Bergamos Spa Retreat — Local services in Friendswood

Update to my previous review. I was SUPER excited for the renovation and wanted to give this spa another shot. I was completely enamored by the physical beauty of the space. Let me tell you — GORGEOUS. I was a little saddened the cafe wasn’t opened, so no mimosa to kick off my morning of relaxation. The receptions told me i was welcome to use a food delivery service. I imagine she was suggesting UberEats or GrubHub. I was checked in at 9:45 for a 12:30 massage. I had to leave at 1:30 to pick up my child, so I would have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the amenities before the massage. This would give me ten minutes to dress and pay before leaving to pick up my child.

The hot tub? AHHMAZING. Water jets, a lounge in the jets and even a water spout designed to hit shoulder pain. A very nice dry sauna and steam sauna was available.

I had to study for a test, so I went upstairs to the co-Ed waiting area. Again, kind of sad there was just some spa water. No fruit, no cookies, no hot teas, nothing. Just some water with a few lonely lemon slices floating. Sigh.

I studied for my test on the serene balcony, get a little tired from reading and retreat to the “quiet area”. Beautiful loungers, dimmed lights, a door so you don’t hear people in and out as they are called back for services. But the loungers are such a shape that you cannot even really take a cat nap. Plus there are no blankets, no neck wraps, nothing to make you feel cozy like a flickering candle or fireplace. Sigh.

At this point it’s about 11:30 and I decide to use the spa waters again and take a hot shower so I’m relaxed for the massage.

The showers have been upgraded. There is one shower that appears to be ADA accessible and has a removable shower nozzle. I go in the other shower with the rain option. The shampoo, conditioner and body wash all smell good and the shower has good vibes. I was kind of grossed out that someone left a wet towel behind and a dried out bar of soap on top of the toiletries dispenser. It’s not super busy on a Tuesday morning, so the attendant should have been able to pick up between guests that are too selfish to pick up after themselves. Sigh.

I’m feeling pretty chill, but a little hungry. Missing the cantaloupe juice, fruit tray, warm neck wraps and kind spa attendant at my go to spa, but I go upstairs 15 min prior to my massage with an open mind.

12:30 passes 12:35 passes 12:40 passes

Kinda freaking out at this point because I have a 50 massage and I need to leave on time to pick up my child.

I’m also a little confused as to why any therapist would run late at a spa? If the previous appointment started late, the guest would typically have to forfeit the time and the service still ends on time.

I walk downstairs (again missing having a guest concierge upstairs) and asked the receptionist what the heck was happening. She was clueless.

I went back to my locker, changed out of my robe and into my street clothes. I was so upset! This was my big mommy morning away and I wasted it on THIS?! no massage?! Plus I was feeling hangry by this point because I’m so accustomed to a hot tea and a little fruit or something while I chill.

As I exited the receptionist (not the manager) told me the therapist was still in session and she was unable to reach him. It was 12:45. Should I really have to cut my appointment time short because of their facility running behind?! Why couldn’t someone tell me they were running behind? I was over 2.5 hours early for my appointment. It made zero sense. Completely without logic.

The reception told me the manager apologized and would give me 25% off if I pre book another appointment. No thanks. I’ve got to go grab a smoothie and pick up my kid.

I really thought the manager would call back at some point in the day, but it’s 6pm and no word from the spa. Oh well, I guess that’s why their rating hasn’t improved despite the gorgeous...

