Ava’s Day Spa & Salon

this place was a disappointment and an inconvenience. we made an appointment and drove over from Minneapolis only to find the place closed. thanks for wasting our time and gas.

It’s ok. The massage therapist I went to was fantastic, his name is Dan. Really nice guy, very knowledgeable about many things in life, and gives great massages. But there are some issues… parking is a joke. The building is rundown, and in need of some TLC. I could take it or leave it.

I went there a few days ago for a bridesmaids’ prep before the wedding, and it was probably the worst decision ever. My cousin had chosen it because she had a good experience the last time she was there. I guess it went downhill since most of the employees are new. Almost everyone seemed to have no experience whatsoever. Furthermore, they had a hard time keeping track of who was getting what, and which employee was going to do what.
I spent $ 200 on an average facial (I have never had it before, but thought that it could have been better since it was $ 80), and poor manicure and pedicure ($ 60). I could have done that by myself. They failed to cut cuticles, get rid of the dead skin off of my feet, and paint my nails professionally. They also had a very poor selection of nail polish. I, however, was the lucky one because on of the people from our group received a 15 minutes (at the most) pedicure if you can even call a pedicure because they just soaked her feet and painted the nails.
I would never recommend this «spa/​salon» to anyone.

Glad to see this place is getting the reviews it deserves. My boyfriend and I also bought the Living Social deal for a couples massage. We arrived — the place was nothing special. We filled out forms, I went to the bathroom quick, and when I came out I noticed my boyfriend was being ushered into a room. I moved to follow him and a massage therapist led me into a separate room. I asked why we weren’t going to be in the same room together and she said «Living Social deals aren’t in the same room.» UM. WHAT? I realize that these coupons mean we’re paying less for their services, but I still feel we deserve to be treated the same as all other customers, and at the very LEAST have a couples massage in the SAME ROOM. I could’ve gone there with a stranger and had a «couple’s massage.»
Well, at least my massage therapist was attentive and pretty good. The phone was ringing off the hook in the next room because the girl answering phones was in the other room giving my boyfriend a massage. Not exactly a calm, quiet, relaxing experience. Anyway, we finished, I joined my boyfriend (who didn’t even get a massage for the full time we paid for) and we left. To say we were angry would be a huge understatement. We also didn’t get the glass of wine that was promised in the deal, but that seemed like a side note at this point.
I did try to call the manager to voice my complaints but was unable to get a hold of him/​her. I would also like to add that my boyfriend and I were in a long distance relationship at the time and this was supposed to be a fun, bonding, TOGETHER experience before I left to go home. The fact that we were in separate rooms made me feel like crying. This was a TERRIBLE experience that I would recommend to no one. Go to Balancing Touch massage and get the couples massage with hot stones — it’s expensive, but amazing.

I also bought a Living Social deal for this place. My wife and I almost turned around immediately and left!
They were a «no show» for our first appt and didn’t apologize. The «couple’s massage» we receive was actually the two of us being led to separate rooms. This place was dirty and the staff was unkempt and unprofessional.
I would guess by the quality of the massage they have NEVER had formal training.
Buyer Beware — STAY AWAY fromt his place!

If there was a zero star option, this would be the first one I’d give it to.
Deplorable customer service and absolutely zero regard for past «oops» situations. I purchased a living social deal for a couples massage at this «spa» and gave it to my sister and brother in law as a «Congratulations! You had a baby! Now go have some grown up time together» gift.
The first time they scheduled it, they were cancelled the afternoon of their apointment due to a staff member unexpectedly quitting. When my sister called back to re-​schedule, it the story about why it got cancelled to begin with changed 3 times in the phone conversation. They finally got it re-​scheduled for today. They showed up and were informed that there was a scheduling mis-​hap and that only one massage therapist was available. They left. I don’t blame them.
Not only will I be getting my money back from living social, I will also NEVER give this company a dime of my business again. Ever. Good luck staying open when you have such little regard for your patrons. I’ll be sure all Unilocalers know how little you care about them and I sure as heck will make sure my family and friends never make the same mistake either.

I discovered this place through a Living Social coupon and was disappointed. They called me minutes before my appointment to reschedule (they were running 45 minutes late), and I was already AT their salon when they called. I’ve done a lot of facials/​massages, and while the massage was decent, it wasn’t the full 60 minutes; it only lasted 39 minutes, negating the benefit of the Living Social coupon. The place was slightly ghetto and rundown also. My masseuse wouldn’t stop talking and overall, I wouldn’t go back.

I bought a Living Social deal for a 1 hr. therapeutic massage a few months ago for $ 30. Since then, I called the place a few times to see if I could get in that same day for a massage — I got a «no» each time. Recently, I called one morning and left a voice message asking about upcoming availability. I received a call back that same Friday afternoon from some woman telling me I could get in the following Monday. Since I was without paper/​pen to note the appointment I asked whether they gave courtesy reminder calls the day before. She said «yes, they do». Thus, I expected a call from them on Sunday.
No call ever came. Poor follow through on their part.
I did remember the appointment on Monday and went out into the infernal heat of the day. The inside of this place is nothing special. Since their printer was out of ink, I did not have to fill out any paperwork prior to my massage. Instead, I had a short discussion with the massage therapist beforehand so that she knew about my «issues». It was surprising that the volume of the music in the treatment room was very loud and I asked «Pat» to lower the volume (you know, for a calm & relaxing environment).
I feel I got a very good massage from Pat while listening to some quiet, beautiful and relaxing music.
No candles, no scented oil. Pretty basic.
After my massage, I asked Pat what kind of oil she used. She had no answer. I prompted her with kinds like «almond, jojoba», and she grabbed onto the «jojoba». Something inside me did not believe that was true. Maybe it was, maybe not.
For the $ 30 price tag, it was a fine experience. And it seems to be a fine deal for $ 40 (every Tuesday, a one-​hour therapeutic massage is $ 40). However, this would not be a place I would come to and pay their regular prices. I would rather go someplace nice and pay more money.

TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. They were deceitful over the phone and Ava (the owner) actually HUNG UP ON ME when I was explaining to her what happened!!! I was very polite; even the staff were taken back by what happened! My wife is pregnant and they knew that when we made our appointment and said nothing about a price difference for the couples massage; they said oh that’s fine we’ll just have her lay on her side. When we got there, they tried to charge us $ 42 extra! Instead of doing the right thing and taking responsibility, they wouldn’t budge even though we were mislead over the phone and drove 45 minutes to get there! Terrible experience, ruined our day. They really could care less about their customers. They cared more about the $ 42 than making the customer happy and turning my family into repeat customers. Not to mention the facility! Just terrible, walk in to «relaxing» hip hop music, the place is dirty; nothing about it makes it a relaxing atmosphere.

Yeah, I’m a dude, and yeah, I like massages. I’m old, play soccer poorly and carry my kids in my arms or on my shoulders a lot. My legs hurt, my back hurts, my feet hurt. Getting a massage helps. I’ve been to a few places around, but none since I started Unilocaling. This was my first in along time, and first time to Ava’s. It was not terrible, but «meh, I’ve experienced better» fits perfectly here. Place is okay, I like the downtown location as it is easy for me to get to from work and the folks were friendly enough. Just, you know, meh.