Unique U Salon & Day Spa

Update– I just got a massage from Amanda and I can honestly say that was one of the best massages I’ve ever gotten. It was perfect and I feel so relaxed.
The ambiance is perfect, very professional, quiet. The spa is in the back of the salon and while you’re getting a massage you can’t hear anything but soothing music. It was perfect.
It was so great that I scheduled a facial for later on today. What a great salon and spa. The lady at the front desk– I can’t remember her name, she was the best! So kind and a great way to start your experience.
Can’t wait to go back in a couple of hours.

I was born and raised in the Woodbridge area and now live in Occoquan. For about 15 years now, I’ve been making the trip to DC salons to get my hair done and for waxing (Andre Chreky and Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door) as I’ve always been extremely disappointed and even disgusted with the salons near home. Now that I’m a mom and there is never enough time in the day, I finally decided to give Unique U a shot as it’s convenient and reasonably priced! I started out by trying their waxing service and I was extremely pleased. Jane is amazing and very hygienic (which is nearly impossible to find here). I used to get my waxing done exclusively at Red Door in Pentagon City but now I’ve made the switch to Unique U and I’m so happy with the service (I also save about $ 30 each visit!)
Then I decided to give the hair salon a try. I started out by booking a blowout b/​c again– I don’t just trust just anyone with my hair. I was very pleased with the blowout and it lasted DAYS! So I then decided to dip my toes a little more and try getting my bangs cut. Again– I was very pleased with the results and received a TON of compliments. Finally, I decided to take the plunge last month and I got my haircut and styled by JayJay and I’m SOOOoooo happy to say I’ve found my new stylist! He did an AMAZING job and really took his time. He’s very meticulous and will discuss the cut and styling with you (thoroughly) prior to making any moves. I have really long, thick hair and I’ve fallen victim to terrible cuts where a trim of 2 inches turns into 6 inches b/​c the stylist just can’t seem to stop cutting. I never thought I would be able to find a place close to home that I can trust. So glad I have found my new salon and with such reasonable prices! It’s a win-​win!

I love this place. I’ve been seeing a pain specialist for years for arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis and calcification build up in my back and right arm. I haven’t had a good nights sleep in 20 years. They said pain meds are the only way to go. After my first massage I had the most wonderful nights sleep. I just had my 4^th weekly visit and I feel like a new person. My mind is even clearer because the constant pain is gone. I can’t thank them enough.

Now that Gorel and George are no longer there I will not return. Everyone else is amateurs! A new stylist gave my daughter the worst haircut… completely uneven. … she also burned my other daughters eyelids while waxing… when I called the next day to inform the owner and let her know that maybe her wax was too hot — her first response was, «sorry I can not give you your money back»… really lady! I did not even ask for the $ 20! she also said that maybe it was my daughters eye lids! really!
HORRIBLE!

The spa offers masages, haircuts, facials and lots of high end products. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgable. The masages by Jane are one of the best deep tissue masages that I have experienced. The salon offers a wellness membership that is super good deal. I love it.

I’ve been coming here for years. From manis and pedis to haircuts and color to massages they are the best! Price is a bit higher than other places but the saying can’t be more true when it comes to taking care of yourself. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Jane has amazing hands and you will leave feeling like jello. Jane and JJ are wonderful when it comes to hair.

New to this neighborhood and based on the great reviews scheduled a pedicure here last Saturday. I get pedicures every 2 – 3 weeks. The salon said they only had time for a classic pedicure and said it takes 45 minutes. I confirmed the duration because I had to be home to watch kids so my husband could leave — no problem I had enough time. I showed up 5 min early and the receptionist was incredibly sweet. She confirmed my appointment and let the person who was to do the pedi know. He was doing someone’s hair at the time. 20 min later, after her third check with him, she told me he would get me shortly. I told her I was on a tight timeline with my kids and that my husband would possibly need to drop them off w me or I would need to reschedule. She said no prob if the kids needed to be here for the last 10 min as the pedi spot was in the back and nobody else was there.
When the gentlemen came to get me he led me to the back not saying anything about the tim/​being late. I apologiZed that my kids might need to join us the last 10 min as we were over 20 min late. He looked at his watch and then said nothing (no ok, no apology). I found out why, instead of taking the 45 min, he knocked it out in less than 25 min so instead of being way late he finished a couple of minutes early. Unfortunately, that meant the pedi was sub par and he skipped all he parts that make it most relaxing. $ 40 and a 20 min late start for a sub-​par pedi? Sadly I don’t think I will go back.
The salon was nice, pedi chairs great, clean, good product selection etc. appointments run behind, but just apologize and/​or reschedule. Don’t short change someone to make up the time!

