Richel D’Ambra Spa & Salon

Just enjoyed an 80 minute signature massage with Nancy. Let me be clear, the treatment was FANTASTIC. Nancy did a great job with the medium to firm pressure I prefer. She was also very good about checking in to see if I was comfortable and enjoying my treatment. Finding the right balance of quiet and requesting feedback is a bit of an art in my opinion.
The treatment room was great as was the relaxation room. Not what you are going to find in a Vegas style resort, but it is the nicest I’ve found in Philly, that’s for sure.
So you are asking, why 3 stars? It’s a good question. The massage was five stars, no doubt. The thing that reduced the enjoyment of my experience significantly was returning to a locker room that quite frankly was in the shape I’d expect to find a locker room in at the gym, not the Ritz Carlton Spa. There are two benches in front of the lockers. Both had large piles of wet towels on them. Kinda gross. The shower area was very wet with soaked towels all over the floor. I’m sure the place was clean, but it just made it feel like much less of a luxurious experience. I actually decided to skip the shower, sauna etc. and just head home because of the state of the locker room.
When I was paying for my service the folks behind the desk asked how my experience was and I told them the treatment was fantastic but the locker room was kind of a disaster. The response from who I think was the spa and salon director was that, and this shocked me, he knew it was a mess and was waiting for everyone to clear out. It was one thing that it was a mess, but the fact that they knew it was a mess before I went in and did not bother to clean it up was just crummy. It was certainly not busy. I was alone in the locker room. It would have been super easy for someone to come in and at least grab the towels.
They did say «sorry» as well for what it’s worth. Sad that such a great treatment with a fantastic therapist had to have that ending. Made me feel like they could care less about my experience.

I would recommend NOT getting a facial here. As earlier reviewers posted, it is not a real facial at all — no steam, extractions, or masks, just a lot of product pushing and new age mantras.

Great Spa amazing atmosphere and I found the most amazing hair dresser Lisa! She is fantastic, she is very attentive to details, she does amazing colors and her blow out will blow you away! I don’t let anyone else touch my hair from now on! Go see her and you will be in love after your first visit ! Facials and massages are great at this spa too!

Lisa’s amazing. Best blow dry and I know blow drys. If you are in Philly you have to check it out.

One of the best, if not THE best massage I’ve ever had! 110 minute sports massage and pure bliss by Anthony who performed my service and I would give him 10 stars if possible! I had read about their wonderful massages via Allure magazine and scheduled a service last night via Unilocal since I’m new to the area and overdue on routine biweekly massage therapy due to long hours of standing and running around at work.
His precision to apply just enough pressure to get the knots out but not too much that I’m sore to touch by a t-​shirt was much appreciated by my irritated trochanter & IT band. He’s gifted at what he does and I can’t wait to come back for
My only criticism was the showers in the spa’s lounge which had a dirty liner on the shower curtain and the shower scrub didn’t come out of the pump which I almost destroyed by trying to pump out the scrub! Their steam room wasn’t working this day but that happens. These few things won’t deter me from getting that amazing massage again, but be forewarned, it’s pretty pricey since this spa is housed at the Ritz Carlton.

Located on the 3^rd floor of the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia. Once you arrive, you are prompted to the locker room where you get a plush robe to put on. Then you are directed to the Relaxation lounge, which is dimly lit with all white furniture. One of the staff offers you champagne, coffee or tea. It’s great.
I got the signature facial and a blowout. The reason for the review is all about the blow out by Russell. The facial was good but the blow out was best. Russell is very good. Probably one of the best blowouts I received. I believe it came to $ 65 not including gratuity and tip (hey, it’s the Ritz) but it was well worth it. Ask for Russell if you ever visit this spa, you will not be disappointed.

I stayed at the Ritz because I was attending a wedding there. I wanted a nice up do for the event, so I booked my appt here for 12 on Saturday afternoon. I arrived 10 minutes early and was seen right away.
Russell was my stylist and he did an amazing job. He gave me a gorgeous up do that I was very pleased with. My hair stayed in place and looked good all night. The only reason I’m not giving a 5^th star is because it was very expensive. $ 95 for an appointment that only took 20 minutes. I know this is the Ritz and I expected to pay top dollar, but still pricey.

