Pavlova Spa & Salon

Very disappointed in my experience here. Let me start by saying that I tipped well and made no complaints because at the time, things seemed good. I will start with the mani and pedi. I came in wearing a no-​chip that needed to be removed. This request was made and noted at the outset. I have had many no-​chip manis, and usually what happens is that the nail tech will start the soak-​off while I am getting a pedicure so that there is plenty of time for the acetone to work. Here, she didn’t start it during the pedi and I was surprised but didn’t say anything, figuring she had her own system. When we sat down to do the manicure, she suddenly remembered. The soak-​off consisted of plunging the nails on each hand into a bowl of acetone for maybe two minutes. No soaking cotton balls in acetone and wrapping each nail in foil, which is how it’s supposed to be done. No filing or buffing the finish of the no-​chip before either, which I have never seen. She then took a metal cuticle stick and starting scraping at my nails, hard. I knew there was no way there had been enough soaking time and should have said something. When she finished, my nails were covered in flaky white gouge marks. She had scraped the heck out of them. I have had the brand of no-​chip I was wearing removed many times before and never had a problem before. When I said something about the scrapes, she applied a product and they looked ok. She then reapplied a new no-​chip and I was planning to look past everything and enjoy the end result, which looked good at the time.
Well, three days later, growth was showing at the bottom, meaning it had not been applied close enough to the cuticle. Usually it takes a full week for me to see growth if a no-​chip has been applied correctly. Just seven days later, the no-​chip started to literally peel off… remember peel-​off polish from your childhood? That’s what it did. It all came right off, and the ugly scratch marks were all still there. The product applied at the salon just masked how they looked. Seriously, she destroyed my nails. Again, should have said something when the soak was not long enough, but I was there for a service; why should I have to do their job for them?
Also, during the mani and pedi I had to ask for my nails to be clipped (they obviously needed it) and my cuticles were not trimmed.
I also had a bikini wax. At first glance it looked fine, but when I got home I noticed a TON of missed hairs… not just one or two, but entire patches that were missed. And, halfway into my beach vacation, hairs regrowing in areas that had been waxed. This means the wax was not done properly. Hair was ripped at the surface rather than at the root.
All in all, very disappointing, made worse by the fact that I tipped more than customary because it was Christmas, and now really bad services were rewarded. I thought this was one of the better, if not the best, place to go in T.C. for nails and waxing. The staff was also extremely gossipy in front of clients, which was annoying and unprofessional. Although I was there for three services, no one offered to hang up my coat or take my bag so I carried around both all morning. No one offered water or anything to drink. I will not be back.

I was recently in Traverse City for a wedding.
The bride booked us into this salon on the wedding day to have our hair done.
I had Darlene as my stylist. She is excellent. She gave me the best shampoo I have ever experienced. The head massage was heavenly.
I took her advice to have my hair blown out rather than an updo. It was the best decision since it was a hot, windy day. She made my fine hair look fuller and shinier than I had ever seen it.
When we went to pay our bill, the tip was included in the service. Personally I like this, it makes it easier. I thought the charge was very reasonable.
The ambiance of the salon is nice. It is an open design and all the chairs I sat in were very comfortable for my 5’2″ frame.
If you are ever in Traverse City, MI and need a salon, don’t hesitate to stop at Pavlova Day Spa Salon, you won’t be disappointed.

Great place to get your eyebrows waxed ladies and gentlemen. Very nice upscale experience. Must book your appointment a little out to get your desired timeframe but that’s ok. I highly recommend Bonnie D. she does a great job and knows how to shape correctly based on your face shape. I have used other eyebrow specialist but she is the best I have had experienced. Enjoy this salon & spa treatment.

I have been having my nails done at Pavlova for ten years, and I must say, when I read some of these reviews, I think that the people writing them are just rude! I have always been treated professionally and with the utmost skill. They are very accommodating. If I have an emergency repair, they always work to repair it in what I consider a timely manner.
I have been present when wedding parties come in for special services. I can’t believe how well the salon deals with this very busy time, juggling new as well as old clients. Their patience and courteous demeanor at what often is a stressful time is to be commended.
Michelle and other nail professionals — Way to go!

