By the Sea Day Spa

This is the absolute worst spa I have EVER EVER been too. The massages are decent. But the front desk staff and the owners are rude disrespectful and unaccommodating. They don’t help you at all. I wanted a product they didn’t have in stock and asked if they could please ship it to me, I’d pay postage And they said absolutely not. I don’t live in state so for me to come back for just that is a waste of miles and time. The facial I had was mediocre at best. The girl talked wayyy too much. It wasn’t relaxing or calming. My skin looked the same as when I arrived. This product line wasn’t great at all. I did however want to try an eye cream bc the woman that worked with me assured me that I’d see an amazing difference in lines within weeks. Better than Botox but naturally I was unable to get that product bc they were out of stock. I don’t know how they employee the front desk. They’re all rude with no personality especially Hope the «manager». She was sloppy looking very unkempt hair a mess clothes were too tight and zero makeup on. This is who greets you at a self proclaimed high end spa. I’m sorry but that gives off the complete wrong message and starts your visit with a bad vibe. What ever happened to being professional and dressing business casual??? The esthetician… Laura or Lara? Was nice I guess but very bossy and high energy insisting I do this and buy that almost like she was on drugs. Spastic I guess you could say. I don’t recommend anyone going here. They are very expensive which is fine if you’re receiving 5 star service but this run down joke of a place isn’t worth $ 25 for a facial. They updated the outside but the inside is dumpy. The walls are paper thin. The upstairs bathroom is old and wonky and the rooms are less than desirable. My advice is for the owner is to revamp the entire staff manager included then take a managerial seminar herself to learn how to run a business and speak to people. Finally she needs to take a trip to real upscale day spa, get a day of beauty, take a few notes then make the necessary changes to her spa. If I could give it zero stars I would but I suppose they get one star for the outside appearance.
Ladies and gents… Save your money or search for a nicer establishment. Bc you will be dissatisfied with this place. I’m almost convinced that the positive reviews on this site have been written by the staff bc there’s no way actual customers are giving this place 4 – 5 stars. There’s just no way.

I dunno who had a bad massage here but i suppose you can have one anywhere. I was very impressed by the service here! My massage was excellent, very relaxing and wonderful pressure. Kim does a wonderful job.
My facial was also fabulous! Yolanda did not pressure me to get products but suggested a few at the end of the service that would work for my skin. I love what she used and my skin is smooth. It’s much cleaner thanks to her extractions, and I’m looking forward to getting some of the products she recommended.
As far as pricing I thought it was fair, for a 60 minute massage and fill facial I only paid $ 186. Which is pretty standard for a good day spa. I’ve for sure paid more and gotten much worse services!
The only thing that would have made it better would have been a glass of wine, but hey a girl can’t have everything. They do have lots of tea selections and Chex mix to snack on
Looking forward to coming back!

Hope the GM went above and beyond! my mother loves going here. Was trying to get there on Christmas Eve day to buy a gift card but my flight was delayed. Hope was able to make it happen over the phone for me 3000 miles away. Love the service and hospitality this place has always provided !

I came here for a Brazilian and they were so comforting, quick, and professional. Highly recommend!