Went for a Brazilian ., a disaster. The service provider was nice, and said that she was experienced. Her «skills» proved otherwise. The wax was unevenly heated and was either burning me on going on in big blobs. I kindly asked her to stop. She apologized profusely and offered me other services. I declined. The owner also called me with the same apology and offers. As I stated to the owner, I will NEVER go there again.

I believe that proper skin care and regular facials are the key to keeping a youthful face. A wise person once told me this and she was right. I go here for facials, as regularly as I can with a busy schedule. Courtney is my go-​to aesthetician and she works on Sundays. Aside from being gentle and thorough, she has an amazingly calm energy and makes me feel so relaxed every time I go.
The spa is clean and the rooms are super nice. There’s a relaxation room for you to hang out in before and after your treatment that has low lighting, comfy couches, snacks, and some headphones that play meditation and relaxation programs. They offer you a beverage or champagne when you arrive and give you a soft robe and slippers to wait in. The front desk staff is always so polite and the spa staff is very attentive to your needs. I’ve never had an issue making appointments or with the staff there; so as I see there are a few complaints about that, I think they may have been isolated incidents. I’ve never had an experience like that.
I had a facial with Danielle once when Courtney was away and she was also very good. She was thorough and her massage was super relaxing.
I haven’t had a non-​facial massage here yet, but hopefully I will soon. If the massages are as good as the facials, I’ll be going here a lot more often.

I came to Philly for a birthday weekend and my sister bought me a makeup lesson with Callie as a gift and it was fantastic! Callie was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job giving me tips that I could use daily. Applying makeup can be very complicated but Callie broke it down in to easy steps and made it fun as well. She even went the extra mile to jot a few things down on paper for me to take home. All in all a great weekend at the Ritz and if you’re looking for something different to do, I highly recommend a makeup application with Callie — you will feel fabulous!

Fantastic spa!!! I was visiting Philly for work and needed a massage — this place delivered! I opted for the sugar scrub and Swedish massage.
The massage was fantastic. Stephanie made sure she knew what areas I wanted targeted and gave me a fantastic and relaxing massage. The sugar scrub was applied at the end and left my skin really smooth once I rinsed.
The spa amenities here are also great! I took advantage of the steam room and sauna facilities and loved that they had disposable razors on hand for when I showered at the end.
Next time I’m in Philly I definitely plan to return!

I came here with mom for her Mother’s day present and while the customer service and everyone was great, the massages were just okay. We both got a facial and massage. For me, my facial was great. Callie (sp?) was not pushy with products but gave suggestions for some skin problems I had. I will definitely try to see her again. My massage was not relaxing at all. While Christine was nice, she did not target the areas I had requested for — back and shoulders. Instead she spent a lot of time on my legs. For mom, her facialist actually gave her a better massage than her masseuse. For the amount of money I spent ($ 600 including tip for the 4 services), I would have been better off somewhere else. The locker room is very cramped and the keys for the locks were very awkward to use.

Just enjoyed my 50 min. massage! It was a great experience and everyone was super friendly and courteous. I recommend asking for Stephanie, she was great and did such a fantastic job, that I wish I had purchased a longer session. I’m also going to give myself more time so I can stay and enjoy the sauna that is included in the spa:)

Overall pretty bad experience. The only reason I am giving this place 1 star is because staff was very attentive and friendly. So where do I start:
1. Locker room is very small, can’t fit two people. There was a girl changing there and I had to wait till she is done, before I could go in.
2. Door to the locker room is constantly open — hello some privacy please!
3. Staff uses the same locker room to change — never seen that before!
4. Robe was purely filthy! It had brown looking skid marks on it. I will try to upload the photos. I opted to use a towel instead of robe.
5. Relaxation room (where you sit before massage) it men an women. It was very awkward when I guy walked in a robe. I think he felt the same way.
6. Massage was more like a back scratch. I am used to deep tissue, Swedish etc. this one did not do anything for me at all. Oils were nice and the guy was friendly. That’s about it.
7. Steam room was not working. Sauna was so small I could not even lay down.
Even at livingsocial price this place is not worth it. I had hard time relaxin because the place was so crowded and there was no privacy!

