Total Serenity Day Spa

Let me start with the fact that there was no running water. We had a party of twelve that was schedule for massages and a aromatherapy foot scrub. Prior to our visit no one contacted us to explain the circumstances. We were not aware of the issues until 30 minutes after our arrival which was 9:30 am. The owner was not there and avoided numerous attempts to speak with us. The staff on the other hand did a Great job with limited supplies. They made a terrible situation work to the best of their ability. They had to purchase bottle water and warm it on a heater for the foot soaks. They were professional in every way possible. I would never want to work under those circumstances. The owner refused to discount the bill even after the staff made her aware of the issues. Money was not the issue at all but when people pay good money they expect good service. Not only was there no water, they were short staffed as well. The ratio was 3:12. We were late for our next schedule event which was lunch. Four from our party were not able to get the full service as schedules. I would NEVER go back there again and I would not recommend this place to anyone. Wouldn’t even go for free.

This appointment was set for my best friend and I to celebrate our birthdays. We were greeted by very pleasant staff who offered us a glass of wine while we waited for our services to begin. The staff introduced themselves to use and made us feel very comfortable. We both enjoyed our massages and plan to try some of their other services. In reading some of the older reviews, I would say give them another chance because your experience may not have been good due to the business just starting out, but based on my experience I think your experience will be better.

Went to Tasha T. for a full Brazilian and she was awesome. Totally professional, confident and collected in her approach to the experience. She took her time and legitimately did a beautiful job. She also made me feel entirely calm and comfortable throughout. I immediately booked a follow up appointment with Tasha.

Very friendly staff. The massage was a very nice complement to go along with the body glow. I received the massage offer via LivingSocial I don’t think that I would pay full price for the services as they were not the quality I was expecting.

Gave them a second chance out of Groupon hubris. Mistake. They called to cancel on me, I made other plans for the day, they called back several hours later to un-​cancel on me… And because I had made other plans for my time off, like any reasonable person would, I wasn’t able to make it to this magical new appointment. So I had to pay a $ 25 rescheduling fee.
The treatment was… okay… But I wish I had gotten a heads up that I’d be completely naked with a male technician. I need some mental prep work ahead of time to get comfortable with that.

I have been visiting Total Serenity Day Spa for a year now getting my Brazilian touch up and it is perfect every time. Gia is great, I highly suggest scheduling with her if you are able to make an appointment, but Ang is great too. They have wine and infused waters (my favorite was the strawberry infused water), and you are treated like friends and family rather than a customer. Every time I leave I feel like a complete woman, and I highly suggest visiting!

My husband and I purchased a couples massage. This was my husbands first massage. I would like to start with the positive first. They were nice. Now the negatives, I was very disappointed. The massage areas are separated by curtains. We had to undress in the rooms. No changing areas, no slippers or robes. They gave us a hanger for our clothes. The oils were not warm and did not have any nice aromas. I kept thinking in my head what are they massaging me with. The music was loud and not soothing. The massage was mediocre. No techniques, just a lot of rubbing. I always fill out a medical history and type of pressure I prefer before massages. They never gave me anything to fill out. They gave us warm juice after the massage. This place lacks experience. They should visit other spas to see where they are lacking.

I came here on a LivingSocial deal for a couples massage. I have been getting massages more often now, this place comes off a little intimidating, looks can be deceiving, for a somewhat noobie like me. However, it was as soothing as can be inside.
Had a male masseuse for the first time which was different, but the experience was relatively the same.
Probably my only complaint was that they offered an upgrade mid-​massage. Some people may appreciate that, but I don’t.
It was certainly relaxing to the point I fell asleep. The warmth and the serene music in the background certainly put me in a trance.
If it weren’t for the LivingSocial deal, I probably would not have come (85 for the couples massage, 45 minutes… normally 170).
My biggest gripe is the lack of personnel. I called on Friday to schedule an appointment, left a message, and did not get a response. If they only had a receptionist at all times, I think this place might justify the high prices.

Kind of awful Brazilian wax. Left with patches of hair and burned skin. Yes, awful. They have a deal for $ 30 every 4 weeks, tempting, but it’s worth the extra money to go somewhere else and to actually get a Brazilian without injury.

I came to Total Serenity because I was in DESPERATE need of a massage and it was one of the places that had a Living Social deal ($ 50 for $ 100 of services) and they were able to take my appointment with only 3 hours notice. I had a one hour massage with Kai and I added the aromatherapy option.
I enjoyed my massage and for the price I think that it was fair but I can’t say that my experience was totally stellar. I would not suggest the aromatherapy option (it’s a $ 10 fee) because it was just a blend of oils that my masseuse put in his hands and had me inhale for a few seconds before my massage and I am extremely congested and couldn’t really breathe properly for the exercise… and that was it — I was expecting aromatherapy in the way of different scented oils for the massage itself. I definitely would have used the hot stone upgrade instead had I known.
My massage was relaxing and nice. Another suggestion that I’d have is that because there aren’t walls (just curtains) and the space is very echo-​y, the sound of just music playing wasn’t enough. I was disrupted by the sound of my masseuse breathing and so on top of the music I would suggest a water feature in the massage area to further drown out noise.
All-​in-​all I had a positive experience. I would consider returning with a deal, not for full price though.

