pic courtesy of Groupon
It’s been widely documented on these pages that I like to get my grooming on. Eyebrow threadings, waxing, mani/pedis–as Lindsay Bluth Funke would rightly point out, “these are some real costs, Michael.”
And boy are they real. I moved here a little over nine months ago on a tight budget, only to find that the costs for basic services here were high compared to New York City. Settle down, this is not a “NY is sooooo much better” moment. It’s a “New York has a bajillion people crammed into its borders so cheap nail salons can afford to charge $19.99 for a mani/pedi” thing. If my friends and I wanted to treat ourselves, we’d go to the place that had $21.99 mani/pedis. So it was hard to stomach paying $35-$45 in a cheap salon here in DC.
Similarly–and this is totally TMI, except that it’s also really relevant to the story–because of group discount sites like Lifebooker, I grew accustomed to getting a monthly Brazilian. Wax, not Keratin treatment, because you know those can sometimes be hilariously (and potentially painfully) confused. I could typically take care of lady business for under $30+ tip. This was not the case in DC. Lifebooker hasn’t come down here and usually Bloomspot and Groupon offered inexpensive services in like…Herndon. Without those offerings, I pretty much assumed that I’d pay what would appear to be prices in Brazilian dollars.
What was I to do? For a long time, I’d save up my grooming for when I was in New York. But as I fell more in love with DC, I also desperately wanted to find my “places” here.
Then one day, I happened to see a Bloomspot deal that was not only in the District, it was also for a Brazilian wax. Originally $50, it was discounted to $25. Although I don’t know if Relaxed Day Spa will ever be my go-to, I want to give it the most loud and reverberating shout out possible: Go to here. Right now. Finish this article, then book an appointment.
The spa is located near GW on F Street, between 21st and 22nd Streets. It’s well decorated and inviting and everyone is professional (but still warm and not at all snooty). My waxer was nice and thorough. She didn’t double dip. She also used two different types of wax, for different um, areas. It was also pretty quick and painless (as painless as this process could be). All of this should be a given, but unfortunately it isn’t always that way.
When Bloomspot sent out the offer for Relaxed’s services (in addition to the Brazilian, they were offering a half-price mani-pedi) later on that month (and because I had an additional discount), I figured I’d get my nails done.
My appointment was in the late afternoon and I was the only customer at the time. The women who were working there helped me pick out a color (sometimes I can be indecisive, you know?) and then decided to give me a manicure and pedicure at the same time. And even when another customer came in for a wax, the woman giving me the manicure made her wait until she was finished with me. That’s really attentive and excellent service (although, I’m sure if I were the one waiting for my wax, I’d be annoyed–sorry whoever you were!).
While my nails were drying, a girl who had left as I walked in came back because one of her nails got messed up. The spa has a policy that if your polish gets smudged, they’ll fix it for free. And while I didn’t plan on using that service, almost immediately after I walked out the door, my thumb got messed up. They were so good about fixing it for me.
Their mani-pedis, like their Brazilians are regularly $50. If that’s in your budget, I’d recommend going to Relaxed Day Spa. And if it’s not, definitely troll Bloomspot to see if there are other deals. They’re fantastic.
Sidenote: I recently got a fantastic Brazilian at Soho Wax on Broadway and Prince in New York. It turns out the owner is from DC and hasn’t been able to find a market for her awesome services in the District, so she’s waxing in New York for the time being. She’s also thorough and careful, uses a very mild hard wax, and has decorated her salon area to look like Anthropologie’s greatest hits. I highly recommend and hope that she can open up a DC shop soon.
Written by Juliet Vedral. Check out her media empire at The Wheelhouse Review.