Really, one of the best massage places in the city. I had a Living Social deal for the 50 minute signature massage. I purchased my massage on Tuesday and was able to make an appointment for Thursday, no problem! The Spa is located on the 3^rd floor of the Ritz Carlton Hotel so go to 15^th and Broad and go up.
I took a later appointment (7PM) so be sure to leave enough time to get downtown and park with traffic. I parked in a lot off of 16^th and Chestnut for $ 13 (evening special). My massage was with Nicole. I was welcomed and taken into the women’s locker room to change. After being lead to a private room, Nicole did a wonderful job working on me. She had me so relaxed by the end of the massage, I wanted to go to sleep! I also realized 50 minutes wasn’t enough time for a massage if you go there because it was so relaxing, I really wanted a longer massage. I would definitely come back, but too bad I’m moving out of state soon!

Hands down: my favorite spa destination in the 215. I visited last week and indulged in the package including a facial, scrub and massage! YES, YES & YES!!!
Nancy did my massage (I think this was my first time having her) and she did a really great job. I explained that I like lots of pressure and pressure she gave! At various points during the massage I found myself nodding off and possibly drooling … **NO JUDGEMENT among friends**
Juliette always does my facials and she is amazing. She doesnt just rub your face — she really knows what she is talking about and she offers good advice /​practical tips to take home in between appointments.

I received a gift of three spa services over the holidays and booked a facial for this past Sunday. I never had a facial before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was so relaxing and my skin felt so amazing afterward! I asked the aesthetician about what products I should use given my skin type and she described everything thoroughly. I really hope that the massage I booked in a few weeks is just as great and relaxing!

Website Booking:
I booked my appointment online through their website for a 50 min aromatherapy massage for Friday afternoon at 4, on Thursday Night. I got a call confirming the appointment at 2PM on Friday and asked to reschedule for the same time in a week due to bad weather. Done and got a revised confirmation email.
Parking:
I should have researched it more. But ended up paying $ 26 for parking about 2 blocks away.
Hotel:
Huge lobby, helpful staff.
Spa:
Took the elevator to the 3^rd floor and into the spa. When you book a spa service with them you are allowed access to the Sauna, Steam Bath and Fitness Center for the day. I used all except the fitness center. Nancy did my massage and after listening to me gave me exactly what I needed.
End Result:
Nancy got a well deserved 20% tip and I booked with her for a month later. I had a glass of complementary champagne. Plenty of water. And a fantastic service.

I never write reviews for spas, but my experience with Richel D’Ambra was so terrible, I feel a responsibility to warn you.
Like Terry M. and others, I bought two LivingSocial vouchers for Limoncello massages and proceeded to be ignored over repeated email and voicemail requests to schedule an appointment to redeem the vouchers. Miraculously, when I called and left a voicemail asking to scheduling an appointment WITHOUT mentioning the vouchers, I got a call back in 20 minutes.
Evidently the spa was recently renovated (as they shut down without any warning for a couple months) and I do have to say the facilities were nice… but the massages were unimpressive, especially at the original $ 125 per 50-​minute massage price point. One massage therapist did not ask about problem areas and then proceeded to focus only on the right side of the body.
Finally, note that the «couples massage» is two separate rooms with an open pocket door and you’re arranged in a way in which you cannot see the other person. Perhaps there’s a better arrangement and this is what the lowly voucher redeemers get? I won’t be finding out.

I bought a groupon to try out this spa, and what a waste of money!
They told me I could come early to enjoy the «facilities» which included a broken steam room. When I told the staff it wasn’t working, they shrugged and walked away.
When you walk into a spa (especially at the Ritz, seriously, people!) it should be calm and quiet and the front desk was chatty and gossiping with each other and irritating.
Now for the massage. The big Russian guy giving me a massage (I requested a woman, by the way — I just think they give better massages!) kept complimenting my «strong muscles» and it was borderline creepy. He used way too much oil and his strokes were so fast I felt like I was running a marathon not relaxing.
AND the groupon was for a Lemoncello massage (whatever the hell that is) but nothing smelled like lemons. It SEEMED LIKE they brought in some massage weirdo just to help them fill the groupons they sold.
No way, never again, not even with a half priced voucher.
And BOO on the Ritz for having such a shitty spa with no quality control.