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!!! I absolutely love a spa day, and I am more than willing to pay premium pricing for a premium experience, but at Bergamos they charge premium pricing for the most mediocre, understaffed/untrained, filthy spa experience. I frequent Trellis spa at the Houstonian but I live in the friendswood area so I thought I’d give this place a chance, but the website was misleading. Upon arrival the spa “tour” was half done, we weren’t shown upstairs. When we got to the lockers nobody was there to show us how to use them, I had to go and find an employee to help and I also needed a different size robe and it was unavailable. Their “therme circuit” is a joke. The steam room has a hose that just blows hot steam directly onto your feet and the doors aren’t sealed so the steam doesn’t even stay in the room. I couldn’t even be in the jet pool for long because the room itself is so hot and the only available showers are in that same room. We then go to the salt cave and were told that there was a private event so we had to get out. We then go upstairs to kill some time before our massages and order a bottle of wine. The front desk associate brought us plastic cups and served us wine and then didn’t let us keep the bottle at our table so every time we wanted a refill we had to hunt an employee down. They also had a private party and the same one girl was tending to them and us, I felt bad for her because she seemed so overwhelmed. The waiting room upstairs is filthy, stained carpets, stained chairs, every single water dispenser was broken. I booked an 80min massage and the music in my massage room wasn’t even on so it was kind of awkward and I couldn’t fully relax. Massage was mid, I asked for focus on my shoulders, arms and wrists because of my job I was super tight and my therapist didn’t even touch my wrists. I still left in pain. We then wanted to use the salt cave so we booked a Tuscan foot renewal “massage” in the salt cave for $300 for the “hour” and that was the final straw that led me to leave a review. I have never left a bad review ever!! I’m a business owner myself and I know how important reviews are! In the salt cave the techs came in with a little disposable cup of lotion and waterless mouse to wash it off and that’s it. They then spent 40min squeezing our toes and rubbing our legs??? The whole time I was waiting for the foot massage to start and then she says “unfortunately for you the service is over” WHAT MASSAGE? I was so confused as to what service I even paid for because that wasn’t a massage. At check out I spent $425 and my friend spent $375 for the worst spa experience of my life. I’ve had better service from a massage heights. I expressed my complaints to the front desk associate and come to find out my foot therapist was a nail technician who was “trained by a massage therapist “ and I don’t even blame the nail techs, why is bergamos having a nail technician perform a $300 foot massage? I’m an esthetician that had training from a massage therapist as well but I would NEVER charge someone for a massage because that’s not my specialty. It’s called being ethical. We were offered a voucher to come back to visit the salt cave for our inconvenience, what a joke. She didn’t event give them to us before we left LOL. I asked that the manager reach out to me since she wasn’t there on Saturday. It’s been a week and she still hasn’t called or emailed me. My friend called and spoke to her on Monday and was told she’d talk to the girls and call her back. She also has yet to receive a call. Save your time and money, I left with more stress than I came in with.

Customer service: 0/10 Cleanliness:...

I went to this spa last Monday as a treat from my husband who purchased a spa finder gift card. I called the spa to make the appointment and asked them about using the gift card. They told me it had to be used in one use and I had to bring a copy of it in. Great. I asked for an escape journey. The lady booking me gave me the description and the price. I said I thought it came with a pedicure and the price was $235. She confirmed and booked me. When I arrived, I was ushered to the back after a short wait while the front desk was dealing with a computer issue. Massage and pedicure was great. However, when I went to check out after my services, they wanted to charge me $50 extra because I had booked a "package" and their policy was that I couldn't use the Spa finder gift card on the package. This caught me off guard. After a long discussion, the front desk couldn't do anything about it but told me they'd speak with management and call me the next day. I was in tears. This was my first mom's day off since my child was born over a year ago. I had to pay the full price if I wanted to use the gift card. Management just called me. They told me it's on their website (their website doesn't say anything and their spa finder description says "Note: Some rules and restrictions may apply when using your Spa Finder Gift Cards or Certificates") and everyone had been trained to inform me of that. They didn't or I would have picked a different service. I didn't even get the full pedicure. I only got 60 minutes rather than the 75 minutes that's advertised for the full price. I read their website prior to booking. I read spa finder's terms and conditions prior to booking. I disclosed my gift card when booking and even asked if that was the correct price and was told yes. I don't know what else I was expected to do. I would have given the front desk the gift card before my services if I would have been able to check in normally. The manager that just called told me I was getting upset and that I got upset with her front desk lady (yes, I was in tears) that that she didn't appreciate it and told me she's wasn't discussing it. I'll admit I yelled at this point before hanging up. I'm so disappointed. Sadly, if they just would have refunded the extra $50 to another gift certificate, I would have asked my husband and my family for gift cards for another spa day. As it is, the manager insinuated I was a liar. So much for relaxation.

ETA: I posted a response to the owner’s response; however, after reflection I’m replacing it. I have no problem with their policy. My problem is with the nondisclosure of the policy, which was deceptive because it was undisclosed with the advertised prices, websites, and when specifically asked when booking. Could I have handled the situation better? Yes, both I and the company could have handled it better. I was blindsided at the checkout with the undisclosed policy. The nondisclosure was deceptive and wrong, which the company seems unwilling to admit. I mentioned in my original review that both my services were good. I tipped because I didn’t want to penalize service providers. The company’s agreement with Spafinder is irrelevant. Their own computer issues with another customer during my arrival was the cause of the certificate not being presented then. I posted the review because other potential customers deserve to know the policy and management’s response to the situation. I also don’t appreciate the owner's egregious mischaracterization of both encounters, which isn't surprising given the way they chose to handle...