7886 Valley View St, Buena Park California 90620
I had a great experience at Elevation Spa for my hair spa treatment -- it was relaxing and I personally enjoyed it. The space itself is beautiful, spacious, and feels like a nice luxury experience. My friend who came with me said her service felt a bit rough and not as enjoyable, but she still said she would come back. I also brought my two boys (9 and 11) as a treat since they recently got an audition for a big movie and were really excited. They've had hair spa treatments before, so they were genuinely looking forward to trying this place. We actually drove over an hour to come here, so we were all excited for the experience. I really appreciated the front desk accommodating all of us, especially since they originally only had two openings. They made it work since my friend and I booked 120-minute services, which gave them time to fit the boys in. However, our experience with the kids didn't go as expected. My younger son has curly hair, and while I understand they asked if my kids were boys or girls because of his hair (which happens often), I clarified both are boys. After our services, I came out to find my younger son very upset. They had brushed out his curls and styled his hair into two buns, which caused his curls to become frizzy. Anyone experienced with curly hair should know you should never brush it out dry like that. The manager came over, saw him crying, and immediately acknowledged that it shouldn't have been done. She apologized and offered to rewash his hair, which I appreciated. However, when they attempted to fix it, they still dried his hair like straight hair, which I had to stop. At that point, I just asked them to leave it so we could handle it ourselves. Unfortunately, his curls were still not the same, and he was really upset. My older son didn't feel rushed during his service, but he also has curly hair and his hair was blown out as if it were straight, which shouldn't have been done. It didn't ruin his experience as much, but it was still disappointing to see. They originally charged $55 for each of the boys' services, but the manager did give both of them a discount, which I appreciated given the situation. At the time, I still wanted to tip, but the manager kindly told me it wasn't necessary since they weren't happy, which I respected. On the way home, I asked both of my boys how they felt overall, and they both said they didn't enjoy it. My younger son felt like his service was very short, and overall they just didn't have a great experience. It was honestly disappointing to hear, especially since this was meant to be a special reward for them. Overall, I personally had a good experience and I do appreciate the staff trying to make things right. The salon itself is beautiful and has a lot of potential, so I would come back. However, based on the experience, my boys wouldn't want to return, and overall no one else in my group would come back with me. Overall I give them 4 stars because the manager made it better