10/23/09

TOURIST TRAP-DON'T GO HERE!

by ballet dancer

I have signed up to Citysearch just because I feel it's really important that I share my expreience among all of these raving reviews, which are written by the spa staff themselves, I imagine. I went because it sounded great. "Great" was far from my waxing experience.

I had full leg, "brazilian" bikini, and under arm done here by the owner herself. I have been waxing for over ten years and have had a range of experiences. This was by far THE MOST PAINFUL experience of my waxing life!!! I was shocked at the agony as she said that she would use the hard wax on the bikini and underarms, so that it wouldn't hurt as much as the regular wax on the legs. Actually the regular wax wasn't 1/4 as painful as the way she used the hard wax! (which I've had people use on me in the past) She pulled and pulled at the edges to get a good tab of the wax for ripping. 70% of the time, she said it wasn't done hardening enough yet and would go to another patch of hard wax only to do the same thing. Then, she would come back and tug the tab around again and try to lift/scrape an edge with her fingernails, and finally, she would rip it off. It was very, very painful. Also, she used the hard wax over the same area twice and three times to get the hair and leftover wax up and it was super painful.

In the end, she said, 'that's good right" and had just done a normal modest bikini wax. I said "yes, that's good" because I was not about to have her tug and tug through a brazilian. I would not have made it.

In addition to this, she said that she would use a different hard wax under my arms and after she slapped it on, she literally couldn't get it off and was confused as to what wax she had used! She had to use the regular stuff over it to finally rip it off. A waste of time, TMI, unprofessional, and painful!

When I went to pay, she had already left the salon. They charged me for a full brazilian and my "tab" was over $200.00. I asked the woman if she had mistakenly charged me for the brazilian when in fact she had done an extremely minimal bikini wax. The woman answered vaguely that it wasn't for a brazilian and could offer no itemized ticket or receipt to show me.

The next day on the beach, I saw huge patches of hair that she missed on my inner thigh and side of my calf, etc.

Overall: Bad service, terribly painful, bad wax job, and over-the-top expensive. They're right down town and take advantage of location and name to overcharge and underserve. I would imagine it's a tourist trap, like me from Chicago.

Do Not Go Here! It hurts! If I could give it zero stars, I would!

• Pros: ZERO
• Cons: VERY PAINFUL, $$$, UNPROFESSIONAL

10/12/09

ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR AT THIS SPA!

by SPA BUBBA

HAD SUCH A RELAXING AND VERY SPECIAL TIME WITH MY GIRLFRIEND TODAY AT MARCIENA'S. THE MASSAGES WERE EXCEPTIONAL AND SUPER IN EVERY WAY! WE ALSO LOVED THE STEAM ROOM AND THE CHAMPAGNE AND CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES AT THE END. LOVE THIS SPA IN LAGUNA BEACH, FREE PARKING TOO. WE ALSO HAD EUROPEAN FACIALS BY THE OWNER WHO REALLY KNOWS HER STUFF. I HAD MY SKIN TAGS TAKEN OFF AND HAD A GREAT LIGHT TREATMENT THAT TOTALLY FIRMED MY SKIN AND TOOK OFF THE FINE WRINKLES IN ONE SESSION. SHE KNOWS WHAT EQUIPMENT IS THE BEST AND LOVES HER CLIENTS AND IS WILLING TO SHARE ALL HER KNOWLEDGE TO HELP ME WITH MY SKIN AND MY DIET. HAD A GREAT WEEKEND AT THIS SPA!

• Pros: PRIVATE STEAM AND SHOWER ROOM FOR COUPLES

10/05/09

Had the Best Massage & Facial Ever!

by inner beauty

Wow. I go to all kinds of spas, here in OC and in VEGAS. Found this one on line and wanted to treat my wife and myself to a day at the spa. Man, am I ever glad I went here. I truly had the most incredible massage and facial ever! Relaxed in the relaxation area, slept for 15 minutes and also booked for my wife and I to come back in a week. Superior services with unbelievable knowledge - in skin, body care and inner

body work - energy is healing and enlightening.

• Pros: free parking downtown Laguna, experienced staff!

