Kamalaspa

After living a year and half in Southern Spain/​Morocco, my boyfriend and I became spoiled and accustomed to the cheap and amazing moroccan massages you can find in the area.
Enter Kamalaspa– not cheap, but worth every penny. To celebrate an occasion (can’t remember which one…) we booked a couples massage at night.
Greeted by lush fabrics, intricate textures, intoxicating smells, and 2 glasses of champagne, we changed into robes and settled into the waiting area with sweeping views on Union Square.
We were then taken to a room where we were pampered by 2 lovely masseuses — we got to choose our oils and drift into the land of Morocco for a blissful hour.
Needless to say, this is a truly spectacular and memorable experience– highly recommended for special occasions with your special someone ;)

I never want a pedicure again if I can’t be in a chaise, propped up with harem pillows, and champagne.
I didn’t even remember the champagne. Why is that?
The facial room — oh, stop — is so heaven-​sent, I am sure I fell asleep and woke with gloss on my lips applied in my dreams. Thank you, goddess of aestheticians. My Vegas-​stung mouth so needed that.

I went here in 2005 with my BF for a couples massage and facial. It was incredible!
Ambiance and service were terrific, especially given that I made the reservations within 24 hours of our appt. Both the massage and the facial were amazing. I just remember the massage therapist’s name was Salvador and my bf continues to joke about how Salvador was the only man that could «handle» him like that (wink wink).
Ultra relaxing and a great experience… however, I felt really guilty spending that much dough. I guess I got a little trigger happy as I rifled off all the wishes I had for the appt without checking out the prices beforehand. EEEk!
Oh and parking is expensive or non-​existent! BART it over there if you can.

The place is just beautiful. From the moment the elevator doors open, you’re transformed to a magical place in India (or an Aladdin theme Disneyland ride). Anyhow, the ceilings have twinkling stars, walls have music coming out that sounds like waterfalls, doors are individually carved from blocks of wood, the ceilings are draped in silk… the place is just gorgeous.
Ok, the bad part… my treatment was nice. A body treatment starting with de-​toxin by applying a mud treatment. Following a waterfall shower and hour massage.
Problems that bothered me:
I asked to have the heat turn up because there was a draft coming from the windows and the AC vent was blowing cold air down on me. When you’re lying there butt naked, it gets cold FAST. She didn’t listen… kept on saying, I can add a blanket or you’ll be going in the shower soon.
Fine but when I step out of the shower (in the room) it’s still freezing.
The massage was really, really light. She didn’t ask how I would like the pressure. I typically want a deep tissue and all I got was rubbing with lots of oil… or that’s how it felt to me.
She was nice enough but not «present» to her clients’ needs… if you know what I mean.
The spa is just beautiful but the service was less desirable. Probably won’t go back… I can think of a few other places that I rather go in the same neighborhood… Brooke Williams for one.

Only go to Edgardo. He is amazing and I love him! He does great hair, he is incredibly entertaining and his colorist Lisa is amazing too. You must go just for the experience.
Bring your own bottle of champagne – they recently took it away… I know sad, right?
Very relaxing and you will get the best haircut you ever had!!!

Thank goodness for the Security Guard, Minnie, 2 pugs, and bubbly…
So here is my story: I am an ER nurse… on my feet 12hrs/​day 4−5shifts per week… my feet ache and I love me some pedicure!
I have my regular pedicure place (Stephanie’s Nails) – affordable w/​lasting color/​thorogh callous remover/massage…I go every 3 weeks…
I was in Union Square today and thought I would pamper my paws… Day Spa – perfect! checked in w/​the Security Guard and elevator to 7^th floor — impressive! loved the music, décor, etc…
Walk– in appt for pedicure no problem… Wendy paints my little piggies Red and perfect. however overlooking my callouses– bypassing the pumice and does a 15sec massage on each shin… so I mention that I wish she could rub the stone a bit longer… and she tells me to buy vaseline and sleep w/​socks on every night when I go to bed – No Shit Surelock — I do this, I even have Miracle Foot Cream, mint foot loofah wash, etc… I am a walking advertisment for foot creams… but when I am at a «spa» I wish for my feet to be baby soft smooth… well I shared my disappointment w/​her and then the receptionist when I check out…“sorry I will talk w/​the manager about this”…she swiped my VISA card for $ 50 and I had to take a huge breath — WTF…my fav place charges me $ 20 – includes foot massage and baby soft feet… I pay $ 50 and NO BUENO!
So I huffed and puffed in the elevator and huffed and puffed to the security guard in the lobby… she says «Girlfriend I can see your callouses from this far away, get your ass back there and have them fix it… better yet– go to the mangers office on the 3^rd floor and talk w/​her»…
So when the security officer can see my callouses from 10 feet away I know it’s not good… So I go to the 3^rd floor and was greeted by 2 pet pugs (my fav! one star for cute doggies!!)…the assistant manager was horrified that my feet looked so gnarly and addressed the situation immediately…
Returned to the 7^th floor… glass of bubbly (one star!!)…and Minnie – she’s the expert callous remover/​filer went to town… she is a God sent… my feet are happy now and so am I…
No Thanks Kamala – maybe your spa is known for other services… but I will not be returning!

