Thrive NOLA Spa — Local services in New Orleans

First-time customer at THRIVE:

And I'd like to preface this with saying that, the staff was very nice and professional during this experience.

After searching through Google and reading reviews, I decided to book a nose waxing appointment with THRIVE, in the French quarter. I went on to your website to book online and saw that there be a $7.50 deposit, that would need to be paid ahead of time. I paid that and then received my appointment and payment notifications from THRIVE, via email.

Upon arriving the next day for my appointment, as I was greeting the staff, I was immediately shushed due to some sort of bridal photo shoot going on. There were several women running around, taking selfies and sipping on champagne. It was a very small waiting area, so they're activity event much, especially as, they have been consuming alcohol.

Any employee, we will schedule to do my appointment, it was very nice it took me to a small world but my nose waxing procedure. Upon entering the room, I nearly will surprise to see that none of the wax was already heated up and melted. She had larger portions of wax for larger. Odor larfer , that would be for larger parts of the body instead of for the nose. And then asked her, if she had ever done those waxing before and she told me now! She thought that I wanted hair removed from the outside of my nose, which was unbelievable to me.

She asked me how far up each nostril she should put the wax. And that she was not comfortable doing the procedure. I ended the session right there and then. I went back to the front desk and asked to speak to a manager and for a refund.

Upon agreeing to refund me, the front desk employee did not know how to do a simple refund transaction. She self-admitted this and then went to get the manager to help her. The manager seemed to be sipping champagne with other clients.

I'm not sure how THRIVE has such a high rating on Google, maybe due to tipsy bridal parties and unaware tourists but this experience was extremely strange and unprofessional.

Be very careful to read all paperwork from THRIVE. The $7.50 "deposit" that I thought was a deposit, was actually already included gratuity. Upon arrival, I thought it would only be a remaining $7.50 balance that needed to be paid. and then was made aware by staff that the full $15.50 was still due plus an additional $7.00 fee would be added to my balance as well. $15.50 due for the nose waxing procedure. Bringing the nose waxing to almost $30.00 which is insane, for a nose wax.

When I called the day before to inquire about tipping procedures, because as a former food and beverage worker, I like to make sure that people are being tipped appropriately and that the tip actually makes it into the employee's hands. The front desk employee was evasive when I asked her about how they receive tips and then eventually admitted that they accept tips via card and cash. It was very strange to me for her too with all this information until I wouldn't stop asking how, that is scary. There's something very strange going on with this place in terms of how they charge services and receive tips.

THRIVE: Please make sure that your staff is trained properly and accurately on how to perform procedures that you have advertised. Also, please make sure that your front desk employees are trained on simple administrative and register operations including card payments and refunds. Listing services on your business website that your employees can obviously not perform, falls under false advertising.Also, it might be a good idea to not have your employees standing right out in front of a wellness spa, smoking cigarettes.

The city already has quite the reputation for not providing adequate services to its locals. THRIVE, please don't add to the proverbial pile!

Buyer beware, you're in for a scare!

P.s. I will update this review if/when I receive the second refund for $21.50...

★☆☆☆☆ Horrible Experience – Completely Unprofessional

During a recent girls’ trip to New Orleans, we had a terrible experience at Thrive Nola that left me incredibly disappointed and frustrated—especially considering this visit was meant to celebrate my mother’s birthday.

First, the booking process was chaotic. The person who answered the phone didn’t understand the system and couldn’t help. I had to wait for a callback just to make the appointment. I still moved forward because the Birthday Package they advertised—including a charcuterie board, champagne, facial, and massage—sounded perfect.

On the day of our appointment, August 4th we arrived early as instructed. At 10:00 AM, only my mother was taken back. After a few minutes, I realized she hadn’t been offered the champagne or charcuterie board. When I asked, I was told they “don’t do that anymore.” This was never communicated in advance, even though it’s still shown on their website and in photos at the spa. When I expressed concern, I was finally told another service would be offered in its place—but only after I pushed for an alternative. The response was completely dismissive.

It got worse. Although all of our appointments were confirmed for 10:00 AM, my sister and I waited for over an hour before being told (again, only because I asked) that we’d be seen one at a time, not together. That was never communicated at booking, and completely defeated the point of a group spa day. At that point, my sister and I opted out of our services entirely.

The staff member—who claimed to be the manager—was rude, unhelpful, and completely unprofessional. I wasn’t given a proper explanation or apology, just told to “email the owners” if I wanted a refund. There was no transparency, no accountability, and frankly, no customer service.

To top it off, I noticed I was overcharged for several services—like $100 each for eyebrow tinting (listed at $25 on their website), and an extra fee for an enhancement that was supposed to be included in the birthday package. I also discovered the person assigned to do the lash/brow services was not properly trained—something I only found out after requesting an itemized receipt and receiving text message screenshots. The screenshot even said: “Gabriella does not usually perform these services.”

I did email the owners and received a response about a partial refund for the services we didn’t receive. I sent a follow-up email on August 7, 2025, regarding the overcharges—but have yet to receive a response.

This entire experience was sloppy, misleading, and unprofessional from start to finish. I absolutely do not recommend Thrive Nola and will not be returning. If you’re considering booking for a special...

Y'all, when I tell you that this was THEE best massage I ever had I am speaking the honest truth. Let's get into it: so your girl was in NOLA for a weekend and i had been saying I was in desperate need for a massage. I was walking down the streets and noticed a sign that said, "thrive" and anything with that word peaks my interest. So my friend and I walk down and as soon as we walked in we felt at peace. The place was beautifully decorated, the smell was relaxing, and the man at the counter (with the beard) welcomed us with the most friendly smile. I immediately said, "take my money." I scheduled an appointment for the next day and it was so simple. I even received a confirmation call later that day. When I arrived I was offered a beverage while I filled out the intake forms behind the privacy curtain. I went into the first room and it was just as magical as the waiting area. They have a place for you to store all your belongings safely and (this was my favorite) they have a button that you can push to alert the therapist when you're done undressing. This was a favorite for me because the other places that I go to knock too soon or knock so late that it's 10 minutes within my session time and I like all my time, okay? So, I had Mr. Ronald and baby he had the hands of blessings. He listened to me, and my body, on areas that needed more work. He was super professional and made sure I felt comfortable. When I asked for deeper pressure he gave it to me and baby, don't ask for deep if you aren't ready because he worked a knot out on my quad and I felt my nasal passages open up. That felt amazing to me because that's how deep I like it! From now on, every time I'm in NOLA I am going to Mr. Ronald at...