05/20/09

Poor service for high price

by jwilcc

The owner was on a personal call when I arrived. My therapist was late so 20 min after my appointment, she let me into the sauna first. I then waited over half hour in a robe, in the lounge/front lobby, with cameras on me. My massage was bad. She talked throughout and was rough. Was rude and barely eased up when I asked. She used so much oil on my head, I could ssqueeze and drip it out of my hair. Facial was nice, but Yvone (the owner) was rude to me. Even commented negatively about my tattoo. After I dressed, I planned to address my disapointment. But no one was to be found. Worst spa experience ever, worst massage ever. Customer service was horrible. Found this place online. - Pictures are Very deceptive, prices do not reflect service.

• Pros: Facial
• Cons: Price, customer service

04/15/09

Talented, Professional, Relaxing

by hmitz

Personalized, professional service for a family member's birthday. They really worked with me to schedule my best available day (a holiday nonetheless) and gave great facials and massages. SO relaxing...great job Marciena Spa! :)

• Pros: Facials, Massages
• Cons: n/a

03/02/09

Most amazing facial and leg treatment combo in OC - bar none.

by revbeauty

When entering the sophisticated facial room I knew I was in for a real advanced treat. Sure enough, the leg treatment from France started to press air in the boots up to m hips. It equals to 30 miles of walking, and the cellulite was almost gone by the end of the treatment. My face was being worked on while my cellulite treatment was going on. Then I had the LED light treatment - that was insane. My wrinkles looked so much softer and my skin had a tighter and really beautiful glow. I am hooked on this spa! Free parking too, in Laguna!

• Pros: absolutely the most advanced combinations of treatments for the face and body
• Cons: none

03/01/09

couples retreat - what a special spa for romantic, fantastic massages!

by tonytog

we had the best valentines day ever! Marciena spa was perfect in serving chocolate dipped strawberries, excellent champagne and the most incredible hands for taking away all our tension. The massage therapists here are really experienced and know the body! We also enjoyed the private Eucalyptus steam room, cozy and fun. We have never had this type of spa experience in OC before. We highly recommend this spa to all in OC and those visitors that come to gorgeous Laguna BEACH!

• Pros: beautiful spa, state of the art technology, experienced and personal staff
• Cons: none

09/16/08

Don't bother

by k92651

Yvonne, the proprietor, called me 30 minutes before my scheduled appointment to re-schedule because the person who was going to do my Brazilian wax, Gina, couldn't make it. Yvonne said that she could do it the next day. I told her that I wanted to wait for Gina as she was very good, but Yvonne said that Gina would not be returning to work for a few weeks. Yvonne that she had over thirty years of experience and, although she typically had her other employees do the waxing, she would do it for me this time. I reluctantly agreed.

The experience was awful! She got oil on her hands so when she went to pull the wax, she kept on slipping off. In some cases, it took her FOUR tries for her to pull the wax and this was in an area where you would think she would have taken extra care!!! I felt like I was in the hands of a neophyte. I was red and bumpy for two days and there are numerous spots that she missed. I've had Brazilians done for fifteen years and have never experienced such an horrific experience both during and afterwards.

And, the kicker? After inconveniencing me with a last-minute re-schedule, then doing a ridiculously terrible job at waxing, she charged me extra for a "full monty". I have never had a bill padded for a "full monty" and addressed this with her to no avail. Evidently, she is not familiar with the definition of a Brazilian.

In all fairness to Yvonne, though, I called five local spas to have them define a Brazilian and a "full monty". The definition of a Brazilian was what we all know it to be and the response to a Full Monty was, "a full what?".

I would highly recommend Gina if she worked somewhere else, but would never patronize this "spa again. I found the entire experience extremely unprofessional.

• Cons: Unprofessional, ill-trained

05/20/08

Most awesome spa experience ever!

by spadiva0c34

If you want to die and go to heaven in an hour and a half - go to Marciena's. They have the most experience in skin and body care - bar none. Your face is radiant, your body totally relaxed and renewed and your spirit soars like you've been on a wonderful, peaceful vacation for a week or two. This spa is definitely my fav in OC and I highly recommend it to everyone!

• Pros: free parking, 1 block to Laguna beach at Main-= awesome!

03/19/08

Outstanding customer service with attention to fine details!

by ocspaqueen

Wow is th only word I can say about the massages and facials at this spa. The ambience is cozy, and gorgous. The staff is superb and the services are the BEST in Orange County by far! My mom and I went today and had a terrific experience. The products are organic and yet, very sophisticated with true results. this spa would be the perfect place for all my friends to come and have a spa party as they can accomodate quite a few people and their steam room is very private with showers in it too!

• Pros: free parking in Laguna, steps from the Ocean