I just got back and really enjoyed my experience. The place is very nicely decorated — pretty unique and refreshingly not the typical modern/​minimalist look. The service was excellent. I got a hot stone massage, which was delicious, and was impressed by how nice the room was. I was so relaxed I even dozed off a few times (first time during a massage). I also appreciated that the room has a shower in it so you get privacy instead of having to shower in a locker room.
After the massage I put myself in the hands of Ursula since I read on Unilocal she gives good blow dries. She is sooo nice! I really enjoyed meeting her and he gave me a great color/​highlights and a FANTASTIC blow dry to finish it off. This is huge for me… for a year I have been looking for someone that can blow dry my hair right and she is the one! Long live Ursula!

I feel like all of the great massage therapists never really stay in the same place for long and of course you aren’t going to be told where the person ran off to. I had an awesome Swedish massage by someone who is NO longer at Kamalspa, which is a bummer. This was after a «surfing» accident and my body was a mess. The masseuse was incredibly intuitive and just read my body; it was like he knew where I needed healing and I left feeling like mush. I was looking forward to going back and it looks like I’ll just have to give someone else a shot.
Kamalspa is incredibly convenient for me… the location is great. I was able to get an evening appointment rather last minute, which sometimes works better for me.
But…(there’s always a but…)
the décor is overkill and it’s not really a good place to go if you are looking to escape. I think it would cater more towards coming with your girlfriends (they serve a lot of champagne) or birthday, like someone else suggested. Certainly phenomenal if you want to bring someone visiting from out of town, or to attend one of the cool parties they throw.
Just not ideal to find solace…

Eclectic Crowd for an Ayurveda Spa
Ringing in the new year for spa services replete with crimson fabric adorned walls and ceilings festooned with Grey-​Black material gathered to massive chandeliers (reminded me of a hearse).
I walked in (late, because I had parked all the way down at Broadway/​Powell and grabbed some dim sum on the walk over to the spa to meet my girlfriends) and was instantly greeted by a good mix of people here for the free hors d’oeuvres, drinks, fantastic service and the cool view from the 7^th floor of the Bentley Building.
As I mingled slightly with the dressed crowd (I had rushed home to walk my dog and changed into jeans for my walk through the tunnel) I picked up samosas and a Pellegrino, walking around the lounge rooms. Interior was very indicative of walking into an Indian women’s lounge replete with crimson/​rich purple/​gold accents and lots of velvet and rough silk fabric adorning the couches. Services here range from manicures/​pedicures, facial treatments, and they looked at me and my hair and gave me a 10% coupon off for color/​cut. Unfortunately, I have not coloured my hair for 20 years and counting, so I don’t think a $ 350 job would do me any good. But in the right hands, such as Cary’s, I’m sure the process would be absolutely exquisite.
Customer service was excellent, as well as the doorman downstairs. I might splurge if I were into high maintenance, but I’m not. I’m saving for the Blu-​Ray player ;o)

