Cornelia Spa at The Surrey

Had an incredible massage by Maureen at the Cornelia Spa. As others mentioned, the spa is small and the «relaxation area» is the same as the reception when you walk in, so don’t plan to lounge all day there. The staff is lovely and friendly, offering nice touches everywhere you walk — champagne, tea, sorbet, robes, slippers, etc. Maureen took incredible care of me, and worked out knots that have caused a lot of discomfort for a long time. I was in very good hands and, even for the price, recommend going if you’re in the market and neighborhood.

I am absolutely in love with the Cornelia Spa. It is a small boutique spa inside the Surrey hotel, but it provides such a calming and relaxing atmosphere. I have been going to Zaharenia for a 90 minute facial every month for the past 2 years. She is a magician with skin. I have very congested skin and it always looked bumpy. Ever since I started working with her my skin is smooth and has a beautiful glow. Everyone has noticed the change and at least 3 of my friends have started going to her because of the change in my skin. I recently moved to South Jersey, but still drive 2 hours once a month for my facial. It is worth the time and the money.
Other than that… the spa has always been clean, quiet, and relaxing. All the staff has been friendly and willing to help whether on the phone or in person. This is definitely a 5 star experience.

Cornelia Spa at The Surrey makes you feel as though you have taken a relaxing vacation at a luxurious destination. This afternoon my Mom and I went for massages and facials and had the best experience. Maureen is the most incredible masseuse and Zaharenia is the best for facials. We highly recommend both of them. We left with glowing skin and feeling mentally and physically rejuvenated. We were also very happy to have the opportunity to meet and converse with the spa owner who is beautiful inside and out. We can’t wait to go back!

USED ROBE AND A BLOODY TOE.
I had a voucher for a manicure and a pedicure. Front person who greeted me was fairly nice but it all went down hill while I was waiting for my pedi. The person who was suppose to «work» on me brought me a used robe! I told her I didn’t want to wear the robe then she brought me a different one or should I say a less wrinkled one. During my pedi I felt a sharp pain and next thing you know I saw some blood on my big toe. She put some kind of white powder and I wasn’t bleeding anymore, great. Now instead of relaxing I’m thinking about my open flesh soaking in that… water from that tub everybody and their mother was soaking in. Next, my manicure. I guess she felt bad about my bloody toe so she was chatting me up. After my mediocre manicure job, I still dropped her a $ 30 tip. It was pay day and I felt generous but I won’t be returning… I like my toes where they are.

I love this spa! I frequent many spas around the country and this spa is a must see. It’s a boutique spa so don’t expect some of the amenities that you may see in larger day spas but what the Cornelia Spa has to offer makes up for that ten fold. The attention to detail is unparallelled and the spa is gorgeous. I recommend this spa to anyone looking for an intimate and upscale spa experience.

My boyfriend and I booked a Valentine’s Day couple’s massage at the Cornelia Spa after weighing out our options (Trump, Four Seasons, etc). We ended up choosing the Cornelia Spa because 2 separate reservation associates assured as that we would have 30 minutes after the massage to hang in the room, drink prosecco, and enjoy other treats. We thought this sounded like a great way to spend our Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, the experience was an absolute disappointment —
–The 2 massage therapists that we were assigned were completely awkward and incompetent. First, they shoo-​ed us into a small bathroom to undress while they hung out in the room. Then, they asked my boyfriend to undress and get on the table while they were standing there watching (awkward!). The massage was just downright bad (and I am not one to complain about a massage) — despite using barely any pressure, the massage therapist still managed to hurt me throughout the massage (my boyfriend said his LMT was slightly better than mine). For mine, I have no idea how she was hired by a «high end» spa. The music stopped in the middle of the massage and instead of turning it back on, we had to listen to car horns and police sirens for the rest of the massage. Clearly, it made our supposed-​to-​be-​relaxing massage not so relaxing. Lastly, they dumped massage oil on our faces, which I have never experienced during a message and definitely did not want
–Since they started late, the massage was cut 10 minutes short — which is significant given the cost of the massage
–Even though we were promised that we would be able to stay in the room to hang out, we were rushed back into the bathroom to change and kicked out immediately. They then offered us prosecco in the very crowded and busy reception area
–The bathroom had not been cleaned restocked in between massages — the soaps were half used, towels weren’t clean, etc. We were not excited to wash our hands (and oil off our faces) with a stranger’s bar soap
–To add insult on injury, they automatically charge a 20% gratuity
Essentially, it felt like they were just trying to churn out as many massages as possible — which I would expect from a cheap spot but definitely not from a high end hotel spa. Needless to say, we will not be going back