I was invited by my friend to try Total Serenity Day Spa and decided to get a swedish massage. I was not disappointed by my massage at all. So relaxing and Kai did a great job! He was very friendly and so was all of the staff members. We were offered the spa cinnamon water which I thought was so tasty and refreshing! They were very accommodating with setting us up as a group and when we wanted to enjoy some champagne after our services.
My only issue would be the fact that they do not have showers or a separate room to change in. Since the rooms are only separated by curtains you felt like you could be seen by others next to you. Plus the fact that if someone walked by the breeze blew the thin curtains making you duck for cover. The sheet on the massage table felt heavy and oily like it had not been washed between people. It could have been the way they wanted it but I’m not sure. Hearing other people didn’t take away from the relaxation as much as I thought it would. It may have helped the massage therapist not talk which I like. No chit chat while relaxing!
I would go back to Total Serenity but only if I knew I wasn’t going out afterwards. My friends and I were doing lunch afterwards and without a shower we felt oily.

All I can say is that the place lives up to its name :-) Will definitely come back once I find a time to get to Rittenhouse Square :-)

Purchased the groupon yesterday — $ 79 for 3 Brazilians. Had my first appointment today and I’m wishing I had purchased the groupon for 5 Brazilians! Do note, however, that to get a full wax (no landing strip) you will pay $ 10 extra. Well worth it.
Andrea was friendly and very thorough! Definitely knows what she’s doing.
I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the room, very warm and inviting. I was also digging the relaxing music playing in the background. Not a bad way to spend a lunch break.
I already scheduled my next appointment and I’ll definitely be checking out their other services.

My lovely husband purchased a groupon for me, and I was so excited to get a message! When we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, the doors were locked. A burly large man answered the door, and, awkwardly, we asked if they were open. He said they were open, and asked if we had an appointment, which we did, so he opened the door and let us in. This same man asked us if we’d like something to drink, we both said water would be great. He served spa water, but it was really no good… I couldn’t even drink it.
While I was waiting for my massage therapist, another lady knocked on the door, the man answered, she asked if they did mani/​pedi, and he would not let her in, possibly because she didn’t have an appointment, but there was not one person in their mani/​pedi area. The locked door/​large intimidating man answering it was definitely not a relaxing start to my massage experience.
In the massage area, the spaces are separated only by curtains. So when I entered my massage «room» to change, there were gaps in the drapery and I was so self-​conscious that people could see in. Additionally, there were about three staff members in the massage area chatting, yes softly, but chatting none the less, which not relaxing to listen to.
After disrobing, I walked to the other side of the bed (to try and avoid the chatting people from seeing me naked through the gaps in drapery) and I walked through some sort of sandy gritty substance… so gross! It was dark in there, and all I could think about after that was whether anything had been cleaned for weeks.
Finally, the massage itself had good parts and bad parts… my massage therapist asked me how I prefer my pressure, and was careful to maintain pressure throughout the massage, which I really appreciated! However, his hands were uncomfortable close to areas that I didn’t care for him to be. Nothing so extreme that I felt violated or anything, but I did think to myself a couple of times «buddy, you better not go any further!»

I have been going to Total Serenity since 2007. It is a fabulous spa!
They changed locations and have made the most of their new space.
They have talented massage therapist who work out allll of the kinks. Their aestheticians are amaZZZing and give great facials.
The only drawback is the new set up, there aren’t massage rooms. But, rather flowy sheets that separate one massage space from another.
I appreciated that because ina private space sometimes your massage therapist wants to make small talk. But, knowing that you can’t talk bcuz it’ll disturb the patrons next door — was my idea of total serenity.
I go at least once a month.

Everything you read is true. I gave them one star for the spa water they serve. My friend and i purchased a Goupon for mani/​pedi to have a spa day or at least go at the same time.
well we couldn’t go together so we figured one could go and then the other, they had no appointments for that and our coupon was expiring in 3 weeks.
So i went and my friend couldn’t even sit next to me to talk they made her wait in the front. So it was no her turn so i figure i can just stand on the side and talk to her they told me to get lost their wasn’t enough room in the area for me…
Will never go back there.