Nice facility, pleasant staff but completely disorganized, immature and choppy service. Was not given my treatments at the time promised; was left in the «relaxation room» for 45 minutes during which 4 different people asked me if I was someone else and then walked away, and while a literal rotating door to the office opened and closed dozens of times including contractors who were working on the place as I sat there in my robe. (awkward, and completely NOT relaxing)
During my massage, I was treated to conversation the entire time. (NOT relaxing) During my facial, my esthetician also talked (about the product line) the entire time so I was treated to a sales pitch during my facial (NOT relaxing). During my manicure the girls (like, early 20’s?) were chatting to each other the whole time about their boyfriends and even getting snippy with each other over a bottle that wouldn’t open or some such thing, and then the girl doing my hands hair was hanging in her face and it dragged across my wet nail. She was in hurry ’cause I was her last treatment of the day, so she just painted over it. (NOT relaxing).
This sounds pretty harsh, but keep in mind, I am not a spa regular, and I don’t know many people who are. If I was a regular there, and knew the staff, I might be amenable to some pleasant conversation like where I get my hair cut. But if I’m dropping $ 250 for spa services once a year, this was NOT the experience I want.
By The Sea should do a little customer service brush up, tell their staff to concentrate on the experience and respect of the customer and get the basics down. It all detracted completely from the experience and I would not go back.
On the upside, the treatments (with the exception of the manicure) were very nice, and the Eminence organic facial products were terrific… I did buy several of the items when I left, but even though the girl who did my facial talked a blue streak, I didn’t get the feeling she was a product expert, nor do I think she was clear on a recommended regimen. I learned more going on the Eminence website and watching YouTube videos than I did from her, even though she was very sweet. She did say it can’t be purchased anywhere else, but that is false: you can buy it on Amazon for about 25% less. Also, she wasn’t shy about saying she gets products in return for sales, and I heard her talking to other staff saying «sell! sell! sell!!»
Overall, it was a ‘meh’ experience, but don’t blow your wallet getting multiple services here… check the FB page for a monthly deals if you are considering more than one thing.

I went to this spa for the first time recently to treat myself for my birthday and it was a great experience. I got one of the packages with a one hour Swedish massage, manicure and pedicure. The waiting area was comfortable with snacks and soothing music playing. This was my first time having a massage so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but it was great in my opinion. Then I was taking upstairs to get my nails done. All of the staff were very friendly and welcoming. There’s construction going on currently but I never heard anything so it didn’t disrupt my experience at all. The only «negative» I have is that I wish they had more polish colors to choose from and I didn’t really like the way the girl shaped my nails but those aren’t big things to me. Overall it was a great experience and I’ll definitely go back.

A great place for a massage, especially by Alla, but really they are all good and it is very clean. A wonderful place to run away to as they offer a very relaxing living/​wait room with snacks & tea. I hang out after my massage to chill out. & let it all absorb. They never rush you out. Gift shop is worth a look as well.

The point of getting a massage is to leave feeling refreshed, recharged, and relaxed. Over the past few years each service here as become less and less of a treat.
I would come here religiously a few years ago, it was even worth the travel. But no longer is that the case. They’ve become to relaxed in the quality of their services. No longer did you leave with a «wow» factor. My massage could have been better by my 7 year old. I asked for certain areas to be paid more attention, and they were barely touched. There was nothing deep tissue about it. My pedicure was completed on a back patio, that was converted to be a pedicure room but it was so rushed and sloppy I had to go home and repaint them.
Upon checkout the woman asked how everything was. Honestly, out of embarrassment because the person who completed my services was hovering over me for her tip I just smiled and handed her my credit card. I could have spoken up I suppose, but I was annoyed and just wanted out.
It feels less professional. I can no longer recommend services here. To rushed, they’re using the word spa to lure you in for a service you can get at the mall for a third the price.

I love love love this spa!!! I’ve been going there for years and they are always ALWAYS in point!
The atmosphere is relaxing, the tea and snacks are delish!
When I have the extra money, I go for the day treatment! It is sooooooo nice! They get you lunch and wine and you sit out alone in their beautifully remodeled sunroom!
Just love everything about it.
The massages are actually soothing yet effective, the facials are the best! My esthetician LARA is FABULOUS (ask for her) she knows my skin, my life story! Haha she’s amazing.
You get that old school service when you visit this spa often, they know your name, your skin, the products you use! Very nicely mananaged!
Liz is my favorite massage therapist. SHE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL. Her technique is not only soothing but medically back rounded as well. What I mean by that is that she stretches your neck to allow blood flow, looses up tight muscles at the base if you skull to relieve tension and headaches… She’s basically the best massage therapist I’ve ever had!
Not cheap but average for the service your getting. As they say you get what you pay for!

