Element Day Spa & Salon in Lake Placid, NY

My boyfriend had booked the classic spa day. We arrived, he paid and then left. I was then asked at the start time of my appt if I minded waiting 15-20 minutes afterwards until my pedicure. 20 minutes is nothing so I said okay. Massage was good. Relaxing. Not the best I've ever had and not the worst. After my massage I went back out into the lobby which is where the manicure stations were too. I sat down thinking I'd only be waiting the 15-20 minutes they had stated. After about 50 minutes, I told my boyfriend to come back because I was not waiting any longer. I hadn't even been acknowledged or asked if i wanted water or anything. I walked up to the front desk and asked why I had been waiting for about an hour. They couldn't give me a definite reason. I cancelled the rest of the services and my boyfriend got a refund for the 3 services I didn't receive but they didn't offer a discount on the massage or apologize for the inconvenience. I wasted an hour just waiting and they just seemed to blame it on booking mistakes instead of taking responsibility. I'm disappointed in the professionalism of the establishment.

Read other reviews and was nervous, but I think they were a bit harsh. This is a nice place. Got two mani/pedis for $170 - Was shocked at the price, but it is a resort town. Mani stations in the window are cold, but pedi station was snuggly. It is a nice Aveda salon connected to hotel. All employees were lovely. Booking 24 in advance via phone was smooth and easy, had to guarantee with a credit card.

There is a reason why Element has such a low rating. This is supposed to be a spa in a resort town, but it is not. They are a retail storefront hair salon trying to sell other services like massages. To me, they are rude, inconsiderate, and unfair. I had a terrible time simply trying to book. Took multiple emails and phone calls. When I wanted to re-book they would not accommodate me but were very fast and clear in stating that if I did not show up for my appointment they would charge my credit card anyway. In fact, I could not make the appointment and they refused to rebook me. They then charged my credit card. If I were a local I would bring them to small claims court, but since I am not local they get away with simply stealing my money without good reason. Truly criminal in my opinion. Go somewhere else. There are plenty of nice spas in Lake Placid, such as at the Mirror Lake Inn.

I would not recommend this salon. I scheduled four appointments for my bridesmaids last weekend for my wedding and confirmed 2 weeks prior. When my Matron of Honor arrived for her appointment she was told "Sarah" called and was very rude and cancelled all of the appointments. My name is Sandy, not Sarah. They confused me with another person and cancelled all of my appointments. They were unapologetic, but they ended up calling another local salon (River Rock Salon) and getting my bridesmaids in there for hair appointments. The other salon was fantastic and did an amazing job in a pinch thank goodness! I would recommend going directly to River Rock Salon. Skip Element. To be fair, I will say after my bridesmaids left for the other salon someone at Element must have acknowledged the mistake because Element did send mimosas over to to my bridal party at River Rock Salon.

First, "spa" is a relative term. Elements is really a store-front hair salon with a masseuse or two. There are 2 of each station (e.g., nails, hair-washing), with nails being done right in the lobby. In contrast, spas are relaxing, offer rooms to relax in plush robes before the service, and serve gratis spa drinks & finger food. The staff here was very nice. My masseuse (Erica) honored my request on my intake sheet, preferring not to have to chitchat but instead to be allowed to fully relax and enjoy the moment. However, the lights were left on for the first half of the massage, & the service was just so-so. Ironically, I am tighter today than before my massage and had to have my husband work on my problem areas (for free) when I got home. (He was less than thrilled that he had to after the investment in time and money.) I was hoping there would be more of a focus on the specific problem areas I requested, but it felt like it was a traditional massage with even treatment being given to each quadrant. So, I'm unclear as to what made this a Stress Fix massage. And there was very little deep tissue pressure involved. My manicurist (Hannah) was adorable but new, & it was the most expensive & least precise service I've had. There were no jets in the foot bath, very little time devoted to my cuticles, no massage on the legs at all, dry filing of the feet, and an old, gummy gel base & top coat (which the two manicurists had to share) that didn't fully cover the nailbeds. In fact, because the coats were so gummy, my nails look texturized. There is only one bathroom, and the door doesn't lock. Also, as other reviewers have noted, they do not allow you to add your tip to the credit card bill. So you must bring quite a bit of cash to tip the service staff. That is incredibly inconvenient and should be communicated up front. I happened to stumble on that on the website and in reading other reviews, but that is not standard practice. I'm a teacher, gearing up for a new school year, so if I'm going to spend $270 on a half-day of pampering (with over 20+% tips for each, despite the experience), instead of buying books for my classroom, it needs to be well worth it. Overall, this was an okay day, but we will keep looking for that true spa experience.