I felt bad giving a 2 stars as well because the staff are nice and friendly but I really can’t honestly say this is one of my better experiences. Let me start by saying I am not the primping type so my experience for mani/​pedi isquite limited. I am reviewing more in a general sense.
My biggest issue with them is scheduling. My friend and I got the Groupon for Spa pedi/​Gel mani thinking we have not seen each other for a while and could use a date catching up.
Strike 1: We settled on a date and she called to make the appointment. She was told that we needed to make the appointment a week in advance. No problem.
Strike 2: Some time passed, we found another time that we could get together and called 2 weeks ahead. I was told that there is only one person doing the mani/​pedi so we would have to make our appointment one after the other. There went the date idea. As expiration date was fast approaching. I made my appointment and told my friend to make hers separately whenever she is available.
Strike 3: 2 days before my appointment, I got a call that they needed to reschedule me from Friday afternoon to the next Monday because the technician had to leave early that day. With very few choices before the expiration date. I decided to take an extended lunch hour from work and get it over with.
Strike 4: I arrived at the Spa and was asked whether I wanted Mani or Pedi. Turned out I was only scheduled for one, not both. They were apologetic and agreed to split my Groupon in two appointments. I got my Pedi. Which I have to say, I was extremely pleased with. She did an awesome job and my feet felt soooo good afterwards. Though I have to add the color selection was pitiful at best. I left with good anticipation for the remaining portion of my Groupon.
Strike 5: I arrived right at my appointment time. Was told to wait as she finished the appointment before me. I waited for 45 minutes. As I was waiting, another customer came in for a pedi. Her technician wasn’t even there. She had to wait as well. By the time I sat down for my mani. She was telling the late technician to do it as fast as she could because she had another engagement that she had to make.
I didn’t fare that well either. My technician was supposed to leave to pick up her kids. So she was all agitated and distracted. I barely got my nails filed down. When another technician finally arrived, she handed me to her and hurried away. I was ok being handed over. But the second technician really didn’t do that good a job. I think I could have my fiancé paint my nails and he would do a much better job. And did I mention already how limited the color selection was? I normally like to have darker colors. Most of the gel colors are pinks and whites. I took some pictures of the paint job when I got into my car. Take a look at them. Let me know if I am being too harsh.
I did have a great spa pedi. But it just doesn’t seem to worth all the aggravation. This is supposed to be relaxing!!!

I feel really bad to have to give this spa 2 stars but seriously, there is so much wrong with this place. First off, let me just say that they only reason they are getting 2 stars and not 1 is because the staff was so nice. Everyone couldn’t have been more friendly or courteous… but that doesn’t justify the prices they charge for their services.
My friends got me a gift card for my birthday to try their services and I decided to go with my husband to get a couples foot scrub… which cost about $ 100 (crazy). So when we arrived, I was really impressed by the large entry/​lobby area. There weren’t that many seats except for a couple of chairs and a couple of stools but the décor was really nice. The receptionists were really nice and offered us some beverages in champagne glasses. When I asked to use the restroom, I was directed to enter through the back where everyone gets their massages. So, I know we didn’t get a massage – and thank goodness – but their setup in the massage area is just a line of massage tables separated by curtains. You could hear everyone and everything! I can’t imagine how distracting that would be. Also, the bathroom was facing the line of massage tables so I almost felt bad for flushing!
Finally when we got our services, turns out we were going to be in the front lobby getting our foot scrubs. There were 2 pedicure chairs in the far end of the entrance/​lobby so it was really awkward when other people came in for their services. And to our surprise, the 2 people who gave us our services were the 2 receptionists – which would have been fine except that when someone called the spa or came in to check in for their services, the receptionist had to stop giving us our scrub and go answer the phone or see the customers. Seriously, everything was so awkward! To cap it all off, our $ 100 foot scrub was no better than what I would have gotten with $ 25 pedicure… what a waste of money.

If it was possible to give 0 stars, I would. This place should be shut down.
I used a groupon for a massage. The lobby area is deceptively nice, but then my masseur, ?Kai?, brought me to the treatment area, which is actually just beds separated by curtains. No private rooms, so you can actually hear people shuffling and whispering next you while you change and during the massage. They play «relaxing music» so loudly that it ceases to be calming.
But the worst part wasn’t the ambience, it was my massage: It was unprofessional at best, and downright inappropriate. The male masseur exposed areas that should NOT be exposed during a massage, and massaged high enough into my groin to be disturbingly inappropriate, but not quite high enough to be «illegal.»
I filled out a survey that they emailed me afterwards with the same information, and received no reply. Given this kind of service could be a liability, I’m surprised.
I will NEVER return.

I reviewed this spa before but I want to make a special comment today about Jia. I was very worried when Tawanda left (to further her education and skills, I have been told) because Tawanda did such a great facial. Well, Jia has not disappointed. She really pays attention to my skin, understands skin care and face products and spends time talking about how to keep my face beaming. Thanks Jia. I look forward to many more facials.