaxation room with chaise lounges, blankets, dim lights, and curtains where you can wait before/after your appointment. They play reiki music and you can hear a fountain. The massage rooms have heated cabinets where your masseuse will put your robe and slippers during your massage. It's super warm and cozy when you're finished. The locker room has everything you need to shower afterwards.

I would recommend this spa, and specifically Mary, to anyone. I think about this massage every day and would legitimately consider moving half way across the country to be able to get massages from Mary more often.

To Mary, if you ever read this: Thank you for doing amazing work!

To the management, who I hope will read this: Whatever you're paying Mary is not enough! She's your greatest asset and deserves a...