Serenity Spa — Local services in Honolulu

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Location 5/5 Parking 4/5 (free validation for 1.5 hrs) Cleanliness 5/5 Staff friendly 3/5 Accommodation 4/5 Price 3/5 Service 4/5 Will have sales pitch 5/5 Customer satisfaction 2.5/ 5

I chose this place because they were having a $70 special via IG. The packages includes facial analysis , steam, scrub, masks, and red light therapy. Sounds good, but the experience was far from it….

After having a scheduled appointment, I went there early, but they didn’t bring me into the room until 30 mins after the appt time. The male staff offered a free add-on for the delay, which was appropriate and appreciated; I chose the 24k gold mask.

When I was finally brought into the room, the white lab coat staff didn’t even introduced herself. She took pictures / analysis of my face (didn’t explain the results), and then instructed me to lay down and the next staff (who was running late) will come in for the treatment.

I was lying down with the steam on the face (which makes sense to open the pores) for, I KID YOU NOT, 30 minutes (!!!) before someone came in.

When the new staff came in, she didn’t introduce herself and just said she will start treatment. Throughout the treatment, she didn’t explain what she was doing. Nothing at all.

More disappointingly, she didn’t even apply the complimentary 24k gold mask on…I didn’t say anything at the end because she already applied the final moisturizer. But this reflects the poor communication among the staff members.

After the treatment was over, the first staff with the lab coat , came in and went over the results of my face from the analysis. This is where the experience went downhill by 70%….

She was hard selling premium packages….She explained how bad my skin was and how I needed more treatment and this was proceeded by selling membership plans and products that were very expensive. I mentioned the price is out of my budget, and she then offered a 50% off which was still in a couple hundreds! She finally offered financing option and had me use my phone to put in my info like name and SSN on this site (cherry finance), which immediately showed I was approved; it came out to $90 / month for 24 months plan for 12 facial appointments.

At this point, I was not pleasant with the service and sales pitch they had arranged and lack of the promised gold masks for starting my appt 30-60 mins late.

Someone else paid for this appointment and gave a 28% tip (!@&::!) that the company did not deserve.

I looked into this business further…their name is Kao Spa Honolulu. They operated in Waikiki before. Same complaints were made about how salesey they are, but they are closed down. Operating as Serenity Spa, I guess they are building their clientele with the special offers then hard selling their plans and products.

The business would be better if they are on time, introduce themselves, have a smile on their face, explain what’s happening throughout the treatment , analyze face, explain the results and how the treatment can help the damaged areas (and mention there will be options to purchase after the session if the customer wants, then do the treatment. Ask if they want to hear about your different plans. If not, then it’s ok. Start a stamp card or something. Don’t start hard selling to the customer right away!

Here’s your business lesson of the day ^

Will not be...

Don’t go here!! If you’re looking for a facial with no hassle- THIS ISN’T IT. Not only is the parking situation arduous but the staff is not customer oriented and honestly- quite insulting. Be ready for a hard sell- they get you in the door for a facial (not a very good one) and then try to sign you up for ongoing services, monthly billing, etc. after diagnosing your skin and pointing out various flaws. Looking back- I wonder what credentials they have to be making such evaluations and recommending medical devices… She didn’t accept no as my first or second answer, and kept pressing me, trying to make a deal. I folded. When I tried to make a return, within 2 weeks- as posted in the reception area- I was ignored, my call was not returned and my concerns did not seem to get any consideration. It took more than 2 weeks to get any response via email, after my case was “escalated”, all the be told in copy paste fashion that I am getting a great value and I should just go ahead with it. They continued by scheduling an appointment without my consent or confirmation. Don’t go here if you want the red light facial as advertised. I did not feel I was treated with kindness and respect, and do not trust them...

I opted for the red light facial special. It was basically a classic European facial with the red light device used twice during the process. It was pleasant and relaxing, probably nourishing for the skin, but nothing at a clinical level. Afterwards, they spent a fair amount of time trying to sell me the red light device which was extremely expensive, around $11,000. It was easy enough for me to say no. I also realize that some people would find the experience quite high pressure, and may actually sign up for the payment plan. While I was there, at least one regular customer came in for her regular treatment. I got the impression that she'd been going there for quite a while. So it is a real spa and not just a sales opportunity. The treatment room I was in was well equipped, and it looks like they do things like hydrotherapy, body scrubs, and a variety of treatments at the spa. I do not recommend purchasing the red light facial special, as it does not seem like that good of a value for what you get, and the afterward sales pitch is certainly not for everyone. But it looks like it might be a decent spa for other things, although I don't have any personal experience to...