Mandara Spa Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort — Local services in Painttown Community

5 of 8 appointments canceled over a 6 week period these were NOT last minute call sick's, that is a misrepresentation to what happened. Do NOT book an appointment at this location. WHY? They won't honor it. I booked a group 8 - 80 minute massages back in the middle of July. Over the past 6 weeks, they have dropped the confirmations from 8 appointments down to 3 because of employee issues. I'm guessing they don't require their staff to receive the COVID vaccine, which for a spa makes no sense. They wouldn't answer this question when asked, so I can't say for sure. The unclear excuses were dramatic "an unforeseen disaster" "a catastrophe" "a serious medical situation" What luck this place has. They are on an Indian reservation....I would suggest getting the place saged as soon as possible. Management also showed no empathy. It was very "as matter of fact". I spoke with the director of operations, a gentlemen that seemed rather attuned to making excuses instead of providing service. I think his name was Bruce. "Theirs's nothing I can say that will make you happy" And I would say, you made no attempt to make me happy. You just made excuses. Their was no service recovery provided or offered. "We're in a pandemic, we're doing the best that we can" I would suggest the corporate group change the management here to one that is customer centric. The group I represent uses Mandara regularly, we have two in our community and they have platinum level loyalty on NCL and book multiple treatments on every cruise. Maybe the treatments were fine for the 3 people that got them. For the 5 that didn't, they just got excuses from what appeared to be an unmotivated, non-caring management group. ...

I've gone back and forth trying to decide if I should leave a review. I decided yes to prevent others from maybe feeling the frustration I have. I had an appointment for a manicure and pedicure. I was never told that they weren't prepared to remove powder dipped nailpolish until the manicurist had gone so far soaking my fingers in acetone that there was no turning back. She filed my skin raw several times both toes and fingers. She kept telling me that her lunch would be shortened because the polish removal took longer. I wish she had just refused to remove the polish especially because my fingernails looked better before my manicure and pedicure. I offered several times to just leave my nails like they were. She said no and that she'd do the manicure. She knew that they were powder dipped from the very beginning. They charge 20% tip automatically but my technician told me people usually give her over and above that and where she'd be for me to give her more tip (cash) after I checked out. I wish I had never gone. My nails after close to $300 expenditure need to be redone not to mention the wasted time. The pedicure was not as detailed as any other pedicure I've ever had. I go to the casino about 4 times a year but I will never visit the spa again. My nails seriously look like I hurried and tried to get a polish over my nails in a short amount of time with no prep to clean them up prior. Very expensive mistake and not happy that they need...

I got my hair colored at the salon inside Harrah’s Mandara Spa in Cherokee, NC, and was initially very excited they offered this service, it had been about a year since my last color, and I had a lot of regrowth. I went in with an open mind expecting exceptional service, especially at a spa within a well-known hotel.

I showed the stylist a photo of what I wanted: a simple partial color “old money” beige blonde with subtle money pieces. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t meet my expectations. The stylist didn’t greet me warmly or seem particularly welcoming, which was surprising compared to other salons I’ve visited. Still, I’m very easygoing and let her do her work without complaint.

Throughout the appointment, she barely spoke except to mention the steps she was taking. While blow drying my hair, she accidentally hit my head multiple times with the dryer, only apologizing after the third or fourth time. Again, I remained patient and didn’t make a scene.

When she finished, I looked in the mirror and was disappointed to see the front money pieces had turned orange. I tried to express this gently by saying, “It’s definitely brighter than it was, but the front pieces are a little orange,” to which she simply stared at me with a blank expression. It felt uncomfortable, and I was just ready to leave.

Overall, it was not the relaxing or professional experience I had hoped for, and unfortunately, I won’t be getting my hair done...