I’m giving them a 1 star because there is no negative stars to give:(
I went there to get an «ombré» done. My hairdresser was Jane. She said she got it. They go to NYC to train and she knows what she’s doing. I don’t usually play with my hair color. It’s dark brown and beautiful and soft naturally. All I wanted was little blonds at the bottom. I showed her a picture of what I wanted. She said it would cost around $ 300 and I didn’t even argue about the price. I said if it looks like the pic ok.
She did the color, and showered and showed, I cried!!! I was blond all over. Not the pretty blond, no yellow-​redish ugly blond. She said she’s Gona fix it. 4 hours later and 2 brown shades over, I shower the day after and I’m blond.
Overall I would never go back to this place. They ruined my hair completely. The texture of my hair is destroyed. The color is so bad I can’t even believe it. If I did it at home it would’ve been better.
So bad. I just want to cry. Do not get your hair done there even if it was the only place available in the world.

I always wanted to get my haircut here ever since I worked at SweetFrog a couple of businesses down, but never got a chance to. Once I saw this groupon deal I decided to try it out. I decided to get a basic shampoo, cut, and blow dry. Since the weather wasn’t too dandy today there weren’t that many people there. Which in my opinion isn’t a bad thing. They were friendly when I arrived. They took my coat, asked me if I wanted tea and took me to the back to get my hair shampooed. The woman who cut my hair, Stephanie, was very nice. Quiet at first but friendly nonetheless. She knew exactly what she was doing. And my hair hasn’t been cut this nicely in who knows when. I do recommend this salon for those thinking about going here. The only reason I didn’t put 5 stars is because the customer service was very bland. They were nice but nothing that stood out.

I have been wanting to try this salon so when I got a groupon I was excited to give it a try. I got a groupon for a color and blowout; I asked to add a cut and eyebrow wax added on as well. I don’t know the women’s name who did my color; she was nice enough but never introduced herself. I told them on the phone and when I met her I only had 2 hours; they assured me they could get it done. I got there 15 minutes early; they started late. The colorist was unaware I was suppose to get my hair cut and said I could only get either a cut or the blow out. The wax never even came up (even though they tried to charge me for it!) My color is terrible! There is ¼ inch roots; it has not been that long since my last color so I don’t
understand how this is even possible except that she missed every single highlight I had.
Checkout was another nighmare; I was overcharged and the poor girl behind the counter was new, did not know how to fix it and took a long time for someone to come along and help.
Oh yea, no wi-​fi.

Once Again I would highly recommend Unique U. I have had my hair cut here for several years now and at the point I just walk in and they take care of me even though they are super busy. That is service! Highly recommended.

I was surprised when I made an appointment last month and was informed that George had left. I made an appointment with Jane instead. She cut my hair well and it looked good. I just had my second appointment with her today before I posted a review. Again, she cut my hair well. One thing I enjoyed is that she has strong hands and gave a great head massage during the hair cut. I’ll definitely continue to go here for my haircut.

I got a quick wax here. They were quick. In and out. Just how I like it. I actually had a pleasant waxing experience. They use the peel off/​no strip wax. It was less painless than the traditional wax. The prices were really affordable. I think I spent less than $ 20 bucks for my upper lip and chin. The waxing woman, who sounded like English was her second language, was really good. I’ll definitely be back when I need to get waxed again.

This salon has good stylists, but now that George Yen is not there I won’t be their client anymore.

Had a facial with Juliana and she did a great job and was very friendly. Highly recommend.

I have been going to Unique U for over 5 years. George has cut and colored my hair at each appointment and I LOVE my hair. I have many compliments on the color and cut. Everyone complains about it being pricey, but I understand that you pay for the level of experience your stylist has. I’m more than OK with that! George also cuts both my daughters hair and they love having their «spa treatment» with a relaxing shampoo /​head massage. I highly recommend making your appointment with George. You won’t be disappointed!

The receptionist was lovely. (I think her name was Lindsey) This place is so dirty! The shampoo bowl was filled with loose hair. The pedicure chair had dead skin around the bowl.
The facial was just mediocre and the girl didn’t seem to know what she was doing. I don’t know if she had a license or just didn’t know how to do facials properly. She had a difficult time answering any questions I had about my skin. She also used so much pressure on my face that I ended up with bruises and broken capillaries. The whole session she talked about her sons and was rarely quiet. I didn’t feel very relaxed. It just was an overall unpleasant experience.

