The Spa at the Blackburn

I booked late Saturday evening for a Sunday morning massage and was thankful there were openings. Sunday morning as I'm leaving home, I got a call that my assigned massage therapist was out sick and was offered a later appointment. The establishment was very aesthetically-pleasing, bright, clean, and had great parking. Upon completing the first-time client intake form, I met my massage therapist and walked to the treatment room. My massage therapist was very pleasant but literally talked the entire session. Once she saw my occupation, she started in on all things related to healthcare, the pandemic, vaccinations, etc., then moved onto personal business. I would not have listed my profession/occupation if I thought it would be turned into a conversation piece during what was SUPPOSED to be a relaxing afternoon to alleviate stress. I didn't want to be rude and ask her to stop talking but, this should not have happened. This is my first massage experience where I've left the session feeling just as stressed and tense as when I walked in. I felt like I was on an extended lunch break while wearing underwear, not a pleasant thought, right? This was a total waste of money and I don't feel confident that I will return. I called to share my experience with a manager and to ask that my profession be removed from whatever profile may have been created. I asked that a manager contact me about this experience and have not heard back. *Of note, if their ad comes across your Facebook feed offering 20% off for local guests, please know that they charge an automatic 20% gratuity fee and you don't actually save anything and are forced into tipping graciously for poor service. Update... Spoke to the manager who praised the massage therapist as one with 30 years' experience and no complaints. I never once doubted her skill level. Perhaps her other clients were fine with talking throughout their sessions, I wasn’t. The manager all but insinuated that I drove the conversation and I feel that I'm being blamed for being cordial. Either way, I won't be back.

It disappoints me to write this review since up until now, I’ve had great experiences at the Spa at the Blackburn. Today was not one of them. The good: My masseuse was kind, had good pressure (both light and firm depending on the area). The warm table was nice too. The bad: I specifically book the Spa at the Blackburn for a spa like experience. This means a quiet, dark room with calming music. They now have two curtained off rooms in their main area. This means if you are in one of those rooms, you can hear everything and it is BRIGHT. You hear people checking in and out, you hear the phone ringing, and worst of all, if you are unlucky enough to have a rude talker next to you, you can expect to hear them your entire service, which is what happened to me today. My masseuse profusely apologized, so I don’t blame him, but I do blame upper management for this awful decision. I feel like I need a massage just to relax from my massage!!! After my massage, I sat in my car and broke down because I had been holding it in for the entire experience. I asked my masseuse to change rooms, asked him to turn the music up, etc, and nothing could be done. I gave myself some time to cool off, go home, eat some lunch, and relax before calling the spa back and asking to speak to the manager to talk about my experience. She apologized and said they could work with me for a discount on a future service. In my opinion, I should have received a partial refund on today’s service, because I’m not sure I will ever be back after the experience I had today. I’m disappointed because I’ve been going to this spa for years and truly enjoyed it all the other times. Now I may just go back to only booking places in Charlottesville so that I get a true spa experience instead of being massaged in what amounts to an oversized changing room.

The spa was clean and comfortable. The masseuse asked a lot of questions including why my friend and I were treating ourselves. When I told her that we were celebrating finishing our classes for our masters and doctorates degrees she stated “oh well I thought you were using the teacher discount” which we were. When I told her we were in fact teachers and also in school ourselves she replied: “no like currently teachers” which we are. After that she then asked a whole lot of questions about who was paying during my massage. It was totally off-putting. I won’t be back! Don’t offer a discount if it’s going to be a problem. I can afford my massage. Can you afford your business?

My mother and I booked gell-ish manicures and pedicures at the spa and we were pleased with the experience. The ambience is minimal, bright, and modern (which I prefer to cluttered spaces). The technicians were professional and worked quickly. The booking procedure was a little complicated, but I received a reply to my email and was able to clear up the confusion before the appointment.

I had a facial from Brooke and it was beyond amazing!! She did the best job and my skin was glowing. Highly recommend. One of my best facials! My boyfriend got a massage as well and highly recommends!!