Dosha
Categories: Massage, Hair Salons [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Alphabet District, Northwest2281 NW Glisan St
Portland, OR 97210 (503) 228-8280
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: Yes
15 Reviews for Dosha
Let me start for what I go there for, an eyebrow wax. That's it, that's all. They've always done a good (bordering on great), and the wax girls are totally friendly. It's the front desk staff when you first enter that I'm not a fan of. They're generally a little rude, I've been offered water once, and just too pushy when I'm getting ready to leave. But my eyebrows, and the wax girls are wonderful. And that's what counts.
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bleh. i've been to nicer spas and maybe that's because most of my spa treatments are done in larger cities i.e SF and LA. the receptionist was really nice and let us into a dressing room which I thought was dedicated to me. since my treatment starts one hour later than my friend's, i decided to read a magazine in the wiating area which was tiny and extremely cold. while i was reading my mag, i saw the same receptionist bringing another girl to "my" dressing room so of course with all my crap there, i walked over there and informed them that i'm using the room, but to find out that we actually have to share dressing rooms. oops, i guess ive been used to having my own locker, my own room, etc. anyhoo, another lady went into "my" dressing room which happens to be the same room where the shower is. of course, with all my crap in there and not knowing how long she will take, i took all my stuff out and the lady made a fuss about it. , i later asked my friend if she heard all the noise that lady was making, she said, "yes, loud and clear". obvious that interrupted her relaxation of getting a facial. my massage therapist was really nice and did a better than average work on my back. overall, the massage itself was good but the entire experience before and after affected the entire experience. i received a special price for this so that's an extra star, the other star is for the extremely nice staff but the place itself was just alright...
I went to Dosha once, and once was enough for me. I had a pedicure, which was eally nice and relaxing and the nail tech did a great job.
My massage there was weird. I have to admit that I'm a little spoiled because I'm a massage student so I get bodywork on a regular basis, like 3 times a week, so I have some expectations when I get a professional massage. They use really really strong essential oils during the massage, which I found more distracting than relaxing.
I had some low back pain, which the massage therapist determined was tight glute (just from talking to me, mind you, not from actually palpating my muscles). Instead of rubbing the spot that hurt, the therapist just addressed what he thought the issue was. I'm sorry, but when I say something hurts, give it some attention! Don't just diagnose it as something else and address what you think it is!!! First rub the spot that hurts, then rub what you think might be the underlying issue. I was pretty annoyed about this throughout the massage, and looking back, I should have said something. I guess that annoyance came through because after the session I was told that I have a hard time being quiet in my head and maybe I should take up meditation. I found that kind of inappropriate and a little offensive... hello, I just got a really unsatisfying massage, no I'm not quiet in my head!
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After a stressful move across the country to Portland during the middle of the holiday season, I was thrilled to receive a gift certificate to Dosha from my new employer for Christmas. In the short time I'd been in town, I'd heard great things about Dosha and, as it is an Aveda concept salon, I had high expectations. A relaxing day at the spa was just what I needed and I opted to put my gift certificate towards one of my favorite treatments: a facial.
Unfortunately, the whole experience left me underwhelmed, to say the least.
I arrived at the spa and was greeted by a very friendly receptionist who, after having me fill out some paper work, led me upstairs to the spa, which I will admit smelled wonderful, in true Aveda form! However, I immediately noticed how noisy the space was - not conducive to a relaxing experience at all.
I was told to change into a robe and then wait outside the room, although I wasn't told specifically where to wait. There was a waiting area near the nail station, but a whole family - mom, dad, two teenage girls and a teenage boy - was sitting in there (not in robes) gabbing away with some technicians. Not wanting to sit in the middle of them in my robe, I sat in a single wooden chair directly outside the changing room. Already, I could see my plans for a relaxing afternoon beginning to unravel.