A few days before my wedding, I had scheduled manicures for myself and two bridesmaids.
The woman who did my nails greeted me with no expression or warmth. Kind of strange. She didn’t really talk to me the entire time she worked on my nails, other than asking me what color shellac I wanted, and a few random comments.
I thought that perhaps she just wasn’t the talking type, but she got up several times when my nails were drying to talk and laugh with the other regulars in the salon.
I had asked for french tips, and said that I might want to incorporate my «something blue» with my nails somehow…
She rolled her eyes, said nothing, and did the fastest and laziest manicure I’ve ever gotten. The white was cloudy, and she didn’t match my nails to make sure they were uniform.
Honestly, I’ve gotten better $ 20 manicures, and I couldn’t believe I was treated like that as a bride.
The ONLY redeeming thing was they did not charge me for mine. Thank goodness, because my «two-​week» shellac had started to bubble and chip after FOUR DAYS. Completely useless, and very disappointing. I have a $ 25 gift card there, and I have no desire to go back. :(

I was skeptical coming to Pavolva because the reviews on here were either all or nothing but I figured whatever I will give it a shot. I had an appointment for a wax, massage and hair cut/​color and everything went perfectly. When I entered I was greeted by an EXTREMELY friendly woman who worked the front desk. Not at all pretentious or rude as previous posts have suggested. I was actually a few minutes late so they immediately rushed me upstairs to my wax appointment. I can’t remember if Katie was my waxer or masseuse but they were both great. After my wax I had a standard Swedish massage and it was heavenly. Transitioning from each appointment/​person was seamless and I never had to wait. The highlight was my hair stylist, Abby Keller. She was extremely friendly, listened to what I was looking for and helped me switch up my hair color from my standard. I also loved that the salon was a Kerastase salon because their products are really wonderful. After my color/​cut Abby showed me the different products she used and took the time to explain what the differences were. Obviously that’s part of her job to upsell you in to buying product but she wasn’t pushy and it was really helpful. She also wrote down the colors she used to take to my normal salon since she knew I was visiting from out of town. When I went to pay for my services a new woman was working the front desk. She was also very friendly and offered me some great restaurant recommendations to try in the area.
If you are looking for a relaxing spa day on your next Traverse City vacation I would absolutely recommend Pavlova. I live in NYC and found the services at Pavlova to be on par with what I am used to there (although much cheaper which was amazing). Don’t listen to the reviews saying this place isn’t worth it. They are either exaggerating or experienced Pavlova on an «off day».
Enjoy! :)

A friend and I got manicures, pedicures and massages while vacationing in Traverse City, and both of our experiences at Pavlova were great! The staff was friendly, professional and a lot of fun. The spa is small, maybe cozy would be a better word, but also very pretty inside. I would definitely come back again.

I feel bad writing such a bad review but I feel it’s appropriate and maybe the owners/​managers will make the needed changes. I came to visit my mom in traverse city and she booked a spa day for my birthday. there were three of us and we were supposed to be getting an assortment of treatments. My sister was starting with a massage and I was doing an hour facial and we were to meet up, get a Mani/​pedi and then finish with a shampoo and style.
As you can image, I was super excited and happy, especially since my mom was treating me for my birthday AND I had never experienced such pampering
Here’s where it gets bad.
My mom went to start her treatments, my sister went to get her massage and I was left… well, waiting. The front desk lady came up and said the girl that was doing my facial was running late. My appointment was supposed to start at 10 and they were thinking more like 10:15. Okay, no big deal. I’ll grab a magazine and kill time.
The clock kept ticking away. No one offered me any magazines, water or anything. 10:15 turned into 10:30. At around 10:35 another woman came and said I was getting my Manicure and pedicure. So… does this mean I wasn’t getting the facial.
I went to the bathroom real quick and my stuff had been moved back to the waiting room. Apparently the girl had arrived and was ‘setting the room up’ for my facial. Okay.
But she hadn’t arrived. Miscommunication and poor direction lead to the desk girls covering up a mistake someone had made. So I waited and at 11:00, with no one checking back on m, I got up and my mom at this point was done with her treatment. She saw that I was still waiting and became upset by seeing seeing me upset. I felt really crappy and I was confused. I mean, this was supposed to be a special day and I was being treated like crap.
We both walked down to the front and my mom told them how upset she was. Maybe because she was paying and I wasn’t, they listened more but all of a sudden they were in a hurry to fix it all. We ended up staying, getting the mani pedi and hair done but at that point the excitement and joy was gone. The day went from being great to just crap. I was really looking forward to a relaxing spa day and all three of us felt really let down. On the up side they tried to make it right by comping my Mani/​pedi and my style. My mom said her facial was so-​so. Maybe I lucked out by not getting one.
To the salon: please, focus more on communication and customer service. If you know someone is on vacation all the way from LA and they pick your salon to get a nice birthday gift, live up to the hype.
I most likely won’t be back.