My first spa experience. Ever. And it was lovely, relaxing, and fun.
My facial was from Natalie and she was a joy to be with. We chatted about similar stuff from our teen years (we both pierced our own noses at 16) and she really took extra care of me. We talked about my skin and lucky me, it’s gorgeous. Teehee! I love hearing that. Natalie really took her time checking out my skin. I can only imagine how I looked lying there in that bright light with those little weird-​ass eyecovers, which were a neon kelly green color. The room was small and draped in heavy bronze fabrics with a little chandelier. It was a great experience and Natalie is a gem!
Next came Wendy to do my pedicure. She was soft-​spoken but deft at her skill. I chose the reddest color she had (called The Lady is a Tramp) and rested on the plush chaise, looking out the window on the soft rainy Saturday morning.
During all this my mom was also getting a facial, a manicure and a massage (my facial ran long so no massage for me, but I didn’t cry. That facial treatment was phenomenal!). My mom didn’t know there was also a salon at Kamalaspa when she made the appointment a couple days prior so when she was done she got her haircut by Sandra. When Sandra was done cutting my mom’s hair she had time to cut mine. I sat overlooking Union Square with the Mayor of San Francisco sitting on my right getting his hair cut too. I had been needing a haircut bad and for far too long now. I told Sandra that I wanted to keep my bangs (despite my widow’s peak and cow-​lick) and to bring up the length to just below my chin. That is exactly what she gave me and it feels and looks brilliant!
The big plus was there was no attempt at upselling their skin care and hair care products. The atmosphere was mellow and I never felt rushed or patronized. Plus they have a gorgeous aquarium in the waiting area and I love that.

I appreciate good ayurvedic treatments and i have received one here that was good and one that was not so good. life isn’t perfect, but for $ 300, i do expect a better treatment than i had. also, they screwed up my appointment time and i waited an additional 35 minutes before the appointment started, which made me late to something else.
you can get a better shiro dara treatment at the health and healing center at CPMC.

The interior design of this place is awesome. It definitely gets you in the mood to relax. It’s a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. The staff make sure you’re very comfortable when you’re here. They get you robes, towels, pretty much any drink you can think of (tea, Fiji water, wine, champagne), magazines, you name it. And I haven’t even begun on the services they offer.
So I only come here for massages, but those are fantastic. They do a hot oil massage that puts you in a very good place – VERY good. I think I may have even snorted when I woke up realizing that I fell asleep. When your massage is done, they have showers in the massage rooms, and your masseur/​masseuse will get the shower ready for you before you decide to get your butt off the massage bed. Get a massage. It’s totally worth it.

This was my first foray out of Maiden Lane in over 10 years for hair services! But it was to follow my old friend Edgardo, who was my stylist at the stuffy but excellent 77 Maiden Lane Salon many years ago. When he and my colorist moved to different places, I decided I only had one head and couldn’t justify taking it to two different salons every few months for cut and color.
But I missed Edgardo, who once apologized to me, quite sincerely I believe, for running out of the house in «last season’s Prada sandals» and thus subjecting me to an unfathomable fashion faux pas, I suppose. I patted him reassuringly but was thinking, «If he only knew that where I hail from in the Midwest, men don’t wear sandals at all and I can’t even spell P-​r-​a-​d-​a.»
So when my two stylists at Joseph Cozza moved out of state, I thought was back at square one when I remembered, «Edgardo! Didn’t he move to that fancee spa on Union Square? I’m saved!» And what a lovely experience it was. Nothing like a glass of champagne on a Friday lunch hour, overlooking bustling Union Square and catching up with an old friend (still Prada-​clad, I assume the current season).
All of the staff are authentically welcoming and attentive, a real spa experience even if you’re just getting a hair cut. A wide selection of unusual, natural hair products in a nonobtrusive retail area, tea in an adjoining quiet waiting room, and a bunch of other blissed-​out clients. And I don’t know how they did it, but I was surrounded by a lovely plume of a spicy jasmine scent all day – perhaps it’s inside the gowns? A massage or mani-​pedi here would be an unforgettable gift for someone.
And Edgardo, despite his fame in the Chronicle for being Gavin Newsom’s hair dresser all these many years, is as professional and skilled as ever. «We talk later honey, now I work,» as he pumps up the chair and assesses how to turn my rockerish mane back into something sleek and sexy. I may be sporting last year’s Nine West, but my hair looks GOOD!

I’ve been getting my hair cut regularly here for the past three years by Edgardo and the results have never been short of extraordinary. The salon is beautiful, the shampoos smell heavenly, and what’s better than getting your hair cut overlooking Union Square?
p. s. the bathroom is very clean and nice!

What Edgardo did for me was nothing short of a miracle.
Thank you!!!