Once in the treatment room (with such thin walls that I could hear other technicians and aestheticians outside the door talking about their New Year's Eve plans), I was thankful to discover my aesthetician was very nice. However, I have to assume she was just out of school. She seemed nervous and unsure of what she was doing, which ended up making the whole experience tense. What's worse, when it came time for my scalp massage (which I usually LOVE), she pulled and tangled my hair to point of pain. Afterwards, she ran a brush through my hair to remove the tangles but only made things worse. The brush was literally ripping through and tearing out my hair. I was at the point of telling her to, "Just stop!" when it was finally over. My scalp felt like it was bleeding. It was at this point that I knew my relaxing trip to the spa was not going to happen there or at that time.
I've received many facials in the past and have always left feeling revived, relaxed and refreshed. I left Dosha with a throbbing scalp and feeling more wound up than when I arrived, albeit thankful to just be out.
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I bought my sister a package here for her birthday and the review she gave me of this place was not good.
My sister was 5 minutes late for the beginning of her package and they told her she would have to forgo her massage, which is ridiculous, any normal salon has a 15-minute waiting period.
My sister said the facilities aren't the best, the rooms are dirty and the robes frayed.
The scheduling here is screwed. My sis had to wait an hour between appointments which I find completely unacceptable. The "gourmet" lunch they serve is anything but - Jenny O turkey slices on moldy Wonder bread isn't "gourmet," or maybe it is in Portland.
Living in Manhattan and San Francisco I have pretty high expectations when I go to a spa. I know Portland is a bit.... lower-end but for the amount I paid for the package I'd expect they provide decent services, but they don't. Their staff is rude and bitchy and need to realize they only work at a salon and there is such a thing as basic customer service.
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It may be the hype that comes along with "full spa day" that doomed Dosha, but I feel that "full spa day" should live up to the hype that comes along with it.
I received a rejuvenation package as a very generous gift from my place of employment and looked forward to the day for over a month, sadly the day left something to be desired. I'll just give you the ups and downs:
-The facial came first. This was my first facial so I have nothing to compare it to, but would rate this the best service I received during the day. The extraction was extremely painful, and not the facial that was requested for the package, but still I did enjoy the facial.
-Next was the full body massage. I am spoiled and receive these monthly at work so I did have some expectations going in, none of which were met. It was like opening a birthday present but getting it taken away after the paper is off. She massaged the surface, but never opened the box and really got into any spots.
-The pedicure and manicure followed. This is where Dosha could really afford to step it up. I felt like the employees in this department lacked the class I expected from Dosha. I received a nice pedicure and manicure, but besides the nice view, I could get more down the street at CT Nails. Plus I've spent $300 for this spa day Dosha, give me the french tip for free.
-The hair washing and styling was just that, nothing more. She washed it, blow dried it and sent me on my way. I wasn't allowed any special styling requests. She was very nice, but the service was as exciting as a piece of white bread with butter.
-The make-up was the last step and but that point I didn't really care. My artist did a nice job and I liked the way she applied it.
Overall, the day left a lot of little things to be desired. Started out well and ended rough. Not worth the $$ in my opinion.
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Wow, I thought supercuts blew--until I went to Dosha. It sounds harsh, or maybe exaggerated, but, alas, it is not. I went in for what I thought would be a "spa" quality hair color experience. In my mind, that meant professional, and a little more decadent than the average color experience. Nope. Not even close. The gal who did my hair basically walked up to the chair, asked me which color I wanted (without the help of a color wheel/chart/picture/anything), left to mix the color, slopped it on my head, and left me in the chair while it set. She made no attempt at small talk while she put the color on, and she only brought me magazines after I tracked her down and asked. The color came out a bit on the red side--even after I asked the colorist to add blue into the mix so that it would counter the natural copper that comes out in my hair. I felt about one step up from non-existent. I didn't take this personally, but it just didn't make me want to go there ever again.
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Dosha used to be consistently pretty great. My wife got her hair done there and I'd splurge on a visit for a cut or a massage once in awhile. I've had cuts at both NW and new Hawthorne location.
