Breathe SFS

I’ve been a member here for some time now. As far as gyms go this is one of the cleanest, best smelling, most amenity providing place you’ll probably find in the city. While there’s a limited amount of machines and treadmills it is very rare that you ever have to wait for something. What makes this place especially great is the fact that there’s a lap pool-​definitely a rare find. Staff are always friendly and the equipment is always clean. Extra points for free apples and bathroom «stuff.»
Breathe is now owned by 12^th Street Gym. So far I haven’t noticed any changes other than new staff members and signs. Hopefully they keep all of the awesome amentities in place.

I had the BEST massage here. I get massages fairly regularly, and this one was literally in the top 2 … ever! I had a 75 minute with Dr. Tom, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes massage. When I left there, I felt more relaxed and pain free than I felt in a long time!
And, I booked the appointment online. There was a 20% off coupon code on the website for appointments booked on Monday-​Thursday. It brought the hotel prices down to what I am used to paying at a spa. Not sure if this is regularly offered, but definitely worth checking the website to see.

Dr. Tom was my massage therapist today. He was incredible! The massage focused on my trouble areas addressed prior beginning the session. I felt wholly relaxed afterward; he did not spend a noticeable amount of extra time on my trouble spot but it felt tended to. I would 100% refer to a friend. First time check ins on Foursquare get 20% off!

Great prices very clean and I took my kids to hit the pool as I worked out.

Rini for facials and Tim for a great massage… they are both tops in my book!

If you want to have a great day, go to the Breathe Spa; see Nicole for a facial; and then Lisa for a massage. The rest of your day — and maybe your year– will be better for it.
Honestly, this spa is a hidden gem in this city. The staff (including receptionist and anyone who answers the phone) are terrific, prices are competitive, there is a pool and gym room, sauna and you feel like you are being pampered.
Ba, who seems to be there anytime I go, is very helpful.

I went to Breathe with a Groupon for a 50 min facial and massage, a B-​day gift to myself. The staff were friendly and very accommodating, eventhough I was 10 minutes late they still gave me my full 50 min facial and 50 min massage. The facilities were very clean and relaxing. I was a bit skeptical about going to a spa that’s inside of a gym, but I was able to relax and I couldn’t hear anything from the gym. I will definitely return to use the spa and to try the gym.

Head the warnings… leave all valuables at home. Or just stay home and avoid being robbed.
My sister and I went to Breathe today excited to relax and enjoy the workout area, pool and get massages. From the moment we walked in, the place had a weird vibe. The front desk attendant and the locker room attendant argued in front of us and then the locker room attendant grumpily took us to the locker room and mumbled a few instructions. We rolled eyes at each other, but moved on to enjoying our day.
The gym equipment and the pool were fine. We each had a massage that we found relaxing and enjoyable.
The problem comes in when we went to pay. The $ 40 in cash I had and $ 30 of cash my sister had to be able to tip were both gone from our wallets. Our wallets had been locked up in the lockers with our stinky workout clothes and wet bathing suits. The lockers had a confusing combination lock that weren’t well explained by the grumpy attendant, but we kept it locked the entire time and always checked after opening and closing them.
We noticed that there were a lot of employees and other people using the lockers and the locker room which was odd, but which we had dismissed. Now I’m wondering if we should have paid more attention to the «Don’t leave valuables in the lockers» signs and the overall oddness that we were in the employee locker room, not a spa changing area.
Upon leaving and noticing our missing cash, the male front desk attendant didn’t acknowledge the loss or my not so vague accusations about grumpy locker room attendant being the culprit — or at least in on the scam. Luckily for my massage therapist, they accepted my credit card for the tip even though we had used a Travel Zoo voucher.
Sad that our nice day at a somewhat odd spa ended so negatively.

I’m not often moved to take the time to write a review unless I’m really upset or really pleased and the Breathe Spa at the Loews hotel has moved me to write a positive review so you know I mean it. I joined their spa membership which for $ 49/​month gets you a free monthly service. I essentially enjoyed a $ 49 facial monthly that rivaled any $ 120 service you would get at Rescue Rittenhouse. The staff here is wonderful, personable, professional and courteous. The facility is clean and relaxing. I felt like a movie star whenever I went. Plus they have a wonderful gym with a lap pool that you can use when you go for your treatment. If you live in Philly and unfortunately I don’t anymore, you’d be a fool not to join their monthly spa membership.

