Ava's Day Spa

My boyfriend got me a gift certificate to Ava's and I was very excited as I had never been to a spa or had a massage before. It was a major disappointment. I not only waited an extremely long time when I first got there but I had to wait FOREVER between each service! No one seemed to know who was supposed to be helping me next. The massage was pretty good and I liked how my hair turned out but the atmosphere was AWFUL! I got the feeling that none of the employees liked working there and Ava even yelled at one of the girls in front of me for taking too long of a break. The next year my boyfriend got me another gift certificate there and I had the same problems with long wait times. This time Ava recommended the male employee to do my massage and said people love him. Not me! He hurt me so bad! I kept telling him it was too much pressure and he wouldn't let up! He kept telling me how tense I was and I wanted to scream at him "I'm tense because you are HURTING ME!!!!!" I did get my hair done by Beverly again and it turned out nice again so I was pleased with that but it was all SO overpriced in my opinion. I hate to complain about a gift but I had to tell my boyfriend to NEVER buy me another gift certificate to Ava's.

This is my 2nd TERRIBLE experience with Ava's. My 1st was in 2005 and Ava tried to rip me off when I booked my bridal party there for a relaxing "spa day". Ava was completely RUDE and had NO concern for the fact that I was disgusted with how I was treated and taken advantage of. I vowed to never return. This past Mother's Day, my husband got me a gift certifcate for a full body massage from Ava's. Bless his heart, he meant well and had forgotten that Ava's was banned from our services. But he had already bought it, it's been 6 years, so I figured I should give it another go. WHAT A MISTAKE!!! I called on Tuesday to book a massage and the lady took my name and said there was availability Wednesday (yesterday) and to be at 5pm. I work 8-4:45pm pm and said I would be there at 5pm. When I walk in, I was taken back immediately from the atmosphere...wow, it's really a dump and I couldn't even tell who worked there and who might be potential customers. This man finally asked if he could help me, I told him I had a massage scheduled...he gave me some ppwk to complete and asked if I needed to use the restroom (of which I did). After returning, I was directed from this woman to a back room. As we chatted, I verified that the massage was 60 mins and she said "normally yes, but for you today, it's 45 minutes only since you were 'late'.. I questioned how I was "late" when I arrived at the time (5pm) that I was told and she informed me that I was supposed to come 15 minutes early (which I was never told) and that being "late" has now taken away from my massage time. Immediately, I felt the same feeling I had in 2005. Completely taken advantage of (once again). I got undressed and under the blanket and looked at the clock when she walked back in to start the massage. It was 5:15pm. As she started massaging me, she continued the confrontation asking when I booked the massage, who I spoke with and that they should have told me to come 15 minutes early blah blah blah...so much for a "relaxing" start to a massage???!!? Come on!!! So again, (in a very calm fashion) I explained that I was never told to be there at 4:45 and that this was not my fault. She dropped it after a few minutes and proceeded with my massage. It took some time after this for me to relax but eventually I did and the massage turned out to be good. Until she stopped, left the room and I looked at the clock and realized that she STILL only gave me the 45 minutes instead of the hour!!! Seriously??! I got dressed, walked out and the man that 1st greeted me asked if I wanted to leave a gratuity. I looked at the woman who gave me the massage and said calmly "we talked about this and you were supposed to give me an hour massage and you still only gave me 45 minutes". Apparently, she had talked to the male and given him the scoop b/c immediately I was ambushed by BOTH of them saying how I was "late", then I used the restroom etc etc and that massages started ON the hour! AGAIN, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO HAVE KNOWN WHEN I MADE THE APPOINTMENT!!!!!!!!! I explained that I was never told that and that my husband paid for an hour long massage and I only received 45 minutes...they could care less and just kept telling me how it was MY fault! They said they'd have Ava call me in the morning...(and I thought: for what? She's the culprit of this shady place and has NO concern what-so-ever for the happiness of her clientele!) I left feeling tense, mad, taken advantage of extremely upset....so much for that "relaxing feeling" you're supposed to have when entering and leaving a spa. These people are crooks, unprofessional and rude and it's mind boggling to me how they've stayed in business this long....do yourself a favor and NEVER (I repeat NEVER waste your time or money on this joke of an establishment)!

