Elizabeth Grady

Went in for a facial and came out feeling like a million bucks! Gina Antonelli sure knows her stuff & if your looking to feel relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated I suggest you guys book your appointment with her ASAP!

I should have known as soon as I walked in that I should’ve just turned around. The place is so dirty on first look. Its so bare, the carpets at the reception look like they haven’t been vacuumed in a year, and the carpet all the way down to the bathroom had a ton of white stains. When I walked into the room where I got my facial I was horrified. The place looks like its NEVER been dusted. The appliances/​facial machines look like they need a wipe down very badly. I mean your touching peoples faces with this stuff, at least TRY to keep it clean. I feel bad because my esthetician was super nice and friendly but she was coughing all other the place (right near my head obviously). This place good use a good update and a deep clean. Also they dont let you tip on cards = fail

I love Kate Hoyt! She has been my esthetician for almost 3 yrs now! She’s awesome at her craft. My skin is always flawless from her great facials and she always seems to know exactly what it needs. She goes above and beyond to accommodate her clients. I highly recommend her!

I didn’t have a problem with the waxing itself, but I’m not sure if I’m a fan of how they run their business.
It wasn’t super easy to make an appointment here. They don’t really seem to answer their phone, so I left my name and number. They called back the next day, saying that they would have to specially call someone in for me, so could I come tomorrow? (Understaffed much?) It would have been a lot easier if I could have made an appointment online.
You have to get buzzed in at the door, which is kind of funny. I guess they don’t take walk-​ins?
The waxing rooms were very clean and comfortable, and the wax job itself was efficient and satisfactory. However, I didn’t appreciate that the aesthetician was texting during our appointment. It was only an eyebrow wax – can it REALLY not wait?
I tipped the aesthetician at the end of the wax and then paid at the counter. It came to $ 23, and the receptionist didn’t give me change for $ 25! I guess she wanted a tip too! As a result it ended up being $ 30 for an eyebrow wax, which is pretty expensive, especially when you consider it only took ten minutes. :(
I think that Elizabeth Grady is trying to be more upscale than it really is. That might appeal to some, but I’d probably rather go to a cheap, sketchy place that embraces its sketchiness.

I just went for a Brazilian and underarm waxing. It is in the top 5 worst waxes I’ve ever had, and I’ve been getting waxed for over 20 years.
First, she walks in with a Solo cup of wax.
Second, she double and triple dipped the stick applicators. Who knows if she dumps the leftover wax from the Solo Cup back into the vat of wax, but I’m guessing she does. RIDICULOUSLY UNSANITARY!
Third, she wasn’t letting the hard wax actually get hard, so she was struggling to pull it off, which is super uncomfortable.
Fourth, she didn’t have any oil to remove the leftover wax. If I hadn’t asked, she was going to just let me walk out with wax everywhere. When I did ask, she said all they have is massage lotion. What kind of place that provides waxing services doesn’t have an appropriate product to remove the wax and also an aloe treatment to soothe the skin.
The girl was nice, but she obviously hasn’t had proper training and this location seems a bit low class and unprepared to provide waxing services.

Wanted to update this review as to how my complaint was (not) addressed. When I first called the day after the service, there was no manager available to talk to or call me back. I asked for a follow up call. That was on Friday. As of 3 p.m. on Monday, no call. I called them. I was offered a free service to compensate me. Obviously, WAY too late at that point plus honestly, no desire to return. Despite the manager I spoke with telling me that she owned the store (franchise– not connected with corporate), she refused to refund me my money. Which obviously she could have chosen to do if it was HER store. I could forgive the dingy, run down, borderline dirty store, if the product was great. It was terrible. I could forgive the product being terrible if the customer service was stellar. It was not. Take your money and business elsewhere.

I really wanted to love this place as the esthetician was just a wonderful person to chat with, but my lash extensions started falling out much sooner than usual even though I’ve been very careful to protect them. My search continues!