I just had a massage at Breathe SFS that easily goes down as one of the best massages I have ever had!
I want to address some of the previous reviews so people understand what this spa/​fitness center is really like so I apologize in advance for my longest review to date.
First, the atmosphere. Personally I think the facility is impressive but perhaps for different reasons that one might thing. What’s impressive to me is that for a hotel fitness center, which is the larger section of the facility, it is huge, well equipped and maintained and also gives the feeling of intimacy/​privacy for such a large space. And has one of the nicer indoor pools I’ve ever seen let alone been in! (says the former swimmer) In my opinion previous reviewers have not understood the space is more hotel fitness facility than day spa and puts other hotel fitness centers to shame in every way. They also have the extra bonus of sauna and steam rooms in the locker rooms, which came as a pleasant surprise.
Second, the spa area which is contained beyond the locker rooms, is relaxing in exactly the way you would expect. Quite music, soft spoken employees, dim lighting, all of that.
Thirdly, the staff were completely sweet and friendly and made me feel at ease, not rushed or incompetent as other reviewers had mentioned.
Fourthly, and most importantly to me, my masseuse, Dr. Tom, was amazing! He mentioned different things about his background including being a chiropractor, though I think he is the only one licensed in both on staff, and he had other impressive training I can’t remember to list here. He was very thorough asking me questions in the beginning to address my concerns, previous injuries, etc., like my swimming background and recent back pain and as you would hope, used this information to customize my massage. In fact, I had booked my massage as a 90 min. customized massage, which I highly recommend. Again, AMAZING! I left relaxed but yet completely confident that he had addressed my needs. I slept better that night than most in a long time, though admittedly with a little soreness.
Finally, I will reiterate, this is not just a day spa. Nor, is the spa the larger part of the facility. The gym area, huge and impressive (love the pool), the locker rooms made nicer by the steam and sauna rooms, the spa area is nice though on the smaller side, the staff friendly and the masseuse… A M A Z I N G!
Go, and go often, is all I can say!

My experience at Breathe Spa left me disappointed. This is my second visit to the spa in as many weeks. My mother & I went to Breathe Spa to celebrate her birthday. 15 minutes into my first visit on Jan 22^nd, I was asked to come to the front desk (in my robe) so the staff could inform me that there was a scheduling conflict; my masseuse wasn’t put on the schedule for me. So I could either wait 90 minutes for them to arrive or I could reschedule for another day and be compensated with a 75 min. massage instead of just a 50 min one. I accepted their offer to come back on Feb 4^th. Of course, this meant that I had to wait 60 mins for my mother to finish her massage. Upon my return on Feb 4^th, I asked the front desk staff if they’d been notified of the increased massage time. After checking the system for a good minute, they finally noted the change.
I’m escorted to the locker room where the staff member informs me that there are no lockers available currently, but I could go ahead and get undressed, as she was sure someone would be leaving shortly. And where should I put my large, heavy winter coat, clothes, jewelry, etc til then? Thankfully, someone was prepping to leave before I got fully undressed, so that worked out.
I go sit in the spa lounge area and, since there are no magazines or anything, I note the unused and twisted curtain anchors and the peeling wall paper. I’m greeted by my masseuse, who is very nice. I ask him if he’s aware that my massage time was increased. He had no idea what I was talking about, and had to leave to confirm with the front desk staff.
My massage didn’t exactly go as planned. I think my masseuse used to be a mechanic or something, because he had the roughest, most calloused hands I’ve ever felt! He could’ve drawn blood & left my back looking like Kunta Kinte’s if he’d have pressed a little harder. I block it out and I finally begin to relax and let my mind wander. A short time later he chimes ‘HOT STONES!’ right before he cauterized what was left of my back flesh. Hot stones, I found, is not my cup of tea. My neck rub was phenomenal, but i think he had a flashback of some kind; instead of gently pulling and extending my neck, he yanked it like he’s trying to snap it — no exaggeration. He applied my mint foot scrub, then proceeds to rub, not only my soles, but rubs the flesh from the top of my feet!
He then asks «feel good?». I whimper «yes». My feet are stinging now from the memory…
After my massage, I’d decided to use the steam bath, which was amazing and well-​maintained. As I stepped out, I see a staff member has just finished cleaning up a shower stall, so I run to it to wash the oils off my skin. As I start to lather up, I note all the hairs from previous bathers sticking to the shower walls and on the bottle of shampoo. ‘Ew! Didn’t she just clean in here?!’ I sigh, dry off and run to the locker room to dress.
NOT a pleasant experience and I will NEVER return to this spa. To be fair, my mother thoroughly enjoyed her massage, but she also felt that her money would’ve been better spent elsewhere.