I booked an appointment for my daughter to have a facial. This was her first experience having a facial. I booked an appointment at Spa by the Sea because it was on our way to shop at the outlets. The facial left her face red, irritated and blotchy. I asked her what was done? My daughter said she told the cosmetician that she had sensitive somewhat dry skin, the women used products for oily combination skin and squeezed «blemishes» my daughter does not have blemishes and if she did you are not supposed to squeeze them. I would not recommend this place at all. I wanted to go back in and speak to a manager, after spending 90 for a facial plus 20% tacked on for gratuity I felt she should be 100 percent happy with fresh glowing skin.

I went for the Martha’s Vineyard package a few weeks ago. I had such high hopes but wasn’t treated as well as I had hoped. I was greeted by a very nice girl who led me into the changing room. Then I went into the lounge with the fireplace in my smock and robe. It wasn’t private at all. There were a few women waiting for their services. But, they were women so I didn’t mind that much. I first got a pregnancy massage by Sandra. She was amazing! She made me feel important and took really good care of me. When it was over she had a cup of water waiting for me. I was so happy I had come to such a nice place. I then went on to have a facial, lunch, and then my pedicure and manicure. I had to wait a long time for Tanisha to come get me. I waited in the back room because there was a creepy guy talking on his cell phone sitting in the main lounge. It wasn’t very soothing listening to his phone call. Anyways I went to have my facial. Tanisha asked me about my skin and told me to get comfortable. She went to get some skin care products and left the room. I got comfy and waited. Then she knocked on the door saying it was locked. So I had to get up off the table and let her in. It wasn’t a big deal but I was 12 weeks pregnant at the time and it was getting harder to move each week. So she did my facial and would leave the room for long periods of time in between each treatment. By the last time she left me I had to pee so bad I couldn’t get comfortable. When she came back I told her I had to pee so she finished up. She didn’t once throughout the whole afternoon ask me if I needed anything or if the pregnant woman had to pee. Anyways, I was left alone in the upstairs room to have my lunch. It was good. There was no clock in there so I had no clue what time it was. I ran downstairs to get my phone out of my locker. I went back downstairs and waited for my mani and pedi. I had my pedi first. The moment I walked in the room another technician spent a lot of time talking about how her child births went. This being my first pregnancy I was totally freaked out by hearing this. I had to wait a while for Tanisha so I had to hear this other girl talk a lot. It wasn’t relaxing at all. When she started my pedi, she was kind of rough with me. She cut the cuticle on my big toe and pretended not to notice. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to be mean. She hardly talked to me the whole time unless I said something. She would then proceed to tell me about her life. She wasn’t mean to me, but she was not personable at all. After my pedi, we did my manicure. I made sure to go pee before because again, she didn’t ask me if I needed to go. My manicure went okay except for her leaving the room many times to talk to her baby sitter about her son being sick. I don’t want anyone’s kids to be sick. That’s awful. However, I don’t want to hear about it on my spa day. I just felt like she didn’t care about me at all. I felt so violated and ignored after she was done with me. I waited for my nails to dry and I went to finish up my billing. I had to pay extra for the pregnancy massage and tax. The girls at the desk couldn’t figure it out. I don’t know why it was so complicated. I just wanted to get the heck out of there after spending 4 hours feeling crappy. After I finally got out of there, the spa called to tell me they forgot to charge me tax. So I had to pay with my card over the phone. It was just a mostly bad experience and I will never go back again. I hope you ask for Sandra for massages because she was amazing. Please understand that I hate to write bad reviews. I just don’t want anyone else to pay 300+ dollars to feel like no one cares about you.