Now they suffer from their own popularity.. last time I'm there, too many customers scheduled at once, poor service in getting taken care of, getting the haircut to start on time, etc... Poopy! I've moved on...
They still have it in them to return to greatness, but they must refocus on customers vs expansion. Lovely facilities though.
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That Aveda scent is like cat nip for me...just walking into Dosha gives my senses a kick. When I am in the mood for more than a sniff, I treat myself to one of their signature massages. The treatment lounge is a calming setting on the 2nd floor above 23rd street. Hot tea, almonds and cranberries are presented for a light nibble. Arrive early so you can relax in that fluffy white robe and catch up on some reading.
I have had a variety of massage therapists and each time they have tailored the treatment to address my specific needs. The experience is always soothing and I walk away feeling calm, relaxed and serene. Dosha's prices are a bit on the high side, but the experience is definitely worth the extra cha-ching.
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My favorite place for facials (they do extractions also). They offer many services (I've tried massage and haircut) and do a fine job, but the facial remains my favorite. The environment is peaceful and restful - a true treat. The only small issue is for me, a 6'4" guy, the robe is a bit short and the flip-flops are too small. But that's easy enough to get over.
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Ugh. If I could suggest one thing to the people of Portland looking for a spa, it's to avoid this place. Unfortunately, I think Dosha has put far too much money into their facilities (which are admittedly fantastic) and not nearly enough into paying and hiring more qualified personnel. You're paying for the ambiance not the quality of services received.
I've never had my haircut here but have been here for facials and mani/pedis. The facial was pretty worthless, although relaxing and fun to be in a nice environment. It was pretty much a 60 minute relaxation session while someone rubbed oils on my face. And I would have been better off going down the street to Vogue Nails on Hawthorne and paying $36 for a mani/pedi (including a 20% tip) then paying whatever the ridiculous high price tag was that I paid here. It's unfortunate to pay $60+ dollars for a mani/pedi when you get "chop shop" quality.
I've also found their reception staff to be a worthless, rude bunch. They seem to think that because they're getting paid what I'm sure is some pathetic low wage but work in a nice Aveda concept salon that somehow that means they don't have to provide good customer service.
I've also heard a number of negative things about how Dosha runs their business which include: making their fresh-out-of-beauty-school employees sign no competition wavers within an unreasonable distance from any of their salons (which makes things difficult since they have a NW, Hawthorne and Bridgeport Village location) and paying low wages to their employees.
There are just so many better places in this city to get substantially better service.
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If you've got the money, I've got the time .... if you do not mind the mildly stuck up atmosphere and the subtle eyes of judgment from the uber flat-ironed hourly wage slave front desk ladies upon you, as you walk past, then you will probably come out alright. Something as simple as a haircut will be well worth it, but you will pay for it. As in any Aveda salon, the experience, which includes calming aroma in the air, naturally derived products and even a complimentary hand and scalp massage, will make it worth your while.
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An Aveda concept salon.
Even though it was years ago, the haircut I got here (a gift from my sister) was, by far, my best salon experience yet. I compare all my salon experiences to the one I had at Dosha.
From what I remember, it was miserable and raining outside, so when I walked in, they ushered me upstairs into this very relaxing and calm waiting room. It was fabulous. I got a mimosa, a great head massage before the cut and had great conversation with my stylist.
If only all Aveda concept salons could be this nice. I do remember it being expensive though. My gift certificate was for $125, and I think I only walked away with enough to buy a bottle of shampoo and a travel size of hand lotion.
Eager to try out their new location in Bridgeport.
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My first spa experience and it was absolutely wonderful! The staff are all very friendly and not snobby or pushy at all. My massage was amazing! Wish I could go every week!
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this place is clean and nice - great ambiance.
if you are looking to wax the box, go see natalie at the SW location. the same service at the SE location is not that great - i don't even remember the person that did it but she wasn't good.
booo on inconsistency. i guess one of those stars belongs to natalie alone.
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