First horrible experience with a massage, but I was able to work with the spa director to correct it, and consequently, my housemate received an amazing massage from a chiropractor who does massage there who fixed her finger (she fell off of her bike and onto it and hurt it very badly) that had been injured for months. Definitely request Dr. Tom if you can and if you like deep tissue bodywork.

I have to admit that I was a little nervous coming here after reading these negative reviews. But the stars aligned and it happened to be the deal of the day that popped up when I needed a massage. It also included a month long gym membership, including the use of the pool and the sauna. I figured why not.
As soon as I came in, I was warmly greeted by the receptionist who gave me my robe and slippers. I changed in the locker rooms, passed by the decent sized sauna to the waiting room of the massage. I got a Mango-​tangerine massage (aromatherapy pretty much) from a nice lady for 50 minutes. Even though we started after 4 (4:05 ish), she still ended at 4:50. Considering the fact that I was early and we could have started at 4, this slightly annoyed me, even though I know they are on a schedule. The
massage was soothing but nothing spectacular.
When I left, the receptionist asked about the service. I peeked over to the pool and its just a little thing, good for laps. The gym was also fairly small but it is inside of a hotel. All in all, I didn’t experience any of the horror that the other Unilocalers described.
Would I go there again? Probably not because there are other massage places that I prefer. Would I recommend it through a groupon or livingsocial deal? Yes.

I was appalled that the Lowe’s hotel, which prides itself on its’ finer touches, would have one of the worst spas that I have attended to. I really should have read the Unilocal reviews first, which have spot-​on negative experiences very similar to my own.
Some reviewers did not have high expectations of the spa. For massages retailing over the $ 120.00 mark for 50 minutes you should EXPECT a lux experience, start to finish! No exceptions! When I entered the reception area, it was evident that this spa was not organized. It took several minutes to be greeted and to also find my reservation, the reservationist had to shout across the room for an attendant to show me where my locker was. The locker attendant took me quickly to the locker and said «if there isn’t a robe or sandals in there let me know.» Hmm… now, does that mean this locker hasn’t been cleaned and attended to? Surely enough, no sandals were found.
The «spa» locker room, if it can even be called that, was like an industrial office space with gray carpeting and photos of industrial buildings on the wall. There were no natural elements except a half-​dead flower floating in some water in the vanity area. The towels provided were old and scratchy like a motel would use, not plush like a spa would use. I took a shower before entering the waiting area, where I discovered that the pump was almost out of body wash and there was conditioner but no shampoo available. Strange!
The waiting area had «oh so relaxing» upright cloth office chairs, and one option of US weekly to read. The area reminded me of a doctor’s waiting room rather than a spa. My massage came the same time as other Unilocal reviewers, which is to say that it was 10-​minutes late. Another reviewer was impressed that they had a pitcher of citrus water; that reviewer has obviously not been to many spas before. There was no fruit, bottled water, tea, or any other offerings that I’m accustomed to for hotel spas.
The woman doing the body scrub was stressed on time and it showed. I had never had a body scrub before so it was hard to judge whether it was the best or the worst. The woman doing the massage was great, but I think that was because I enjoyed her personality moreso.
The massage does not make up for the lack of ambience and the lack of peace you would normally get with a spa experience. I will never go back and could not recommend this joke of a spa!

