Forever Young

I went to Rita for a facial a fews days before my wedding (on a recommendation from a friend). The receptionist accommodated my last minute appointment request. The facial was wonderful and she was extra careful, paying attention to not leave any marks that would show in my wedding pictures. It was a fantastic experience and I would recommend Rita to anyone!

I have been going to Rita for 17+years for facials and wax. I followed her from Melrose to Medford and back to Melrose. I highly recommend Rita, who is a fabulous aesthetician, a warm and friendly person and, as Forever Young’s owner, offers regular specials via e-​mail so be sure to sign up.
In addition to facials and wax, I also go there for massages with Aderli, who
is also fabulous. She finds and relieves every kink, knot, muscle ache — everything. I intend to be a life-​long client at Forever Young!!!

I will start by saying that my mother has been a well known massage therapist in Cambridge and Melrose for over 30 years who specializes in Zero Balancing, Massage, Alexander Technique and other methods of healing. My boyfriend of 6 years is a soft-​spoken, hard-​working construction worker who refuses to allow my mother to give him a massage claiming that he doesn’t want to make her work for him. So I bought an hour long massage for him on Groupon and booked the appointment immediately for the following Thursday. Very rude receptionist who made it abundantly clear that they were very busy. Unfortunately, he was running about 20 minutes late for his 3:30pm appointment due to 95 traffic. He called to inform and apologize to the spa. The woman that he spoke was very rude and lectured him about being on time! LIKE HE CAN REALLY CONTROL TRAFFIC! It is not difficult to have good customer service and it’s clear that this spa does not value their new customers or any of them for that matter. I don’t know what i’ll do w/​this groupon now. I certainly won’t give it to any of my friends for fear that they’ll hate me! I’ll probably just throw it out. I should have been wary of a spa that employs Groupon to sell their massages and facials at such a discounted rate.

I got a facial and massage on Groupon from this spa. I had to call a bunch of times to make an appt. because they never returned my messages. When I told the woman on the phone that, she basically told me that she ALWAYS calls back (implying I lied). My massage was with a man, even though I asked for a woman. This place is awful!

I have been going to this spa for several years now (I followed Aderli, a massage therapist, from another spa). I understand other reviewers’ gripes about service, but the management has changed and the front desk has a totally different vibe. There are several new receptionists, and they are all friendly and kind. The grumpy co-​owner everyone complained about is no longer associated with the spa, and the place has a totally different feel. If you’re looking for a great sports massage therapist, Aderli is for you. She is professional, friendly and continually updating her skill with classes in different types of massage. I have been getting sports massages from her for 6 years; there is no one better. Highly recommended.

I’ve been going to Forever Young for about 5 years now and all I can say hallelujah it’s under new ownership, about time! Now that it’s under new ownership I feel comfortable about writing a review.
I usually see Rita for facials and waxing. Her facials are not only relaxing, they are amazing! Honestly, my skin is in much better condition since I started going to Rita. My first visit was to see if she could do something about a dark sun spot on my face. After talking to her for about 10 minutes Rita suggested laser removal, I said go for it. It was gone, a few zaps (painless) and it was gone! Rita also does my waxing which is always a breeze and she’s fast!
I’ve also had massages many times with different technicians but Aderli is my favorite. She really gets in there and gets out all the knots. I went to Aderli once when I was on day 2 of a really bad headache and within 30 minutes or so it was gone. I can’t say enough good things about Rita or Aderli

Do not go here.
I went in to get my eyebrows done yesterday. They just needed to be cleaned up, so I anticipated a quick 10 minute wax/​plucking and I’d be out.
An hour later I left extremely unsatisfied. Christine, the woman who did my eyebrows was kind, but kindness cannot make up for incompetence.
The waxing was standard in the beginning. The wax itself wasn’t quite hot enough, so she had to keep going over the same area.
Then, the wax was too hot and now I have a small cut above my right eye from the too hot wax.
Moreover, she dropped a glob of wax in the middle of my left eyebrow, let it harden, and then had to spend a half hour working the wax out of the eyebrow so not to remove the hairs. After 10 minutes, she left to check with the owner about what to do, leaving me in the room for 8 minutes with «the solution» (I think it was just oil) on a cotton ball on my eyebrow.
She did eventually (after a half hour) get the wax out of my eyebrow. She apologized, offered a free facial, comped my brow waxing, but the whole experience was just yucky. I understand that mistakes happen, but the mistake PLUS a cut/​irritated brows is just too much.

