Buyer beware:

I have visited this Forever Young Spa three times. The first two times I felt pressured into purchasing a package that was above my financial means, however the lady that I dealt with (Michelle) was respectful when I told her that I was a student and could not afford to pre-pay for 5 continuous expensive facial treatments. On my second visit, we made an appointment for a less expensive treatment (relaxing facial with massage) in one month’s time. I put a ten dollar deposit down for this $38 treatment at that time. She wrote this down on my customer card and also promised me that I could have this “special price” guaranteed for the next 5 visits. As a side note, I would like to say that there is no indication of what is “special” or not at this spa as there are no prices posted for any of the treatments.

I went to the spa this morning for my facial which I was expecting to pay the remaining $28 for after the treatment was completed (as per usual). When I arrived, there was a different lady there who asked me to pay $189 for the remainder of my treatments. I said that there must be some mistake and explained to her what Michelle had told me the last time I was in. She pulled out my customer card and showed me it. The original place where Michelle had wrote “remaining due $28″ had white-out over it and “$189″ was in it’s place! I explained how this was deceptive and that the original agreement was that I pay $38 for one facial. The new esthetician was adamant that I pay for 5 treatments in advance. Her reasoning is that it was a better deal for me. I explained to her that there was no way that I could do this as I am a student. She put the card away and lead me into the room to start the facial. She then gave me a robe to wear and left the room. I changed, got on the table and waited about 15 minutes for her to come back in the room. When she returned, she had the customer card in her hand again and started insisting that I pay now for 5 treatments. At this point I felt very uncomfortable as I was half-naked, lying on the table and she was in a position of power standing over top of me. I felt that her pressuring me to pay for something that I did not require was too unethical and I asked her to please leave the room to let me get dressed: I would re-schedule with my original esthetician, Michelle, and sort this out with her. This esthetician was so pushy that it took me asking her several times to leave before she finally did.

When I got dressed and left the treatment room, I came into the main reception area and there was another esthetician standing with the one who supposed to treat me. They were talking in Cantonese or Mandarin. I waited until they were finished and explained that I would like to speak with Michelle and asked when she would be in next. The new esthetician started in right away asking me to pay for 5 treatments right now: $189. I explained to her that I am a student on a budget and can not pay that amount. I also explained how Michelle and I agreed that I would pay $38 for one facial and that I had put a $10 deposit down for that. She continued to argue with me and tried several different high-pressure sales tactics to get me to pay and each time I tried to explain me situation to her, she would interrupt me and talk to her co-worker in a language that I could not understand.

I was fed up. At that point I could not even understand why I was trying to reason with two employees who obviously did not want to hear me out. This was so unethical- from the white-out on my receipt of payment, to the high-pressure sales, to the deceptive way in which the two ladies talked in front of me in a different language. I told the ladies that I was finished arguing, please just give me my money back. They got on the phone with someone else, talked some more in a language I could not understand, and finally I left the spa at 10:30 (my appointment was for 9:45) with my $10 deposit.

While I am happy that I received my deposit back, I am still upset at the unethical business practises of the Forever Young Spa. I think that they should have their prices posted, they should issue receipts for ALL payments, whether cash or credit, and that they should never try and pressure a client into paying for something that the client did not ask for. The most infuriating part of the whole experience (and the most unethical, in my view) is the high pressure sales that took place in the treatment room where the client is SO vulnerable. That kind of high pressure sales is not something that belongs anywhere near a spa; the spa is a place of refuge, a safe place to decompress and unwind, it is not a used-car sales lot and to treat it like that is a disservice to the customer. I reported them to the Better Business Bureau.

On a lighter note:

Although I am really sad to see DaDeO’s New Orleans Diner and Bar go, we have another exciting new business opening on Cambie street! Stella’s Tap and Tapa’s Bar is opening another location in my village! Their original is on Commercial drive, and I love visiting them for their huge selection of ever-interesting Belgium Beers.

Here’s a pic of the storefront on Cambie:

Here’s to better times for businesses and consumers alike in the Cambie Village!!