Aura Day Spa

Went there to get the signature facial. Place is super small and not relaxing, and my appointment was at 1130. It didn’t start until 1215. So after sitting around for 45 minutes I went into the room. I told her (forgot who was the lady doing it, regardless doesnt matter since she works there) I have 2 pimples on my face and to be careful, she said ok, but was very rough on my face and popped both of my pimples. WTF! I said be careful and told her I was disappointed. She asked if she wanted me to touch her face at all and I said yes but to be careful. She basically disregarded that. She kept talking about how they encourage tips also and that was annoying. Like I get it, you make minimum wage at the age of 35, thats not my fault. Ended up leaving disappointed and wont be going back. Neither should you. There are many spas around Branford that are better, and you can see that about 50% of the ratings on here are by Sharon C, who is the owner. Thats called self ranking Sharon, its not unprofessional! Oh and she didnt even wear gloves when she touched my face. Not sure why I let her. Lesson learned.

Worst massage I’ve ever experienced! First of all the spa is not welcoming or inviting by any means. The bathroom is dirty (full garbage can and we were the first massage of the day at 9:45 am, and a hairbrush full of hair by the sink) everyone seems tired, not so friendly and smells of cigarette.
The pre massage area is a joke, tiny uncomfortable chairs with staff walking by talking. The couples massage room was even worse. You have to walk through the pedicure/​manicure area to get to the room. Inside the room there is a closet that you are told you can use as a changing room. The closet was dirty and dusty, thankfully there was a small chair inside to leave our clothes on.
My massage was the worst. I indicted medium to firm pressure and received the exact opposite. My masseuse spent an entire hour basically rubbing lotion on me. He never touched my face, my neck, my shoulders, above my calves or ever used heat pack or wash clothes like my husband received.
After our massage we were brought into what seemed like a walk in closet or under the stair alcove which was supposed to be a «relaxing room» but was really just big enough for the two chairs and small table between us. We were given two glasses of water and two chocolates. There was a curtain pulled so that this was considered «private.» We spent about 2 minutes in there and were behind ready to go. There was a sign outside of the room that said «dressing room.» Apparently they’re confused?
I left crying because it was so bad and sent an email to the spa explaining my frustrations and disappointment. I also let them know that we did not receive the 10% discount as stated on their website for getting a massage on your actual birthday. The response I received back was horrendous. They did not care at all and said that they would have offered me a discounted massage to come back and try again but since I wouldn’t be going back they weren’t going to offer anything. Really? I responded back by asking again about the 10% off and was told that there must have been a miscommunication (how is this possible when I blatantly told the woman checking us out it was my birthday?) and that the only way they would refund me $ 7.50 was if I came to the spa with my license the following day. How is $ 7.50 10% of an $ 80 massage? Apparently their math skills are as bad as their massages.
Needless to say I will never step foot in that «spa» again. Between the road noise, the dirtiness, the massage and the customer service I would never recommend aura to anyone.
*update*
The response to my review… Unprofessional, uncalled for and defensive. Also just to clarify AGAIN, the couples massage was $ 160 as stated on the website and what was debited from my account. If it is in fact $ 75 then you can gladly refund my card the $ 10 we are apparently owed, as we were clearly over charged.
«Sharon C. — Owner
The Swedish massage was $ 75. I was completely gracious to you on a holiday and responded to you as quickly as possible. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your massage. I hope it makes you feel better to put us down.»
*update*
I received another message from the owner of Aura, this is now out of the blue and a full two and a half weeks AFTER the original post and her first response.
«Sharon C. — Owner
You were given a gift and you should be ashamed of putting up such a review.»
Yet another example of why I would tell everyone I know to never step foot in this place. You are not allowed to give feedback apparently. Aura continues to disappoint… shocking!

Sharon does the best waxing! If you are in need of a Brazilian I highly recommend going to her! The most painless and professional place I have been to!
They also do incredible facials. Their products are the best! They never leave the room and during the facial they treat you to hand, leg and shoulder massages.
Best spa in branford!

It pains me to do this but I have to be honest.
I love going to spas and love a great deal so the living social deals are great! The place is beautiful the staff is friendly. The massage is ok but the only problem… THE LOCATION!
Ugh. I don’t know if someone lives upstairs or if they’re offices or what the deal is but the 1^st time I went… I heard opening and shutting of doors, loud footsteps and the street noise.
It was so noticeable I couldn’t relax. I left thinking what a shame, a beautiful place great staff but that noise!
So I decide to give it another shot and AGAIN with the noise. Guys… Can you please move. It’s impossible to relax!
Unfortunately I won’t be returning. There are other local spas that are very quiet and relaxing.

My four stars are for my waxing experiences with Sharon. The spa itself is quaint but it has all the necessities: a quiet room to relax, nice looking pedicure chairs (that I will try in the future), music for meditation, and a very friendly staff. Prices are reasonable, at least for waxing (I haven’t noticed the others), and Sharon makes me feel so at ease, considering what I’m there to get done. I’m a modest kind of girl and wouldn’t let just anyone see my nether regions, not even for medical purposes. As for the other reviews, 1) hot stones for massage purposes are, well, hot. They leave marks, but strange that it would burn hours after the massage and not during the massage itself. Must be magic stones. 2) A facial, for the record, can be relaxing, yes, but the purpose is to remove the top layer of dead skin cells, and your fresh new skin underneath is going to freak out. This is normal. If you don’t buy quality cleanser and moisturizer, you run the risk of not being able to tame the beast. Not the fault of the day spa.

I have been a client of Sharon’s for years now… she introduced me to novalash eyelash extensions about a year ago lets just say im addicted ! I cant live without them !!. I always look forward to my appointments. I have been 100% completely happy with every service I have had there. I have had many incredible facials and i wont let anyone else wax my eyebrows.

Don’t get a signature facial done there. Afterwards they glob on a thick layer of lotion for no reason which left my skin feeling very greasy. She told me I should leave it on because my skin was dry and it would absorb it, but 3 hours later it still looked very greasy. I had an extreme clean facial done months prior to having the signature and it was not as bad, but you’re face will get extremely dry for about a week after and peel. I went back to aura because they had to give me lotion for my skin being so dry I couldn’t even put any makeup on without it looking blotchy.

My sister and I booked a spa day for us and our daughters. They took our appointment but nothing was coordinated properly. We were in the salon for 5 hours. Since there was four of us, she called in her unlicensed friend to help with the pedicures. This woman was blowing on my feet and my pedicure took forever. Everyone was waiting for my pedi to finish. My sister complained and they said they were going to send us gift certificates. Four years later, we are still waiting for those certificates.

Went here because I had a Living Social deal for a hot stone massage. After I got back from the massage I had 4 burns on my back where the stones were placed. I asked for a full refund after days of going back and forth with the co-​owner and no consensus has yet been made. Please be VERY careful if you go for a hot stone massage. Also as for the «massage» it’s been 2 days since and I am as sore as I could be. All in all, the worst experience I have ever had dealing with a spa.
***Few hours later and I was refunded by my credit card company who took pity on me. Review still stands.