The Cove St Albans (1597 reviews)

Comment

I booked a pregnancy massage at the harpenden branch. When I arrived yesterday for my appointment at harpenden I was told there was no appointment booked in for me on the system and after further checking I was told my appointment had been booked in at the St Albans branch. I checked my phone records as I only booked the appointment last week and my records show I did indeed ring the harpenden branch. I was told I could go to St Albans and have my Massage there but harpenden had no availability. This was very inconvenient for me as I live in harpenden and wanted to just drive 5 minutes down the road not 20 minutes. I didn't want to lose my deposit so I did drive to St Albans and I wanted my massage. The massage was lovely and the massuause Naomi was lovely however I found the whole scenario with the confusion of mt appointment reallt stressful and it took aaay from the whole point of having a relaxing pregnancy massage. I had to shuffle my afternoon around with meetings to be able to get to St Albans and bsck in time. When I spoke to the receptionist at St Albans after mt massage she informed me that she was the one who booked my appointment last week and there must have been some "misunderstanding". She said something was wrong with the harpenden branch's phones and the calls were being diverted to St Albans. Surely if this was the case and the phones were being diverted to another branch then whoever is making the booking should clarify which branch the customer wants their massage at? I didn't know the phones were being diverted and I was speaking to someone in St Albans and not harpenden. Unfortunately this whole confusion with my booking and me having to drive to St Albans when heavily pregnant ruined my massage and I was surprised I didn't get offered any compensation for my inconvenience. I'm not sure j would use the cove spa again and I'm disappointed more was not done from A Customer service perspective to make me feel like a valued customer, as if this hadn't happened I would have returned for Another massage next month.

Comment

Lady doing my treatment was lovely. However the environment let it down a lot. All looked very run down, room was cold and light and just looks a little run down over all.

Comment

Had luxury pedicures and manicure today. I use you guys as the parking is easy with many car parks across the roads and I’m hopeless at pre booking so can usually get a booking for on the day or the next day. My big beef with this salon is the chairs that you sit in for a pedicure are very very uncomfortable. They are dated and have no stuffing left in them so the wood digs into your legs. The girls have to sit in the floor which is not very good for their backs. Today I did have my treatment on a bed which was slightly better but still far from ideal. When you prices are up with most of the good salons. I would use you more when I’m organised and pre book in advance I tend to go somewhere with better facilities.

Comment

Everyone was friendly and professional when I arrived at my spray tan appointment but I feel I should have been given more information beforehand to prepare me as I had never had a spray tan before. I didn't know about the 'guide tan' and how on a hot day this would run and look terrible until I washed it off 8 hrs later. I had other appointments straight after the spray tan and I was embarrassed about how blotchy and orange I looked! I also didn't know that I should not apply moisturiser or deodorant before the tan and I didn't know that I should avoid exercise on a hot day before and after the tan as the sweat would make it run. This has meant that there are areas (such as my feet which I put my sandals back) which are very patchy. I would also have liked to be told beforehand that moles and freckles will become much darker and therefore more visible after the tan.

Comment

I had a body scrub and massage. I really hated the body scrub; I felt it uncomfortably rough and was not at all relaxed in the position I was placed in [sitting up]. I'd also been informed that the scrub would take half an hour and the massage half an hour. The scrub actually took less than ten minutes, and then I was instructed to have a shower. I really didn't enjoy it and am sceptical about how much exfoliation my skin actually had, as it wasn't left on at all. The massage was good.