Guerlain Spa (inside The Waldorf Astoria)

Stellar spa. Beautiful facility, great staff and great location.

Lapin and I came here to celebrate a milestone. We thought, what better way than to do a couples massage ($425) at the Guerlain Spa. The couples experience was a side by side massage in a private suite with a bottle of champagne and Godiva truffles (4pcs).

Our masseuses were Marina and Ivete who were nice. Our massage was for 12:30pm and they were running a bit late but we were enjoying a complimentary mimosa while we waited. They took the time to let us pick which of the 4 scented oils we wanted and told us to make ourselves feel at home ( although it would have been nice to know what we could have done in the room to make ourselves comfortable as we had no idea what we could or couldn't touch ). They also asked us what we would like them to focus on and any information we would like to disclose. They told us we would get 5 minutes to change but it felt like a bit longer since we were under the towels waiting for a bit. But I am not sure if the masseuse knocked when she bought the champagne but she saw me naked...then again I am sure she already saw what I had to offer. Lapin thought it was rude of her -- I agreed with him but I didn't care very much as I was about to get a massage!

We mentioned it was Lapin's first massage and he would like it to with little pressure to start. He had Ivete and according to him that little old lady really did a number on him. He also ended up with a couple of scratches on him. He couldn't stop talking about how much in pain he was in. Marina did a nice job for me. She stayed away from my sensitive areas and paid close attention the back and neck like I asked.

Marina was nice enough to set up the steam shower for us to enjoy after the massage. And boy, was that awesome. The only downside was, they only gave us 15 minutes to use the showers, try the products, and get dressed? We felt a bit rushed which isn't a really good. I believe, 30 minutes for a couple to enjoy the room -- take a shower and get ready is ample time instead of the 15 minutes which made us scramble to find towels and getting ready.

Our experience also included a makeup refresher, steaming our clothing, access to the spa facilities, and a shoe polish. For the makeup refresher ( Ivete was kind enough to schedule me in ), my makeup artist was funny and bubbly. He was awesome to work with but I felt like he was rushing a bit as he took like 10 minutes to do my makeup before hurrying to the next guest. I get it, he is just one person and it's a complimentary service but he did spend 5 minutes trying to sell me on products while Lapin and I were getting ready to leave. For the steamed clothing, gym, and the shoe polish, no one mentioned that we could do it or where we could do it. Only after we paid and then mentioned about it, they told us we were supposed to ask before...would have been nice to know that.... Would have been nice if they knew what package we had and let us know ahead of time....cause we are here to relax and not manage the logistics of our package.

On an off note, since we were celebrating an anniversary, we asked if we could keep the cork or the empty champagne bottle. We were told only if we were guests at the hotel. We live in NYC, like 20 minutes away, there is no reason for us to stay at hotel but we did choose to spend our anniversary at your Spa instead of the many many other spas available. And again, we mentioned that it was our anniversary, it's not like the spa is going to re-use the bottle or the cork. What is the harm in letting your guest have a memento ( that they technically paid for ).

Was it worth it? Probably not, but Lapin loved the way the Guerlain products smell and I can see a cache of luxury products coming my way. And that, is worth it.

I've been to many and this place was the best. The atmosphere and staff were on point with what you should expect from a spa at the Waldorf Astoria. My therapist Amanda was professional, courteous, and beyond that very good at what she does. The tip eighteen percent is included in the bill and I left 25 percent because I felt she was very deserving of it. Trust me I've been to many spas, and this one blows the rest out of the water. I highly recommend this experience to anyone.

This is an incredible spa and my facial was the best i have ever had. i loved the ritual at the beginning of my treatment. you sit in a lounge and all of a sudden the floor slides back and you are lowered so your feet are in the bath while the therapist steps down into the floor pit and works on my feet. Hard to explain but "out of this world". I loved my facial and the therapist (Maria) is lovely. Loved the idea of no tips. I'm always stressed out by how much I should give and when to give it.
I did ask why they were not allowed to get tips and was told that they are paid an amount that also includes what they would get with tips so not sure what msnynow meant. Anyway would highly recommend.