It’s easy to get an appointment, and they do a reasonably good job. The salon is clean and chairs are comfortable (and warm!!)

Kate is AMAZING! and sweet and helpful and just a lovely person. She makes you feel very comfortable. I took advantage of the half off facials in Sept special and I couldn’t be happier with the results. My skin has been glowing ever since and I highly recommend to book and appt with Kate. If I could get a facial for $ 40 every month I would go all the time.
thanks Kate

Update: I’ve been back several times and only have great things to say. Kate is AMAZING – my brows have never looked better.
Thank you Elizabeth Grady!

I really love the EG on Newbury St., but this one doesn’t compare — it’s pretty rundown, and the aestheticians aren’t that great. Would not go back.

People are nice but the technicians are young, not very skillled, and the equipment is dated. I bought a series of microdermabrasions and facials. They are not bad, but now that I’ve tried other salons, I don’t think this salon is great, and it’s not great value for the money.

I used to go to the EG in the financial district but have changed jobs and it is no longer convenient. I decided to go to this one for an for an eyebrow wax. When I called I asked for the most experienced waxer at the salon. Well I didn’t get her. I don’t know what she did or didn’t do but she plucked my brows more than any other person has ever had to do (I’m no wuss but she hurt me a lot). All I know is when I got home and really examined my brows she left so many hairs it almost looked like I didn’t get my brows waxed. I was very disappointed since I have had great experiences at other EG salons. Won’t go back.

My back had been hurting and my girlfriend was in town visiting me so decided it would be a good opportunity to go to a spa — me get a massage and her a facial. I had spend time looking through Unilocal,I found many special offers and called up a few places — these were mainly disappointing as they did not honor the coupon, it had expired, certain restrictions, etc. However, while heading down to Harvard Square for lunch one day I came across a 25% off discount for Elizabeth Grady on the subway and called them up to setup an appointment the following day at 4 PM at this location (Cambridge). Upon coming home at night, I was a little wary given the reviews (particularly those saying the place wasn’t clean and such).
However, I was very pleasently surprised to find the location spotless! The massage room (and my girlfriend said the same about the facial area) was spotless, had nice lighting, music, etc. We were worried that we would go there LOOKING for any dirty spots and hence ruin our experience but despite looking we both couldn’t find any issues at all!
The staff were extremely nice and friendly and I look forward to coming back to this location or trying out their Newbury location as it is closer to home.

I went for my second waxing appointment at Elizabeth Grady and I don’t think I’ll be going back. In fact, I considered leaving half way through my appointment I had such an unpleasant experience.
The waxer I went to for years moved her location to Newton Highlands, which isn’t convenient to me, sadly. She was awesome. Maybe she uses a different kind of wax than Elizabeth Grady, I’m not sure, but I got myself in trouble if I went to early for an appointment because the hair was too short, making it difficult to wax and painful for myself. I learned that lesson quick. I thought I was in good shape for this visit, coming in at just the right time. Wrong, apparently, though it would have been nice to mention that to me from the get go.
The waxer, who was very nice, seemed to be having some trouble. I wasn’t complaining, but it wasn’t great. She said the wax was the problem and went to get a new batch. Things got worse, not better. It soon turned from the wax being the problem to me being the problem. She said the hair was too long. Ok, my fault, that’s fine. However, it would have been an excellent idea to say something at the start and perhaps, I don’t know, trim first? She’s the professional, not me, and she must have seen me and thought that the hair was too long but didn’t do anything about it until she had to CUT THE WAX OFF WITH SCISSORS. That hurt. A lot. And more than I would have expected. I was so uncomfortable that I considered telling her not to continue, but I reasoned that I was most of the way through, I should just suck it up and sit through the rest. Well, turns out she didn’t finish. She decided her job was done, but she didn’t tell me she’s hadn’t completed the job, which I didn’t get to check out until after she’d left the room. Unprofessional. If I have made a mistake in my preparations for the appointment kindly let me know BEFORE you start so you or I can remedy the situation instead of trying to do a half-​ass job of fixing the problem in the middle of my appointment, causing me a lot of pain in the process.
She was smart enough to give me a discount when she rang me up, but the discount doesn’t make up for the pain and the half way finished botched job she did. I guess its time to find another waxer again.

