Lapis Spa — Local services in Miami Beach

I visited the Lapis Spa when I traveled to Miami to celebrate my mother's birthday last week. We stayed at the Fontainbleu so Lapis was convenient as my mother and I planned to get our hair done before our dinner plans. If you want your hair to be round brushed, frizz free, and photo ready I highly recommend you book with Sol. She knows how to make dry hair look shiny and also knows how to manage thick hair. She's a pro! Here's why I didn't rate Lapis 5 stars - Although we were staying at the hotel and the location was convenient, scheduling was far from convenient and a total nightmare. One of the staff members, Vicky, tends to overcomplicate any simple question or ask and is not the friendliest. Also, we were not thrilled with the "manager", Renee, and her lack of customer service skills. On the last day of our trip I scheduled a blowout for my mom with William. Keep in mind we scheduled this on the same day of appointment. Given it was our last day we wanted to spend the last moments of our trip on the beach. We initially asked to book the appointment later in the afternoon but Vicky told us there weren't any openings so we took whatever was open. As we approached our appointment time, we were running a little late and wanted to have enough time to rinse off and shower, especially since the AC is high in the salon and we didn't want to get sick. I called in to see if we can come in 30 mins later than our scheduled appointment. When I called to check Vicky told me William was available but Vicky had to check with her manager if it was fine to push the appointment 30 mins out. I asked to speak to the manager directly to reschedule because Vicky couldn't get it done. Given we've visited Lapis a few times during our trip and got quite a few services done I thought they would be flexible and accommodating especially since there was an opening and no conflict. Instead, Renee told me she cannot move our appointment because she would risk the chance of not being able to schedule another appointment in between and her stylist will be sitting around with no customers. I found it strange how this manager was more concerned about losing 30 mins than losing a client. I tried to explain to her that this is our last day and I just want a little time to shower and not get sick in AC. She didn't care and wanted to charge me a 50% cancellation fee. My mother and I rushed to the appointment from the beach with barely any time to rinse off the sand on our feet in hopes of avoiding a cancellation fee. When we got there Renee was nowhere to be found and William was still working on a client and running late. We were totally understanding and didn't complain but this was completely unfair. Renee rushed us to be on time and threatened to charge us a cancelation fee if we were late when her stylist wasn't even ready yet. William was 15 mins late but he is the most respectful gentleman I've ever met and is super polite so I have no complaints about him. It's normal to run late in life and we completely understand. However, when the customer is running late it's not ok for Renee. One thing I want to highlight here is the reason why I did not leave Lapis a 1 star review. There are a few staff members that know the meaning of customer service and know how to make customers feel valued. A huge shoutout Juliette, Mali, and Ismalina for making up for the poor experience. They went out of their way to take care of us and make us feel like valued customers. Mali saw how upset we were and wanted to make sure we are satisfied and was extremely sympathetic towards the poor experience we faced. As a result she allowed my mom to properly rinse off in the locker room shower area while we waited for William to finish with his client. Personally if this was my business I would make Mali the manager. This review is a warning for anyone who plans to visit Lapis in the future. It's a great salon with a lot of potential but management needs to change if they want loyal customers. I hope next time I visit Mali is...

Solid 4.5. A Detailed review plus tips on how best to enjoy your stay.

We were staying at the Fontainebleau for a convention, and I absolutely wanted to try the spa. I receive massages and facials on a regular basis, so I was a bit hesitant to have a massage or facial, because I didn’t want to “cheat on my facialist”, and I’m very particular about my products. I’m also receiving physical therapy for my shoulder, so I did not want to have a massage. So I chose the “girls just wanna have fun” package which includes a Mani-Pedi and a little mini-facial. Here is my detailed review.

The good: The snacks are a great touch! Some spas will have lovely water options and tea and coffee and maybe a little bit of fruit, but this spa also had some nuts and dried fruits in addition to fresh fruits. It was also beautifully presented.

I love it when spas provide all of the essentials you need for your after-spa experience. Of course, many of them have blow dryers and curling irons and shampoos and soaps and conditioners, but not all of them provide full-size lotions, and Lapis provided face lotion as well as hand lotion and a host of other amenities. Bravo!

The pools were very nice, and I enjoyed how they had a women’s section with our own private little small Jacuzzi and a men’s section, and then in the middle there was the ESSENCE MINERAL CO-ED POOL. The women’s area and the coed areas included the hamman benches, and I’m assuming the men’s area did as well.

