The Retreat Beauty Rooms & Nail Bar at Jarrolds (1133 reviews)

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Such a shame and waste of money. My "Escape" relaxation package at the Jarrolds Retreat was so disappointing due to the location of the treatment rooms above the street where a busker was trumpet playing (badly!). Despite the calming mood music in the room, it wasn't enough to drown out the jarring sounds from the street below. The treatment itself was very good, although I did miss being offered a glass of water afterwards. Despite Jarrolds considerable investment in the refurbishment of the whole treatment rooms, I would not want to return due to the outside noise.

Comment

Unfortunately I had another disappointment about the way nails are done in the UK. I booked at Jarrolds because I wanted a professional gel manicure, but the product used (OPI) doesn’t feel like gel at all. My nails feel soft and not protected. Moreover, I am used from abroad to have nail repaired in case one is broken or shorter than the others, but this service is not provided at Jarrolds. As per picture, my index finger looks funny now because no reparations whatsoever has been done. I had to shorten all the other nails to match this one in order to look tidy (the nail technician didn’t suggest this at first place, I had to ask to cut the other nails because in my opinion it wouldn’t have looked nice to have one finger short and all the others long). I love long nails and I normally wear them long. I felt very disappointed as I was expecting to get the broken nail repaired. Also, the surface of the nail gel looks bumpy in the backlight, and not smooth in the surface. The nail technician was meticulous, yet the cuticles hasn’t been treated properly and the final result is not up to my standards. Also, the fact that I had to have the old gel removed elsewhere because at Jarrolds they don’t treat other gel than the one they apply brought me several troubles. In conclusion, I found this service demanding towards the customer and not qualitatively high enough.

Comment

I had 3 treatments - massage, facial and pedicure. The facial and pedicure were good. But the massage was not. I specifically requested a deep tissue/swedish massage and specifically asked for a proper swedish/ deep tissue massage and to place firm pressure on my upper back/ shoulders .arms. The therapist seemed to have understood and agreed , but when the treatment proceeded all the therapist was doing was rubbing oil into my skin. There was no firm massage, no pressure applied, just simply rubbing oil into the skin. It was the most disappointing massage I have ever had ! A real waste of my money and time. I work full time and was really looking forward to a nice massage experience, I feel like my massage time and money was wasted. On my bill I can see its described as a 'aroma therapy' but I specifically asked when booking that I was after a proper massage with firm pressure , not aroma therapy. And even in person I specially requested a firm pressure one, but it seems all my requests were completely ignored. Will not come again and do not recommend. Please train your therapists with proper massage skills and if you only do aroma therapy - pls do not give the impression that you can do a deep tissue massage that your therapists are clearly not trained for it. I would rather have been told upfront that you do not do deep tissue/swedish/ firm massage and only do aroma therapy, in which case I would not have booked this 'massage' appointment, because I didn't get a massage, I got oil rubbed into my skin.

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Very disappointing today - painful, different staff to the one I booked, no apologies for lateness. I have so far never been disappointed but am not sure I want to return. Sorry …

Comment

I recently visited the spa at Jarrolds with high expectations, given the prestigious setting. While the decor is lovely, the actual spa experience fell short of expectations. The gel manicure and pedicure, despite the high price, lacked attention to detail. Minimal cuticle work and filing were performed, and no attempt was made to clean under the nails. The gel application was slow and required multiple coats. Furthermore, no hand cream was applied after the treatment, and I was charged for a full gel removal on my toes, even though only a small amount of gel remained on two big toes. The pedicure was similarly underwhelming. While the spa's ambiance is undeniably pleasant, the quality of service did not match the price. I am disappointed with my experience and felt like I was overcharged.