Customer service is lacking and services are below average.
I went here to get a shellac manicure and regular pedicure. The pedicure was pretty good. The shellac manicure was nothing. It was $ 35 for basically two coats of polish. The manicurist explained that a shellac manicure is basically a regular manicure in reverse, you can’t put lotion on before the shellac. However, after the shellac, she was done. No lotion, no massage, nothing relaxing at all. The pedicure was pretty good, but they do not have a drying station and so you are basically brought out before the polish could be dry. Which is why the polish on my big toe was smudged before I even got home.
I called for another appointment so that I could get the smudged toe fixed. The only way I could fit in another trip there was to take my 3 year old son with me. I figured it would be fine since I’d only be there 5 – 10 minutes and I made sure he understood he had to be quiet and sit on my lap. The pedicurist came out to get me and we were headed up when the owner or manager pulled her aside to talk and then came over to tell me «there are no children in the spa, but we will let it go this time, but there are no children in the spa, there are other people here». I explained that I understood, but I thought it would be fine since I was only going to be there a few minutes. She stated «that’s why we’re going to let you go up, but there are no children in the spa». I went up to have the toe fixed, which took less than 10 minutes while my son sat on my lap quietly and we were gone. And I’ll never be back there. I am fully aware that people go to the spa to relax and to perhaps get a break from their kids and I would NEVER take either of my children with me for a full service, but I was literally there for 10 minutes and I feel this behavior was uncalled for. The room where manicures/​pedicures are done is not even remotely a quiet space. I can’t help but wonder if her attitude would be different if I had brought a little girl with me. Had the service been done correctly the first time I wouldn’t have had to return and bring my son with me.
I am a young mother with lots of mommy friends who have already heard about this incident. I hope it was worth it to the ownership to offend me!

Customers beware.
We received an extremely generous gift certificate from our family to celebrate our new life in CT and we waited for just the right time to relax and unwind with this treat. When my mother purchased this gift, she made sure that there were ample funds to include services plus gratuity for more than one visit.
After the first visit, they refused to include the gratuity simply because a box stating, «no gratuity included» was IMPROPERLY checked by the employee who made out the gift certificate. We gladly paid the gratuity thinking the ownership would make it right before our next visit. My mother, who originally purchased the gift, called the spa and spoke with a staff member who in order to rush my mother off the phone, agreed to make a note in the computer about her wishes for gratuity to be included. My mother re-​iterated the fact that she did not want us paying for any part of the experience in order for it to be a true gift. The employee agreed.
With that in place, we came back for our last services, and were again told that gratuity would not be honored as they had promised and as originally intended. There was more than enough money left on the certificate to pay for the tip for all services. They stated that the owner would be the only one to approve this and that she is unavailable and has not been in the spa for at least 3 months. (This was concerning to hear amongst other things!) They promised to speak to the owner and get back to us with an answer.
A few days later, I received a call from an employee who stated the owner did NOT approve the use of the gift certificate money for gratuity. Frustrated yet again, I had my mother call the owner and speak to her directly. Even with my mother’s intentions made clear, the owner refused to accommodate her original request. As a result, my mother had to then pay additional money to cover gratuity. So, with the $ 85 left on the certificate she asked them to pick out a selection of hand soaps to be picked by me at my convenience. Needless to say, when I arrived, there was only one hand soap in the bag amongst a bunch of clearance lotion that they could not sell. I explained that this was not what we ordered and asked to exchange the lotions for hand soap and the employee stated she could not do that because she didn’t have time. In summary, services were average, ownership is greedy, and customer service is not valued there. Please visit one of the other great spas in Branford. By the Sea is NOT one of them.

My favorite local spa – every facial or massage treatment I’ve had here has been excellent. I absolutely love the Eminence Organic products that they use for facials. The new management also recently redesigned the entire space and it looks fantastic.

Great massage and the atmosphere is just as wonderful. They really make your session all about you and make you feel at home. Well worth the price and definitely a place that everyone should try!

I don’t have many other massage parlors to compare this to… I have had three massages here and they have all been very pleasant. I have been for two regular massages and a couples massage with my husband. I get the same lady every time and they ask questions regarding what you want/don’t want and stick to it.
I haven’t tried any other services (waxing, nails, facials) and I don’t plan to… By the Sea is a bit expensive so I rely on gift certificates before I book an appointment. Very charming place and I never feel pushed to buy something or feel uncomfortable.

Pros: Check their websites for specials. I had a great facial and peel here. The woman was incredibly thorough and it was relaxing. It’s in a quiet area. I have not tried other services. Con: They try to sell you their organic products, but they’re available for less online.