I received decent services (massage, manicure, and pedicure), but the place is not relaxing at all. Ava's style is obviously very heavy into leopard print, and the front of the spa is packed with clothing that I would only wear to a costume party. The problem was that Ava's desk and the desk that the employees use is in the middle of the lobby, and there were tons of boxes and random things laying around. The waiting area, nail stations, and "boutique" are all in this same area, all jumbled together. I also went with my mom and cousin, and they separated us for the manicure, so I was completely on the other side of the spa in the middle of the clothing racks by myself. Lunch came with the package, and we were told it would be ready at 1230, but didn't get there until 1pm, so I had to leave for work without getting lunch. THe employees, including Ava, were very nice, but the whole thing was amateurish. Even if the styling of the whole place is different than what I like, I would still go, but this place needs a lot of work.

Ava's was the first "spa" I went to when i first moved to Richmond. I walked in and no one greeted me. After 20 minutes (watching Ava chat on the phone and play with her dog), she escorted me to a small awful room to do my lash tint. She said my eyes were too big and I had difficult lashes!!!! I've been having my eyelashes dyed for over 20 years and never had a problem before her. She did an awful job, was rude and insulted me - some first impression. The "spa" doubles as a boutique was cheap, tacky clothes and knick-knacks. If you're into dirty leopard carpeting, hot pink and no customer service - this is the place for you!

I've visited Ava's Spa several times for various services. Ava and her staff are very attentive when you enter. The pedicures are awesome! Lots of time and precision offered. The massages I've received (I gave it 2 chances) we both pretty poor. The therapist seemed more like a nail tech filling in as a massage tech than a knowledgable massage therapist. They didn't explain what they were going to do, ask for feedback during the session, or seem to care about what they were doing. Both times the therapist seemed like they were bothered to have to do the massage and not very friendly. The thing that impacted me the most about the spa that would keep me from coming back is the way Ava herself talked to her employees - very disrespectful and rude. It was quite apparent that the employees and employer were not a cohesive team. Not a positive, stress free environment a spa should be.

Worst massage I ever had. The room was cold and there was no music, so I could hear all the noise in the lobby. There were many interruptions during the massage because the therapist kept trying to fix her broken CD player. The worst part of all was the massage table fell apart!!! The face cradle fell completely off of the table during the massage... Lastly, Ava added 10min to my massage for arriving early and my therapist ended 15min early. Very dissatisfied!!!

I go to the spa for the whole experience. When I walked in, it did not look like a spa at all. It is a clothing store that happens to have a "spa" that surrounds it. It did not have the atmosphere of a spa at all, but like a clothing store. Even when I was getting my massage I could here the business going on in the clothing store. I was offered a robe and slippers, but I didn't feel comfortable walking around a clothing store like that. Lunch came with the package I got, but I never received it after ordering it. I enjoyed my facial and my mani/pedi came out really nice. I would not return to this spa again because it is more focused on retail than the business of wellness and relaxation. This spa has the potential to be a good spa if the layout was changed and if there actually was a room where clients could relax before, in-between, and after services instead of in the clothing store.

I was in town from New York. I decided to try a local spa and the Westin Hotel suggested Ava's. I was pleased to find a New York style and service like spa in a smaller city. I will look forward to again coming to Richmond and Ava's

I have been going to this spa for a couple of years. I have my hair done there by Beverly who is really great. The staff is always couteous and helpful. Parking is nice too! Well worth the visit

I have been a client of Ava's Day Spa for over 10 years. Ava's is a clean, friendly environment, made to feel welcome as soon as you walk through the door. I find the staff to very helpful and knowledeable. Ava herself is very caring, attuned to one's needs, people oriented, helpful and very knowledgeable in this field. Customer satisfaction is priority here. Whatever services you seek here whether male or female I am confident you will not be disppointed and that your needs will be met here at Ava's Day Spa.

I really enjoyed my facial!

Going to a spa you would like a relaxing atmosphere and thats not what we got!!!!! We were charged 20% gratiuity for a party of 2!!! My pedicure was 50 minutes and my friends was 20 minutes and we were charged the same price!!! I feel each client should be treated the same!! I would not recommened this spa to anyone!!!!