I will start off by saying first that I ONLY go to Elizabeth Grady for any waxing I need done. I learned early on that their wax is by far the least intrusive wax out there and it’s the least painful of any wax I have ever received. I have also gone to this location for some skin treatments.
I have never ever had a bad wax or facial here. Everyone who works there has been professional and all have done an amazing job.
The only reason I don’t give it a 5 star is because, like an earlier post said, it’s not the nicest of the places once you get into the rooms. I thankfully have never really noticed it was «dirty» but the drop ceilings and the building itself is just a bit rundown considering it’s a «spa». Most Elizabeth Gradys are very plain, very simple, but this one certainly does need some updating!

I have been going to Elizabeth Grady for several years now for facials and the occasional massage.
The Cambridge location is easy to get to by public transportation (a few blocks from the Porter Square T stop) and also has some street parking and there is a lot behind the building.
I have been happy with my service here. I think the staff are very professional and are willing to explain what they are doing (like what might be painful or uncomfortable). I have found the staff to be very friendly and really great to talk to. They have a nice way of making you feel comfortable.
I have had excellent facial here and have really noticed dramatic differences in my skin afterwords. I have found their prices to be reasonable and less than other salons in the area. I think their massage therapists are top notch, and again are a bit cheaper than other salons.
The other thing I really like about Elizabeth Grady is that they do not push their products on you. Other salons I have been to will get aggressive about their product line. The staff here will ask you what you use and if you ask for suggestions, I have found that they will offer many options, not just their line.

I have mixed feelings about this salon. On one hand, well, they are priced very reasonably and they are conveniently located. The people who work there are certainly decent at what they do –I’ve never had a bad treatment. They also are great at fitting you in for last minute appointments (though this could mean they just don’t have a lot of clients) and are open pretty late which is great on work days.
What really bothers me is how dirty it is. When you walk in, the waiting area is quite nice and looks really professional. However, as soon as you head downstairs into the treatment rooms, it’s an entirely different story. The rooms are in the basement — standard painted concrete walls and drop ceilings — and the carpets are stained with wax and dirt. The tables are also stained, but they cover this with sheets of white butcher paper.
I will say one other thing — I’ve seen technicians bringing wax into the treatment rooms. I guess rather than heating them up in the room, they take pots (like you would use on the stove), heat the wax in them, wrap them in foil and then carry them into the room. It works, but it’s a bit of an unusual technique that can be a bit disconcerting to see at first. That said, I’ve heard the wax they use is fantastic!

I had my first ever bikini wax done here by Michelle and she did an amazing job. I was such a wreck over having it done, but she was very professional and the procedure did not hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. What’s better is that Healthworks members receive a discount at this salon, so I was equally psyched about that.
They took me right away when I came in and the place seemed clean and well kept.
Would recommend this place for first time waxers, as well as to seasoned vets. I will definitely go back for my next wax… will also try some of their facial and skin care services.

I feel terrible for the person who wrote the initial, scathing review of this place — that was the opposite of my experience. Not sure who the technician was, but I saw Michelle and Tammy and both are really awesome. My appointment here followed an absolutely HORRIBLE experience at Payara in Harvard Square — the woman removed skin with my bikini wax — OUCH. Michelle and Tammy (brows/​bikini) were superb. NO PAIN at all and the brow wax was so perfect — she even analyzed my face and suggested that I let parts grow back in and showed me what the shape was supposed to be — she totally fixed the wrongs of all my other brow-​waxes! Bit pricer than other places I’ve gone, but in my estimation, totally worth it.