Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A Not So Pretty Pedicure at Pink Signature Day Spa



Finding myself with a free and breezy Friday last week I decided to spoil the Mamito and me a little with some deluxe pedicure action. We often indulge our tootsies during the Summer months with Seoid Spa in Dunboyne Castle being our high end splurge (€55) and using J nails in Capel St as our regular budget friendly option (€28).

Because I’d one or two bits to pick up in Dundrum though, this time we opted for Pink Signature Day Spa on the top level of the shopping centre.

The space in the Signature Day Spa is bright and airy with a stunning view out over the mountains. We were seated immediately and waited less than five minutes before we were introduced to our therapists and brought to the pedicure area with luxurious massage treatment chairs. Once they’d offered us magazines or drinks the ladies got to work.

While the service before and during the treatment was impeccable, as soon as our polish was done we were forgotten about. Our therapists left and didn't return. We sat for the guts of 15 minutes before I decided that was enough. I moved the side tables and hopped down from the swivel chair while the bubbles were still bubbling and the chair still massaging. I checked that my polish was dry, removed the tissue from my toes and carefully popped on my flip flops then headed over to help my Mam down to the same for her (she has limited mobility).



I could be wrong, this could be the approach that Pink takes with their treatments but I’ve never encountered it before. I think had we been told that we should leave once our polish was dry it might have been slightly less disconcerting than being left alone but still it’s pretty poor service. The budget nail shop J Nails on Capel St, for example not only help with your shoes but have been known to hotfoot it to top up the parking meter to save customers from rushing after they've finished. I don’t expect that kind of service everywhere but when paying top dollar a little attention to detail is nice.

While Mam’s toes were beautifully finished, mine genuinely looked like I’d done them myself, which is so disappointing. I didn't complain as up to a point the service was good but I didn't tip either (a first for me).

Unfortunately we won’t be returning to Pink Signature Day Spa for our pedicure needs and I’d be slow to recommend them based on our experience – when I pay €55 for a deluxe spa pedicure I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have my toes look like I’ve paid €55 for a deluxe spa pedicure. I’ve already painted over them as I was annoying myself looking at them. Boo and Urns!

Tell me, have you ever been really disappointed in a beauty treatment? Or more importantly, have you been for a Pink pedicure and loved it?


11 comments:

MakeupOverMind said...

Disaster. I've had one disappointing facial recently where they did very little but leave me there with cucumber on my eyes and a mask on! It's infuriating to pay over the odds for something you could've done yourself at home! :(

Confessions Of A Makeupaholic said...

That is disappointing especially as you paid so much for the service! I think a lot of salons can be hit & miss, some I've been to & have been great but a lot of others have been awful!

Rachelle said...

yup I wasn't happy with them either. Had my eyebrows threaded as a guest of theirs but the woman totally stripped me of my brows I had been growing for months :( still a bit devo. over it all. I know its silly but I wanted bushy brows ala Cara delevigne

kat (dollyrouge.ie) said...

I think this is always gonna be a bone of contention with beauty bloggers, because we constantly do these things ourselves, we hold the professionals to a higher standard. I haven't had that standard met yet anywhere tbh. In fact I had an awful experience in a salon in Waterford where a facial with extractions turned into butchering of my face. Like, literal blood oozing and everything.

Maybe we should look at it this way - we're just as good as, if not better than, some of the professionals out there ;)

Orla said...

Oh that's a pity and pretty bad service! I've had some really nice treatments there so hopefully it was only a blip!

Lovely Girlie Bits said...

Ah that's a shame... Another one bites the dust eh?

Unknown said...

This happened me too in a 5th avenue in cork! The lady just got up and left and didn't say a word to me and then 10min later i saw her get her bag and leave the shop!?! I was sitting there for at least 30min before i asked someone was i ok to leave...she checked my polish was dru and said 'yeah'. Worst service ever.

Nurse Fancy Pants said...

I'm still a bit annoyed with my wedding mani/pedi. Firstly when I rang to confirm it they told me they'd actually booked it for the wrong week so they could no longer fit me in for both (I had to get them done then as my spray tan was next and nails had to be to be before that) so basically it was up to me to rearrange all of my schedule, no word of apology from them over it. Then because it was my first ever pedicure (I know) I hadn't realized that I should've brought flip flops and so I got given out to for that.i asked why they hadn't mentioned it on the phone when I booked and was told "most people would know that" well great for most people but it's not great customer communication. THEN I heard the manager on the phone advising a client to bring flip flops for her Pedi!!! So just selective giving out of advice then...sorry for the rant but it really stressed me at the time, this has helped!

S said...

Awful bad form, I think there are a lot of good places out there but I think a lot just jumped on the bandwagon without putting enough into it. I'm not one for beauty treatments, but what turned me off altogether was seeing the result of a manicure my sister-in-law got (not at the same place, in an independent salon in the Midlands) - badly applied polish, nails shaped unevenly, cuticles stained. Atrocious.

Glamour & Go said...

I got Shellac nails there last week, this was done on the 4th floor not the 5th floor. Service was good and the nails are impeccable and are still perfect a week later. I do think the technician was a little brisk, but that suits me I'm happy to sit in silence. After she said it was done and did I like it and then she left. In some salons they have a policy to walk you to the reception area/payment area but I just think they don't do this here. Overall I was very happy but in future I would be tempted to try a cheaper alternative and compared the quality of the polish and its staying power.

Marian McCarthy said...

I hate when you spend money and come away disappointed with service. I once was banjaxed with back pain,not unusual for me so i decided to go for a massage. Now I get sports deep tissue massages regularly and went to my regular spa but a different therapists was on. She was useless. Didn't listen to where I was saying I needed extra massage and just was bad in general. Came away feeling worse and less €60!