I had an amazing massage and one of the most relaxing facials at Forever Young. I had been here before and was really pleased with my experience. My boyfriend got me a gift certificate for Christmas and I finallyyyy got around to using it! Since it’s a little bit of a hike from the Dedham area, I made it worth my while and scheduled the facial for the same day.
The girl who did my facial was very kind, friendly, and did a great job. I upgraded from the European to the Pumpkin Enzyme Peel and was really pleased with the results. Maria, who did my massage was great, highly recommended.
I will definitely be back!

I just had an awesome massage with Aderli at Forever Young. It was fantastic. There is a new woman at the front desk and she was very nice and polite.
I had been there previously with the massage therapist Tanya who no longer is with them. She was wonderful and I was skeptical of going back without her there. Today I was pleasantly surprised and plan to return and spread the word that Aderli was wonderful as well. Lastly, my sister uses other services there and has always been more than satified with their service, not sure if these «bad» reviews are just very old…

I can’t believe this place is still open. I would give it zero stars if I could.
WORST MASSAGE EVER! If you ever want to get molested by the «massage therapist» with massage oil, then this is the place for you. I don’t even know how you are still in business. Awful customer service, awful employees.
Don’t buy a Groupon if you ever see it!

I truly try to give places the benefit of the doubt, or give them second chances before writing a negative review.
Well not going into a whole debacle, so I’m going to keep it short and sweet. If you have a Groupon, or any like such, please, PLEASE save yourself and ask for a refund.
It is not worth your time, money or effort to experience the WORST customer service EVER! Therapist can be good but will never know since I could not pass the rudeness I’ve experience.
I was VERY lucky to receive a refund from my Groupon. With so many competing spas out there, save yourself and go for a nice, comforting facial/​massage at another place. Wow. Never experience a service like this one.
UNBELIEVABLE!
Rated 0 ZERO star for customer service alone…

The owner/​front desk staff is condescending, unfriendly and STINKS of smoke.
The front staff messed up and I was accused of being dishonest. I think you need to train your front staff or better yet — model a more customer service oriented approach.
I didn’t even have the service I was supposed to, but when there are so many other places you could choose from… DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY!
If you read other posts, you will see the responses from the owner. I cannot even believe she would post such accusatory responses and remain in business.
The comments speak for themselves.

I had a good massage at Forever Young a couple months ago after redeeming an Eversave voucher. My therapist was named Tanya and did a wonderful job of asking about my specific pain points, making sure I was comfortable, and then relieving the knots in my back, legs, and arms. The massage itself was a great experience.
However, it is a bit of a nuisance how far in advance I have to call to get a weekend appointment for a massage. This seems to be a popular place, so I wish they’d expand their weekend hours or increase the number of therapists working on the weekends. It seems to be a bit easier to get a weeknight appointment, and that’s what I ended up doing for my other Eversave voucher.
The other less-​positive aspect of this spa is the front desk staff; I’ve only had a couple interactions with them over the phone and in person, but they are not very friendly or welcoming. The spa is in a convenient location near the T and easy for driving & parking, and the interior is quite peaceful, and I wish the front desk staff would match that overall vibe.

I have to tell you about the amazing massage I got last week!
I haven’t been back to Forever Young in a while because I moved. Still I jumped on the chance to buy the Groupon because I had a great experience before. I didn’t have any trouble making an appointment — probably because I was available during the week.
I arrived a few minutes early to my appointment and was greeted by Mike Lava. He gave me a great massage! I learned about the knots (trigger spots) in my back and he was able to get rid of them. I didn’t realize that the knots were why I was experiencing bad headaches. I left there feeling so relaxed and I am looking forward to my next massage!