I don’t know what all the crazies are talking about below. I had a pretty positive experience at Breathe. I went to cash in my groupon for a 50 minute relaxation massage. Upon arrival, I was greated by the friendly man at the front desk. I arrived early to get in workout in their fitness center. There was a great mix of cardio and weight machines. The machines were clean and a lot of them were equipped with tvs. They have a nice pool as well but can’t really comment on it because I didn’t use it. After my workout I showered and cleaned up for my massage. I thought the locker room and shower area was clean and comfortable. There was a woman constantly cleaning up and re-​stocking towels and toiletries.
The massage itself wasn’t the best massage I’ve ever had but considering I didn’t pay for it, I can’t complain. It wasn’t as deep as I thought it would be– I did specify relaxation vs deep tissue so I guess that was her version of relaxation. It was also only 40 min instead of 50. That annoyed me a little. The waiting area isn’t the most luxurious or serene and it could use a little facelift but I’ve experienced much worse, trust me (see my review for Bliss spa). I thought the citrus infused water was a nice touch. I also enjoyed my time in the sauna after. The heat was piping and I felt completely relaxed and detoxed after.
Overall not the best massage but I thought the facility itself was pleasant, clean and I would return again for a workout if I had the opportunity. If you’re getting a massage, just specify exactly what you want, I don’t think I was thorough enough.

I just enjoyed a morning at Breathe SFS, and am not sure why there are so many negative reviews on here. Granted, it’s not as luxe-​looking as other spas in the city, but let’s call a spade a spade here. Breathe is largely a fitness center at a nice hotel, with a spa inside of it. Besides, no one wants to listen to Enya when they work out, hence the pumpin’ music up front.
My friend and I took advantage of a LivingSocial deal; $ 49 for a 50 minute mojito body scrub. I was immediately greeted by all the people at the front desk, and having expected a snide response (based on the reviews here) I was warmed by how nice and accommodating they all were. Edgar — one of the managers — was very eager to help me out, as I’d forgotten to bring my voucher with me, allowing me to hop onto his computer to check my email for it, rather than turning me away. At no point did he (or anyone else) seem annoyed or flustered with me, and if they were, they hid it well.
The changing area was just as nice as the one inside of the Ritz Carlton (they are affiliated), and after we were given the tour by Jasmine (my masseuse), we changed and headed into our respective rooms. I really did enjoy the experience, and the only complaint that I would have is that the room was a bit chilly. My 50 minute scrub actually went a bit longer (as did my friend’s procedure); no one at the spa seemed as though they wanted us to rush out of there.
I really hope Breathe SFS gets a better reputation built up, as they definitely deserve it!

I love group coupon programs and have used them for everything from facials and Keratin treatments to gluten-​free bakeries and yoga classes. Often these programs have made me regular customers of the places I discover; this «deal» had the opposite effect. This was the first time I have used Ever Save and now I doubt I will use Ever Save again– I know that I will never return to Breathe and am unlikely to stay at a Loew’s hotel.
Reading the others reviewers’ reviews felt like Deja vu. A friend and I went for massages here via an «Ever Save» coupon for $ 45 for a 50 minute massage allegedly valued at $ 120.. .which from the beginning was a stretch and a good indicator of the coming experience. When scheduling we were informed that this deal couldn’t be used on Saturdays (legally they are not allowed to do this because this restriction was not noted when purchased). Instead of pushing the issue, we just scheduled for Sunday.
The Spa felt slightly «budget» corporate from the carpeting to the vinyl baseboards and bad techno music pumping in the gym/​desk area.
Before the massages we steamed in the steam room which felt fairly cool for a steam room. Then we waited for a while in a sparse waiting room for our massages that started more than 10 minutes late which wouldn’t have been a big deal, except that it still ended at the scheduled time. The masseuse went very quickly to finish a full body massage in under 40 minutes. When we went to check out the computer took forever to process the coupons and they only had change for one of us to leave a tip– giving my friend 20 wrinkled. old $ 1s.
So in the end, what I got was a rushed 40 minute massage in a mediocre environment with restrictions. I think the actual value of the coupon, from my experience with spas and massages, was about $ 30 or $ 35 at most.
Breathes marketing strategy appears to be to have made some money by doing a high volume of massages rather than attracting customers. I definitely left feeling as if I had been swindled rather than getting any kind of bargain. But with the high volume of success I have had with other coupon programs, I guess a complete dud was inevitable.