I had a massage by Jeanne which was the worst I’ve ever had… and i’ve had many, many massages over the years (im a bit of a spa junkie). Let me tell you about what I didn’t like…
1. It seemed like it was Jeannes first day as she had absolutely no technique. Basically she was just rubbing oil on me for an hour. No massaging action at all. Really bad. At one point I asked her to put more pressure because it was like she was doing a really weak rubbing action. UGH.
2. She didn’t pour the oil in her hand then massage it on me… she actually just took the bottle of oil and poured it on me. I felt like I was a pig being oiled up & rubbed down. Totally not professional.
After the massage I voiced my concern to the front desk. She agreed that the «oil» thing was tacky and said they would send me a comment form on email and I could send in my complaint (still waiting for the form a week later). Any other professional spa would have given a discount or something to make up for the for the poor service but NOPE… not this one. I still had to pay full price. 115 $ down the tube.
I see Kamala «Day» Spa advertised all the time so thought it would be worth a shot. Let me tell you… this is not a ‘DAY” spa because how on earth are you supposed to spend the day here? They have no facilities. No hot tub, steam room, sauna, locker rooms etc… They have a «tea room» where you sit and wait for your service but it is not private or relaxing at all.
UPDATE: Just got a call from the spa manager. She apologized for the poor service and offered for me to come back for a free massage. I told her thank you but I will not be returning. To be honest, I don’t want them to waste a massage on me because I have no plans to go back to Kamala Spa. But, I do appreciate her effort to make up for the bad massage.
I will just stick to Burke Williams from now on…

The peaceful & relaxing moments:
Dim lighting.
Chenille blankets & robes.
Complimentary champagne.
FREE dried fruit and nuts.
Not so much:
Lack of lounge space & dressing rooms.
Restroom is separate from the spa down a plain hallway.
Aloof service.
Gorgeous glass showers, but no time to utilize them.

Here is the price list that the spa has a hard time giving up! I e-​mailed them 4 times last week to get prices. By the way they never did e-​mail the info, I made time to call.

So far, so very good. Had a massage here and it was FABULOUS. Sadly, the therapist no longer works there however I’m sure the others are just as good.
Got a haircut with Sandra last week — she was soooo good. She took the time to look over every section of my hair to ensure everything was perfect. I asked for some revisions at the end and she was more than happy to accommodate.
Décor and ambiance is very lush and relaxing. It’s located 7 floors above Union Square and the hustle and bustle is muffled from your experience which was excellent. It’s an Indian-​inspired spa with beautiful silks and fabrics covering the ceilings.
I go in for a color treatment and will review that too. If that goes well, I’ll increase the rating to 5 stars.

Unilocalers really love this place, so I really, really, really wanted to like this place — and on my student budget, I jumped at the chance to try the place out with their Spa Week facial. Two stars for the wonderful decoration — I felt like I was in a BIG pillow the whole time. It was amazingly quiet, and the reception folks were nice.
Here’s the not so good. I got a 45 minute facial, and I think it was the Dosha facial. I must admit, the facial felt nice, and was relaxing — a series of facial wash, exfoliating wash, and a mask, but here is why I won’t be going back … She never looked at my skin. She never assessed it. That light thingy never went on, she went straight into placing products on my skin without even asking … I’ll admit that I’ve only had one other facial in my life before, but from my spa-​junky friends, and my 1 experience to base it on, shouldn’t the person at least look at my skin? Or ask? If she did, she might have found out that I don’t have dry skin and perhaps, used products that wouldn’t have made me break out …
The reason why I say this is because I got a «hydrating» facial, and I think it was supposed to be for dry skin. I DON’T HAVE DRY SKIN, I have combination skin that is on the oilier side. I walked out of there with an incredibly greasy face, and I had to wash it off as soon as I got home. It’s been 1 day after, and although my skin is soft, I have several more zits as a result. Despite clogged pores (eww, I have big pores), I never got any extraction … that would have required her to LOOK at my skin …
One more thing, I was told from the reception woman (nice lady) that usually, there is a quick neck or shoulder massage — I got none of that. She never looked at my skin, she never touched my neck or shoulder.
So, I know I’m chickensh-​t and I should have said something, but I was thinking — spa week, it’s a cheaper price, so perhaps I get less in terms of treatment. I went with a friend who got the same spa week special, and guess what, her lady (1) assessed her skin with the light thingy, AND (2) did extractions on her, AND (3) gave her a massage! I got NONE of these things that I thought were pretty basic with facials.
So, there you have it. I had a very underwhelming & disappointing experience. (My friend would probably tell you differently, I think she said it was fine.) Frankly, maybe it’s the whole spa week thing, but I would have been willing to tip a lot more if I had gotten some service …
I feel like a sucker for paying someone 60 (including tip) bucks to wash & exfoliate my face …
On the other hand, I went to another spa today for some accupuncture (also a spa week special) … LOVED IT!