Complaint Review: Tula West Yoga Spa

The following is a copy of the email I sent to this Spa: 

I am writing this email in regards to my appointment last night, Tuesday May 24th, 2011 at Tula West.  My friend, Val, and I purchased waxing packages on wagjag.com.  Neither of us had had Brazil waxes before and we were hoping that a quality spa would make the experience as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately, we both had a horrible time at Tula West.
 
Val's appointment was at 6:45 and mine was at 7:15. We arrived at around 6:40 and checked in with reception.  At around 7:30, neither of us had yet begun our treatment.  No explanation for the wait was offered. Val finally asked if we would be waiting much longer.  At that point, the receptionist spoke to Isabel, our aesthetician.  Apparently, Isabel had not been told we were waiting for appointments.  I feel this is a failure of customer service: the receptionist should have already informed the aesthetician of our arrival, but the aesthetician should have been aware of her own schedule.  We had made the appointments nearly a week earlier.
 
Val went in for her appointment shortly after 7:30 while I continued to wait along with my 9 month old son.  At around 8, Isabel came back into the waiting room.  I asked, jokingly, if Val had been brave.  Isabel said "We couldn't get all the hair because she was sweating so much." At that point, I think my jaw dropped.  I feel it is completely unprofessional for Isabel to have shared that kind of extremely personal detail with me, even if I am Val's friend.  Isabel then repeated the same information to the receptionist and asked her to reschedule Val's appointment. There were several people in the waiting room who were clearly within earshot of this exchange. Also, Isabel was referring to Val as "that lady", as if she could not remember her name.  I feel this is another failure of simple customer service.  When you are going through something so intimate as your first Brazil wax, it is not terribly reassuring that your aesthetician cannot be bothered to remember your name.
 
At that point, I really should have just cancelled my appointment. But as I had waited for so long, and had already paid on Wag jag, I went ahead with my waxing.  It was an awful experience. I know, obviously, that it was going to be painful, but I really wasn't prepared for just how bad it was going to be.  I firmly believe that Isabel's lack of bedside manner contributed how bad it was. There was no small talk, no reassuring comments, and no communication of what the process was going to be. It was an awkward, uncomfortable silence for the vast majority of the waxing.  She also left the room several times and left the door ajar while I was laying half naked on the table. I was so tense and anxious, all of my muscles throughout my body seized up, which just made the process that much worse. I had to stop the process entirely before I got the results I was hoping for; it was far too uncomfortable. 
 
I gave birth just 9 months ago and I can safely say that labour and delivery was much easier than my waxing last night. The breathing techniques I used to work through contractions were not enough to help me relax during the waxing.  I also have several tattoos and piercings, so I am no stranger to working through painful procedures. However, all of my labour and delivery nurses, tattoo artists and piercers were professionals dedicated to making me feel comfortable and safe. Isabel's lack of professionalism and uncomfortable bedside manner made an already painful process very much worse.
 
During my long wait last night, I saw several signs claiming that Tula West was dedicated to a creating a positive atmosphere through excellent customer service.  If the management of Tula West truly wishes to create such an atmosphere, I strongly recommend either retraining or replacing members of your staff who are not up to such a challenge.


After I sent the above email, I did get a response from Isabel.  As it turns out, she is the director of the Spa.  She apologized for my wait but insisted that I was wrong about the rest of my complaint.  She offered a complementary waxing next month.  As I did not want another treatment at that facility, I requested instead a refund and a genuine apology. She refused both.