I had a coupon for a $ 40, 50-​minute relaxation massage. I feel I got my money’s worth. However, this massage was NOT worth the full price of $ 100+.
The spa was clean and comfortable, the massage was a little deep for what I was told was a «relaxation» and not «deep tissue» massage, but I enjoyed the steam room afterwards and ended up feeling quite relaxed.
The woman who gave my massage, Ileana (not sure of the spelling) was friendly, professional, and thorough.
One huge complaint I have is about their front desk computer. When I initially called to make my appointment I was told, «we just had to restart our computer, can we call you back in 5 minutes?» and then they didn’t even call– I had to call them 15 minutes later. After my massage, I gave them my EverSave coupon code and then waited about 10 minutes because of technical difficulties before I was told to just go ahead and leave. I can understand that they don’t want me to rip them off by giving a bogus or duplicate coupon but it was kind of ridiculous and lessened my relaxed feeling. The woman at the front desk was very apologetic, but it was super annoying to have that to deal with at the end of what was otherwise a relaxing experience.

I’m going to have to be more wary of these Groupon deals. True $ 49 is a hard price to beat for a 50 minute massage, but this was pretty disappointing. Which left me wondering how they could possibly charge double for the same service? After standing at the front desk looking bored to tears I was finally taken back. The spa area wasn’t nearly as fancy pants as other spas I’ve been to, but I was trying to keep it all in perspective– this wasn’t some lux hotel in Vegas. No jacuzzi– bummer. Dry sauna was pretty typical and the steam room wasn’t as nice as others. Where was the relaxing soothing atmosphere, fancy lounge chairs, sliced cucumbers, something!!! If you’re going to pay more for a standard massage there should be some pretty swanky perks.
The massage was meh. Not the worst, not the best and not worth the price. Total bummer of a spa experience.

So, I had a social living groupon. Next time before I get my groupon-​on I’m gonna Unilocal the joint.
I walk in and it’s really really bad techno-​gym music. Not relaxing in the least. They tell me they do not have any keys to the lockers available, but as soon as one is ready they will let me know. These are the same folks who on the phone told me to come early and I could swim laps or relax. I often do this at adolph bieker, so i was excited!
So, I sat in the waiting area in a weird plastic baskety chair and read the NYT’s which was nice except the music. The music was soo bad and not relaxing at all. Even if i put my ipod on it still would have been blaring through. Then the staff were about as annoying as the music. Mocking the music and just talking about inappropriate stuff. Not professional or relaxing at all.
Finally after reading two or three sections of the paper, half a plastic dixie cup of weird citrus-​melon flavored water and twenty minutes of non-​relaxation I am finally shown the locker room. On my journey to the locker room she just assumes I have been there before and isn’t even going to show me the ropes until I say ‚“I’ve never been here before,”. She also kept going on and on about how they don’t have enough keys to the lockers. Ever been to a spa sweetie… they have these neat things called combination locks… welcome to 2010?
So, I am just dying to relax at this point. I totally strip down and put on the robe, which I find out is too small. At this point I really don’t care. If you are going to see a good bit of my thighs and a hint of my bits oh well!
I take a shower. The showers have watered down shampoo, decent body wash and really watered down conditioner. However, as the other two reviewers mentioned, TOWELS A PLENTY. This place has enough towels to wallpaper the entire hotel with them. The water pressure is meh.
So I put the robe back on, drape a towel on my lap and proceed to the lounge. The lounge for the spa is noted by a printed sign stating that the lounge for the spa is for spa guests only and not gym members. A drape ropes off the area. The room is smaller than the bathroom in my last apartment. Some people have closets bigger than this room. More rancid citrus water and plastic cups… Has anyone told them about the environment?
My masseuse comes and picks me up and takes me through a blacklit electric blue hallway. I kinda worry that it’s lit like this to hide germs or blood and or dead bodies. The room my massage is in is pretty standard. Not as warm and beautiful as the spa rooms at toppers. Not as minnimalist and medicinal as adolph. Not as warm and buttery like Body Restoration. It’s just kinda weird, like one wall is tiled and then there are these weird lanterns on the wall.
My massuese Rosa was a little awkward. She gave me a great massage and I cannot complain about that, but I hope she finds another gig soon. I enjoyed the massage part, but I go to spas for the before and after relaxation as well.
After my massage she gave me a cup of water from a brita in a plastic cup. Three plastic cups at this point. My poor footprint! I then decide I will try the steamroom. The steamroom was great and my fave part.
So, desperate to get out of the robe I go to the locker room. Where one of the staff is sitting on the bench talking on her cell phone. Again really? Really?
I get dressed. I go to the front desk. Tip maseusse. Walk out the door and started plotting this review in my head.
Never again.