Now, onto the best part. I have had many wonderful facials, and this one, although it was only a mini facial, it was good. But the Mani-Pedi was among the best I have ever had! I feel terrible that I did not write down her name, but the person who did my Mani-Pedi was thorough and sweet and interesting and did a beautiful job. I have quite short nails, because I am active and do a lot of gardening! I was almost embarrassed to get a manicure, but the spa technician was able to make my scratchy small nails look beautiful! And she was so sweet about it.

The bad: Although I appreciated the eucalyptus steam room, and it was huge and I was the only person in it, there were a few spots on the ceiling that didn’t look 100% clean, so when things were dripping it made me feel a little icky. But overall it was mostly clean. But since it is a steam room and stuff drips, it should be spotless!

There was a registration hiccup. In fact, it was very difficult to get anyone on the phone. I ended up sending a email, and it was answered a couple of days later. When I finally did get someone on the phone and scheduled something, it was difficult to change it. (I had an evening commitment and needed to change the time for my services). I ended up replying to the email, and the person confirmed that I was changing my package time, but when I arrived at registration, they did not have the time change. The person at registration was quick on the feet, and was able to come up with some times that worked for me on the spot!

Tips:

If you have a service, then you can arrive and enjoy the spa at any point. It seemed to became more crowded later in the afternoon, so try to go potentially before lunch?

There is a relaxation/reading room that is just delicious. Absolutely no one was in there. It felt like everyone was in the water, so this was a wonderful opportunity to relax in a private room.

The spa floors are quite slippery, so they do provide slippers for you, but they are not very comfortable. So bring your own slippers!

Save your treatments for the end of the day, because it’s uncomfortable to have a treatment in a wet swimsuit, so you change out of your swimsuit, and then putting on a wet swimsuit again is tricky and cold and damp! So, go earlier in the day to enjoy the experience, but save your treatments until just about the time you’re...

Feedback on Spa Experience at Fontainebleau: Disappointing

Our visit to the spa at Fontainebleau was far from the relaxing and luxurious experience we anticipated. Here is a summary of our experience:

Arrival Experience We arrived 15 minutes early for our spa treatments, as instructed. Instead of a warm welcome, we were rushed and told to hurry. Once inside, we had to wait in another line to receive robes and sandals, which set the tone for an impersonal and disorganized process. The check-in felt clinical, almost like being admitted to a hospital.

The locker room was cold, lacked any soothing music, and had an overall stressful atmosphere.

Waiting Time and Communication Issues I was escorted to a waiting room where about 10 other women were seated in a cold room. Shortly after, the staff member who guided me informed me that my treatment was actually scheduled for 3:30 PM, not 3 PM as I had been told. When I asked about my husband’s appointment time, she advised me to wait to see if I was called and, if not, to head to the spa area and return at 3:30 PM.

In the end, my appointment did not start on time, leaving me to wait unnecessarily.

My husband’s experience was equally frustrating. After being told his appointment was at 3 PM, he waited in the lounge for 24 minutes. He had 3 different staff members stop and ask, saying they would check the time of his appointment with only the third one coming back before informing him that his session would start at 3:30 PM. By the time, he had only six minutes to “relax” and warm up in the spa area before his treatment began.

Spa Facilities The spa area itself was underwhelming and poorly maintained. There was a single, narrow, communal pool with a wheelchair lift, which unfortunately added to the clinical, hospital-like feel of the space.

In the women’s section, the steam room was larger but showed signs of neglect, with missing mosaic tiles giving it a shabby appearance. There was a small jacuzzi, a few marble loungers, and approximately seven empty stone tubs that could be manually filled with water. None of these tubs were in use during our visit.

The snack table was minimally stocked with water served in plastic cups, two types of tea served in paper cups, orange slices, dried pineapple, and whole apples. The selection and presentation had little resemblance of a high-end spa.

Massage Treatment My $236 massage, scheduled for 50 minutes, lasted only 40 minutes (therapist picked me up at 3.34, started at 3.40 after a visit to the restroom (also stocked with cleaning products and looking like a hospital toilet) and ended 3.20. While the therapist was kind and welcoming she did not provide the firm pressure I requested, possibly because that would involve booking a deep tissue massage which was priced at $80 more than the $236 Swedish massage we had booked.

Wardrobe It was cold in the locker room, no relaxing music and the shower head and bracket was broken. Throughout the visit, the staff moved noisy plastic carts on wheels through the locker room, which was disruptive and added to the hospital-like atmosphere.

Summary Our experience at the Fontainebleau spa was far from the luxurious escape it claimed to be. Disorganization, lack of communication, and an underwhelming spa environment made for a disappointing visit. The facilities and service did not match the high-end reputation or price point of the spa.

We had hoped for a peaceful and pampering experience but left feeling cold, stressed and dissatisfied. This is not a place we would recommend for those seeking a truly relaxing...