similar to other reviewers — a poorly managed, amenity-​less «spa». practitioners were good but overshadowed by everything else.
i was stressed out from arrival and throughout — empty reception area, no sign of life. finally someone appears. no robes, slippers, locker room — just a few lounge chairs.
checking in learned my facial preceded massage — What?!
never had a spa book this sequence before because the facial is ruined by pressing face into cradle afterward. (since this, i explicitly request massage-​1^st and all spas replied «of course»)
after much negotiation, massage 1^st.
room was awful — cavernous with 2 massage tables. not intimate, nor relaxing. had its own bathroom which was occupied by employees primping selves — had to be asked multiple times to leave.
facial in same room, on massage table. no incline. lying flat on back for 2 hours. i practically ran out of there. tried to buy a necklace from the retail area but clasp was broken. again — reception not helpful in any way.
too many other spas in nyc, dont waste time or $$ here.

Also had a gilt voucher and agree with all the points of the reviewer below. My husband enjoyed his massage but I had the most lackluster lazy masseuse, I asked for deep pressure and got only rubbing and a ton of time spent on my feet, which was not any of the areas I asked her to focus on. The spa is small and no changing or amenities, and given how much oil was put on me, no shower is not ok.

I had a Gilt Voucher about 8 months ago and had their signature massage. I was expecting to be blown away, but the overall experience (mainly for the price) was underwhelming.
Setting up the appointment required a lengthy series of email and phone tag with the manager. I had an expired couples massage Gilt Voucher, so they had to give me credit instead for a regular signature massage.
First, this place positions themselves as a spa but they have ZERO amenities. If I’m paying $ 200 for a massage in a luxury hotel spa, I expect a locker room AT LEAST (I had to change in the treatment room). There was no stream/​sauna, no locker room, hardly what you would call a reception area.
The reception area reminded me of the snobby clothing store scene from the movie Pretty Woman. It clearly caters to older wealthy women with the fluffy white frilly décor. Some people might like this, but I thought it looked and felt very pretentious. They give you some snacks that are pretty good; some merengue type of pastry and tea or water.
The heart of the experience was the massage. Before the massage began, the therapist gave me some spiel about their signature massage and how I had to drink a tablespoon of honey. WTF?! Just give me a good solid massage! After spooning down a spoonful of honey that tasted no different from honey I buy at the supermarket, she began her massage.
She was clearly bored out of her mind and had very little energy to provide a deeper massage like I requested and also didn’t focus on my chief complaint (forearms). The massage itself was forgettable, but what I didn’t forget was that she kept breathing in my face at the end when I was laying on my back to massage my neck and head. I generally love cranial massage, but smelling the Greek salad she had for lunch just made me want to get out of their as quickly as possible.
The price for a forgettable massage in a very small fake spa came to a whopping $ 210 (the management automatically adds 20% gratuity). I thought the price was ridiculous given that there were no amenities. I went alone, but if I came with someone there would have been no place for us to hang and relax before and after our massage. Definitely not a spa for groups and definitely not for the bloated price tag.
If you want a good massage at a better price, stick with a smaller private practice for massage only. If you want a spa with legit amenities, stick with The Peninsula Spa or Red Door 5^th Avenue.