Tina Visits A Spa in Mount Pleasant

Many moons ago, PoP spotted Ramona’s Day Spa, at 3101 Mount Pleasant Street. I have been interested in checking it out for a while, but outside of the occasional manicure or pedicure I don’t really take too many trips to the Spa. So, my stint here at PoP provided the perfect opportunity to visit this neighborhood establishment.

 

 

I have to be honest here, that my experience attempting to get myself an appointment at Ramona’s may have been enough to deter me if I weren’t visiting with the intent of a review. I stopped in on a Weekday afternoon to see if they accepted walk-ins. The woman said that day was no good, and I should try again on Saturday. This was all fine and good, as a lot of places don’t take walk-in appointments and Ramona’s is pretty small. So I came back on Saturday, and this time I actually met Ramona herself. Story continues after the jump.

Unfortunately, I left Ramona’s with my toes as unpainted as they were when I arrived, but I did learn some more info about Ramona and her spa. It is actually called Barreiro Spa, she changed the name a couple of years ago and did some pretty significant renovations. The spa itself now consists of four floors – a nail salon on the lower level, hair and skin products for sale on the ground floor, a hair salon on the second and the spa on the fourth floor. Ramona has been in the business for years as a hairstylist, but wanted to expand her operation which is why she brought in a bigger staff and expanded the salon to provide more services. She sells a ton of high end products, and has even travelled to Europe to be trained on proper skincare techniques for some of the lines she offers. I spent some time perusing the first floor, and Ramona followed me around insisting that I test some of the products, and then sent me on my way with a goodie bag full of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion samples, and a request to call back the next day around noon, when she would be able to get me in for an appointment.

 

I was getting a little frustrated, but I figured this is a small operation, Ramona is clearly very busy, but she took the time to talk to me, let me sample some products, and really made me feel like a valued customer, even though I hadn’t spent a penny in her shop. So, I called back Sunday afternoon and was told that her nail technician had a death in the family, and they were swamped so could I please try another day? At this point, I was really ready to give up but decided to give Ramona one more chance, since it wasn’t really ineptitude or bad service that was causing the problem. So, on Tuesday I did what I should have done all along and called to request an appointment. Five minutes later I was set up to get a pedicure on Saturday afternoon at 1:00.

 

I arrived for my appointment and received an exceptionally warm greeting from Ramona. I don’t think she recognized me, I think she is just REALLY nice. She introduced me to Jaritza (sp?) who led me to the nail salon and got to work. I normally have a really hard time with pedicures, because I am extremely ticklish so the experience isn’t always relaxing. I explained this to Jaritza before she started, and she was very careful and did a great job! The whole experience was very pleasant, and Ramona even came down to check on me and offer some coffee or tea. Jaritza gave the best foot and leg massage I have ever had, and about 45 minutes later I walked out the door with ten perfectly painted toenails.

Barreiro Spa also offers a ton of other services, ranging from haircuts and coloring, facial and body waxing, massages, exfoliating treatments, and even a special line up of services just for men. You can find a complete listing of services and pricing on the website www.barreirospa.com

 

Aside from the trouble I had getting my appointment (which was partly my own fault) my only complaint is that $35 for a pedicure is kind of a lot for me to shell out. However, Ramona’s prices do seem to be about on par with some other higher-end salons in the area, and you get that do-gooder feeling of supporting a local business. Barriero Spa may not be as lavish as some fancy spa downtown, but it is cozy and comfortable and you are sure to be treated like a true VIP.