I could barely wait to get home to write my Unilocal review!
I bought a voucher on EverSave last summer. I noticed it was expiring next week so I frantically called Forever Young explaining that it was Wednesday and my voucher ended Tuesday. The girl at the front desk asked what times worked best for me and I said after 5 as I work full time. She said she was pretty booked but offered me two spots one on Thursday and one on Monday. I took Thursday. She did also ask if I minded a male masseur (originally I was going to take Monday).
I came on Unilocal to read the reviews and I was TERRIFIED. Now I have only purchased two vouchers from EverSave and my first salon (mani/​pedi) experience was as awful as the Unilocal reviews said about the company, which is why I wanted to come on here and spread my good experience.
I came in 5 minutes before my scheduled appointment. The girl at the front desk was bubbly and pleasant. She gave me a form to fill out with all the standard questions «are you pregnant, do you have health issues, do you wear contacts, etc». I waited under 10 mins and was taken in by Maria.
Maria was GREAT! She did not use too much lotion, and I did not leave feeling dirty. Although honestly, if you’re getting a massage with lotion or oil rubbed all over you, I’m not sure why you would expect to not have to shower. Anyway, she asked where my stress was and I told her. She paid particular attention to those areas, and she even started off with them.
I left feeling so relaxed and happy. The only «poor» thing I could say is I wasn’t asked what type of massage I wanted (Swedish or Deep Tissue), but that really didn’t matter to me, whatever Maria gave me worked.
Maybe Forever Young is responding to the Unilocal posts and fixing their business practices, but as of 07.26.2012 they did a fantastic job. I will be a returning customer.

You know that feeling of pressure to use those Eversave and Groupon vouchers just before they expire? Well, that’s what drove me to use the Forever Young Eversave voucher. I bought it off a friend a month before it expired, thinking that it wasn’t too far away from me and that the price of it was decent for a Deep Tissue Massage.
After reading the reviews from other Eversave and Groupon shoppers, I got nervous. Real nervous.
You see, I’m not a fan of massage therapists who use too much lotion, and customer service that isn’t so welcoming. And unfortunately, my fears were confirmed after my visit.
Upon arrival, I walked into the day spa, expecting to fill out paperwork like I always do before any kind of massage work. Instead, the girl at the front desk stared at me for a minute or two, checked me in, and told me to wait in the waiting area. I was a bit concerned that I didn’t have to fill out any paperwork. .. the spa could be potentially held responsible for any pain they cause me during and after the massage.
10 minutes after my appointment was supposed to start, the massage therapist finally came out and introduced herself to me (Louise), and led me to the therapy room. She asked me what my pain and stress areas were, and then proceeded to go to work. She tried her best to give me deep tissue therapy, but unfortunately, it wasn’t anything better than a Swedish massage (I’ve got tight muscles from constant desk work). Louise also used a TON of lotion on me — like other reviewers, I felt like I needed a shower afterwards because of the residue left on my body. At least she was methodic in her work and moved smoothly from one side of my body to the other instead of jumping around and massaging one arm, then the opposite leg.
By the way, they don’t accept tips on credit cards, so make sure you bring cash if you do intend on tipping.
The one good thing about Forever Young is that they call you a day in advance of your appointment as a reminder. Otherwise, I’m not sure I’ll be back.