I don’t know what happened between then and now but that place has definitely gone downhill. Got a facial and a massage. Total was $ 198, for what ended up being a $ 50 dollar service. Why? Spoiler: I have a strong suspicion my therapist wasn’t licensed. Is this a serious accusation? Yes, absolutely. But I’ll stand by it.
In case anyone’s wondering, the facial was subpar, but that was the absolute least of my worries that day.
In the spirit of full disclosure, the service was done a little over a year ago, so it’s entirely possible that the therapist may not be there anymore, but I can’t go another day without at least putting on record that this happened.
The therapist was a taller Asian fellow whose first name started with a «Tu»…I don’t recall his specific name but do remember it was two syllables and sounded similar to Tungsten. I also remember my «deep tissue» massage delivering fumbling strokes similar to an awkward college encounter. I tried to broach the subject delicately, asking where he trained, which he was very vague about. Having conversed with therapists over the years, I tried to «test» him with the specifics of his qualifications, which he maneuvered around with broad answers. His name might as well have been «Tongue-​tied», because all his responses did was raise red flags that I’ve never in my time getting treatments have encountered before. Finally, once the massage finished and I got dressed, I walked up to the Front Desk to pay only to pass my massage therapist getting started on another client’s manicure. «No need to be alarmed,» I tried to assure myself. «There are plenty of professionals that are nail technicians and massage therapists.» But with all that I’ve experienced that day, I couldn’t leave it to chance. When I arrived to the Front Desk I calmly asked to see the licenses of that day’s esthetician and my massage therapist. My esthetician was immediately able to produce, but I found myself waiting 15 – 20 minutes for any sign of my massage therapist’s credentials. I peeked around the Front Desk to find the owner, George, the front desk girl, and Tongue-​Tied huddled together in the back with furrowed eyebrows, seemingly tense.
George then hurriedly walked up to me to ask what the problem was, which I described to him. When I described what happened he immediately deducted the amount from my bill and tried nervously to laugh it off. I asked repeatedly «But is he certified and licensed?» «OF COURSE! OF COURSE!» he assured. There was something slippery about the whole exchange that made me feel very uneasy. But what I found most shocking was that a document was NEVER produced, no matter how many times I asked for it.
To this day I remain disappointed on many levels. Unique U was where I enjoyed my first massage (in fact, it was the owners themselves that gave my my first massage and facial), and the standard was higher. And it makes me sad to have to leave this for a business I used to love so much. That day I left violated and angry. I don’t mind having wasted the money, but the moment my trust and dignity are devalued, all bets are off.
Beware.

This review is limited to massage only. I have become accustomed to hum drum massages over time because I’ve really only had one superb massage-​until yesterday.
I took a partial day off to do some errands and stumbled on Unique U. I sit at a desk all day and my back has been tense, so I took a chance. I signed up for an 80 minute massage with Adrienne. Hands down, the BEST massage I have ever had. She used the right amount of pressure, checked in when appropriate, and used both tension and relaxation to help ease my muscles. I think I even fell asleep at one point. Anyone that can get me to fall asleep while using deep tissue massage has a real gift. I will be back just to see Adrienne!

Go to Unique U for the services, but don’t believe the fantasy they advertise on their website «Enter a world of tranquility and pampering «and «We continually strive to make your stay with us an exceptionally pleasant and relaxing experience.» Because the truth is, they don’t.
Here’s my experience… I splurged for two 80 minute massages and spa pedicures for me and my best friend — two stressed out, over-​worked gals. It was supposed to be a relaxing and rejuvenating treat. We expected to be pampered in a serene, calming environment infused with essential oil smells and sounding of delicate waterfalls. We wanted to lounge in cushy chairs wearing warm robes while drinking cucumber water and waiting for our treatments to begin. In other words, we expected the «spa» to have that «spa» feel to it.
That’s not the way it is at Unique U. There, you step straight into the lobby of a hair salon, loud with hair dryers, smelling of flat iron steam, lined with retail products and bright with light.
When we checked in we were asked fill out a form. There were only 4 chairs in the lobby, so my friend sat in one. A customer was in another and the owner of the salon and a sales rep took up the last two. Despite being a paying customer standing awkwardly at the counter trying to balance a clip board and fill out the form, the owner and the sales rep didn’t budge from the chairs. Welcome to the «spa».
The website says «If you have a spa service, you’ll receive extra pampering by visiting our quiet relaxation room.» That never happened. We were left in the retail lobby of the salon, never offered a beverage — not even water, despite being told on the phone we would be welcomed with mimosas.
I will give this place credit where it is due. After being escorted through the hair salon and into our respective treatment rooms, they turned out to be lovely and comfortable. My masseuse, a man whose name I regret forgetting was superb! My friend said her massage was the best she’s ever had. So at least the massages at Unique U are worth the money, if the experience itself is not.
Sadly, we weren’t directed to the relaxation room after our massages either. We headed straight back into the salon where the pedicure stations are off in an alcove. The chairs there are not very comfortable and one was broken. The pedi area is actually ugly. I just can’t say it any other way. It is void of anything resembling a relaxing spa atmosphere. The pedis themselves were excellent, although the gentleman giving my friend her pedi left off the scrub part, so she got short-​changed.
I was so disappointed in our experience at Unique U. As much as I would love to get another massage from the man with amazing skill, I left feeling decieved and frustrated rather than relaxed and pampered. In this area with so many other choices, I think I’ll go elsehwere next time.