This place is beautiful on both the inside and outside, however beyond that, there’s nothing to compliment. Two girlfriends and I came to Traverse City for a girls’ weekend, and called the morning of to make appointments. They gave us three time slots together near the end of the afternoon. When we got there, we had to wait for quite a while, and my two friends started before me by 15 minutes. I was also told I couldn’t get a shellac manicure because it would take too long, and mess up the rest of their appointments for the day. Once the pedicure started it was ok, but I had started 15 minutes later than my friends, and finished 5 minutes earlier. When my sister in law asked her lady to clean up her cuticles she got major attitude. Afterwards, we were rushed out because they were closing (so much for appointments following ours) and the two front desks girls asked how we got that impression. Not only by the employees snippy remarks, the front desk people had their coats and purses on… if you’re into over priced, subpar services, try this place, otherwise, you’re better off going to a cheap place with a quick and easy out the door time frame. Good luck

Winter has done a number to this gal’s hair, not to mention distress caused by my new Chi. My poor blonde tresses were sad and broken from the flat iron and dry Michigan air, so I came to Pavlova with high hopes my mane would be fixed.
Voila! With a recommendation from a friend, I looked to Lisa H’s help for a cut that would get rid of my damage, but still keep the length. I’ve also had a bit of «bang drama» from a chop last November (also because of Chi damage) and I’ve been taking vitamins for the past 3 months hoping they’d grow out quickly. So, all in all, I needed a cut with what I considered hopeless hair.
Lisa was truthful about how terrible my hair was but was positive in making me believe it wasn’t the end of the world. :) She cut off about two inches– more than I had hoped– but I am so glad she did. It needed it in the worst way! Now with her recommendation of oil (post shampoo and usual deep conditioner) prior to blowdrying, my hair looks and feels healthy, bouncy, and moisturized. Hooray! My bangs also blend in well with the rest of my hair, and my face-​framing layers look fabulous.
Next time I’ll stop in for the Kerastase deep conditioning treatment!

In the span of three weeks I was here three times!
First, my matron of honor and I got pedicures in advance of my wedding. We relaxed on a rainy afternoon in their lovely massage chairs and enjoyed being pampered. Brenda was my tech and was fabulous! Such a lovely lady to chat with and she did a wonderful job on my toes.
We were back early the following Saturday to get our nails done for the big event. We chose the Shellac manicure as the claim was it would last for two weeks. I usually chip my manicures within 48hrs, so I was dubious… but holy smokes, it lasted until I just didn’t want it on any more. And no chips! I should have come back in to have them remove it… but I did it on my own. Oops. It’s tough to take off and I clearly didn’t have a strong enough acetone to do it. Oh well.
Finally, I used a gift certificate during Spa Week for an aromatherapy massage and pumpkin enzyme facial — such a deal and SUCH a great way to relax for a couple hours! Jenelle was my massage therapist and Bonnie did my facial. Both were lovely ladies and did a great job. I left feeling blissful and refreshed.
I have no idea why some reviewers feel this is a snobby place — I had the exact opposite experience. Everyone was warm and friendly, making sure we had hot tea or coffee if we wanted it and that our experience was wonderful. I’m in need of a haircut… so I might be back soon.

Loved every minute at Pavlova! Nothing snobby or pretentious about the place. Emily is sweet & knowledgeable, and made my damaged hair look amazing.
I’ll be back!

This snobby, pretentious salon is tucked away in one of Northern Michigan’s coolest tourist towns, Traverse City. If you can afford it, you must book a haircut with Christophe. Christophe is from Lyon, France. He is a French version of Edward Scissorhands. Hairs will be flying to and fro, and before you bat an eyelash, you will be transformed from Dorky Schoolgirl with Bangs, to Sexy Sky Goddess with Fringe. Be forewarned: you will have to fight with all of Traverse City’s desperate housewives for a coveted appointment with Christophe. Bön Chance!