First time going to this place. I had bought a groupon for my wife and I. I called up and made an appointment for us a week after purchase, and was pleasantly surprised they had availability.
The day before they called to confirm our appointment, and said it was for 15 minutes before the time I had booked. I assumed they just said that time to fill out paperwork. We arrived about 8 minutes before the time I scheduled, and the masseuses were anxiously awaiting our arrival, telling us we were late. I advised them that we had a 6pm, not 5:45pm appointment, and there was some discussion about that. They said they would just delay the customers after us; but we were the last customers of the day (as confirmed when we made the appointment), and no one was waiting in the lobby when we left. So, awkward and somewhat unprofessional (IMO).
Anyway, we go to our respective rooms. I get ready, then sit on the table for about 5 minutes waiting for the masseuse to return. The space is a little too cozy (read SMALL), as the masseuse was a bit heavy set; mayhaps they should move the small table out or something. Not trying to be rude about the masseuse, she just kept bumping into me or the table. Then the lotion comes out… «No one can outrun a greased Scotsman!», as taken from the Simpsons. Way too much lotion, way way too much! I’ve never seen a place use soo much lotion. After we were done, I had to wipe myself down, a lot, and needed a shower to clean up.
I would say (aside from the excessive use of lotion) that the masseuse did a good job. As other people mentioned, I felt like it was shortened a bit («late start» & waiting for the masseuse to come back to the room).
Used the groupon, no issues there. We had cash for the tip, they have a sign that says tips can’t be put on credit cards (regardless of groupon usage), so be aware and have money on hand if you intend to tip them.
With plenty of spa/​massage options out there, I will likely use another service.

Eversave will be their downfall. I purchased the certificate and attempted to make an appointment the next day as soon as they opened. I understand that they must be swamped taking all of these calls to book the services.
I was not impressed when I was informed I cannot use the eversave certificate on Saturdays. There was certainly no restriction stating this when I purchased the certificate. I am new to the area and was looking for a local spa to try out, I will keep looking.

Like several others, I came here with a Groupon, and because of that, I felt there was alot of runaround for when I could actually schedule a time. They essentially told me they were booking well over a month out. I was trying to schedule a mother-​daughter outing, but was quite the ordeal, so my mom had to come from out of town and take a day off work so that we could finally use it during a week day.
That being said, in terms of the actual facial/​massage experience, we got there promptly for our scheduled time, but still had to wait at least 15 mins to be seen, they were apologetic about it though… but our massage was only 45 mins, so not sure if the whole thing is 1 hr, or the massage portion was to be 1 hr. The facial was diff from another facial I’ve had once before at a diff place. here they do several diff things, which was nice, but more intense, less relaxing, but felt like more treatment was being done. It wasnt the most relaxing experience, with the person constantly stopping, washing something, clanging bowls or such. However she was very helpful and would tell me each thing that she was about to do.
As for the massage, I had Maria, who I felt was rough, i.e., didnt feel like a relaxing experience either… I wanted some deep tissue massage, but she was more just painful digging into all across my back, rather than felt like she knew where to target the knots… at same time, she didnt seem to massage much else — she massaged the top, boney part of my feet, but not the actual part that you walk on that would typically need the massaging. Similar to that, everywhere else she barely did any massaging, but quickly ran over them with oil, but not actually massaging.
However, my mother, who normally is the harshest critique and hard to please, really loved her massage by Aderli and enjoyed her facial by Chih too!
The location itself was in a nice shopping complex, plenty of parking which was great, and they seem close to a T which is also convenient. So this would be a place worth checking out if you’re able to specify who you want to do your facial or massage.

I am supposing it is obvious, that as with all services.. .. satisfaction can vary depending on who performs them.
I had a facial with Chih, which was great. It was very relaxing, and she gives a great face massage. My skin felt great after, and the feeling lasted the week. She also didn’t do any product hard-​sell, just asked what I’d been doing, made a few suggestions, «if you’re interested». I like that. I don’t like the ladies that try to convince you that your face will fall off and/​or look like the Gorn within a month if you don’t by $ 200 worth the salon’s schtuff. So.. . thanks for that.
The atmosphere was very nice — candles, relaxing music, muted deep colors and low light. I waited for a very short time drinking water while waiting for my massage.
If you want a real massage — a massage that works on adhesions and knots and is REALLY deep tissue — Aderli is a master. She specifically asked what kind of massage I wanted and how deep.. .and I asked for deep. And I got it. This petite woman goes in with the elbow. You know what I mean. And before I even told her the specific problem spots, she put her finger right on the knot in my shoulder blade I’d been trying to shake — and when I left, it was gone. I have to say though — an hour isn’t enough, and I’m not sure they offer longer massages. But if they do — I’m there.
All in all, a great salon experience, and I will be back.