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Kalista Salon & Spa
Rating Details »
Categories: Hair Salons, Day Spas, Massage
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland137 SE 28th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 230-8952
- Hours:
Mon-Wed. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Kalista Salon & Spa
This place was lackluster at best, and I am NOT a spa snob. I went here with my cousin for a mani/pedi before her wedding, and I have to say - I think it was the worst mani/pedi I may have ever gotten in my life. And let me repeat: I'm not picky.
The nail polish was old and glumpy. We tried a second bottle and it was the same. The manicure and pedicure were just crappy and imprecise. They got nail polish all over my skin and she kept saying, 'Don't worry, I'll get that off.' (I hadn't said a word about it, either). I know you use the remover to do the fine tuning; maybe if you are freaking out it is because you have something to freak out about.
The fine tuning was bad, she wound up leaving nail polish all over me. The polish on my nails was really uneven. I tried to smile and make the best of it, but the bride wasn't happy with hers either - and she pointed this out to me on her own. There were lots of snags and junk in her manicure AND pedicure. Unfortunately for us, there was no time to get it redone elsewhere.
That place itself is cute enough, but the girls doing the services also don't seem to be too happy about it. It was the fourth of July and they kept telling me how excited they were to get out of there. I don't mind you talking about your exciting fourth of July party you are psyched to go to, but maybe you could not tell me you are counting the minutes WHILE YOU ARE DOING MY NAILS. I don't exactly enjoy being made to feel like I am annoying you while I pay for your services.
Also, the peddy - was there supposed to be any sort of massage? Because it was over damn fast.
Oh, and it was expensive.
I will say that i had my eyebrows waxed as well, and the waxer was nice, perky, fast and good. So at least there's that. I wish we'd checked Yelp before we booked this place. It's only getting 2 stars instead of 1 because they didn't physically hurt me or give me fungus. Yet.
Find somewhere else.
I have tried this salon twice, and I will not be back. Shame on me...
When I first decided to try Kalista, I think there were only 2 reviews on yelp, and they were ok at best. I went for a detox pedicure. It seems like this is a salon for "sucker services", and yes, I'm a huge sucker. I kind of thought that they would use the detox foot bath as a catalyst for selling a further detox therapy, but there was absolutely no feedback from the girl giving me my pedicure.
They are glad to take your money for a treatment that will continue to produce this evidence of toxins, but not give you much feedback about such toxins.
The pedicure was ok. I have had way, way better, for much less money.
This recent visit, I went for a massage and an LED facial treatment. The massage was alright, for a spa. I was in dire need and didn't expect a full physical therapist assessment, I just wanted to relax and feel good.
The facial treatment, well, I should have known better... Again, a treatment where they will gladly take your money and give you absolutely zero feedback on what is going to happen, and what to do afterwards.
What put me over the top? After a nice relaxing massage, I was led out to the common pedicure/manicure room where I finished drinking my glass of water. The same receptionist was responsible for initiating the LED therapy. (I had only read some information about this therapy on Kalista's website, and have found very little information regarding this system elsewhere on the web.)
After "relaxing" for a few minutes the receptionist explained I was to go wash my face and apply a serum. (I guess I was mistaken by the meaning of "facial", or the implication that this salon provides services.) I was led through the maze of curtains and drapery to a back room where I was instructed to lay down on the chaise when I was ready, put on this pair of goggles, and then turn on the light. The red LED's would glow, and..
and then I laid there, soaking in the glow from the LED's. The lamp turned off after x amount of time, and I waited. Eventually, I got up and walked around the room a bit, found some "after treatment" creams and gels that had no instructions on them, so I applied a bit to my face.
Finally, I was pretty tired of waiting for some one to lead me out of this place. I walked all the way back to the initial reception area, past a minimum of two different associates, and waited to check out. I easily could have walked out without paying one cent, but I have some kind of catholic guilt or other mental disorder.
I have to completely agree that the hair salon/spa combination leaves one wanting some peace and quiet. The reception area upon first entering is a HUGE HUGE clue for what is in store: a feng shui nightmare, a lack of direction and support for most of the associates (for lack of a better word), and hundreds of ways to get at your money.
I am sure that individual services are ok. I feel this is run more like a tattoo parlor than a salon, and the two just don't fit together for me. I have heard the waxing is a great service and reasonable price, but I was here for a spa atmosphere, and a professional knowledge and customer service that comes with providing spa services.
I'm not going to lie, I consider myself to be somewhat of a spa snob. If you are like me, this may not be the place of you. There is just way to much going on for it to be a relaxing place. This does not mean that they do not have some great therapists. My deep tissue massage was just that...deep, but the rest of the experience left much to be desired.
The front desk girls were friendly which is a necessity for me, so they earn one star for that. The check in process was easy, but the lobby should have warned me. There was just too much in it. I tend to think spa should special in something, have one brand that they stand behind. Sure have a few options so that you have something for everyone, but I felt almost overwhelmed by the mount of retail that they had crammed in the place.
Another thing to note is that the hair salon being connected to the spa waiting area causes the waiting area to not exactly be relaxing. A hair salon is a fun place, with music going and hair drying blowing it can create a loud environment, not exactly what I want to hear as I'm waiting for my spa services. The waiting room turned into just that, a waiting room that I was waiting to desperately get out of.
The massage would have redeemed the entire experience for me except that the massage rooms are all connected to the main room where everyone walks in and where pedicures talk place. All I heard for the whole massage was talking and laughing from the other room, I could never really relax.
No showers or additional facilities, so expect to go home covered in oil. Overall, maybe a great place to go with your girlfriends for a fun spa day, but I wouldn't go there if you were looking for hard core relaxation.
I should start by saying that prior to my wedding experience, I loved Kalista Spa. I had the best hair stylist and had been so happy with my hair. The salon itself is beautiful and relaxing. They have a great product selection and everyone there had always been so nice!
That being said, after what happened the day of my wedding, I would not go back. First of all, I contacted them about setting up my wedding 3 months out. It took them 2 weeks of me calling and getting people who didn't know what I was talking about being I got the call saying that they had arranged my party. They told me that I would receive a hard copy of my agenda, which I never received.
The day of the wedding was ridiculous. When I made the appointment I told them I wanted to get fake lashes put on. The lady told me she would put me down for the lash bundles than ran $45 and would last 2 weeks. Then the day of, without me knowing as I had never had fake lashes, they gave me the $150 hollywood lashes. Fine whatever, they will last awhile right? Yeah no.... they had fallen off completely by the next morning. Apparently they need 24 hours to sit before you can mess with them. So shouldn't it have been common sense that you don't put them on a bride the day of her wedding? Yeah, I would have thought so...
Of the 5 girls that got there hair done, 2 were happy with the job done. There were 2 hair dressers trying to do 5 girls in 3 hours. And since they had only started 1 person after the first hour, it ended up being very rushed. One of my bridesmaids (a hairdresser herself) actually went out to the car and sat there fixing her hair, after paying $45 to have it done. My hair was a mess and nothing like what I had asked for. And since we were 15 minutes away from needing to leave, all the hairdressers were busy, and one of my bridesmaids still didn't have her hair done, I didn't say anything. I was pushed out of the chair so they could finish my last bridesmaid and spent that time trying my hardest not to cry.
Oh, and I should note for future brides that they do not do practice runs for formal events. If they had, I may have gotten what I had wanted the day of my wedding. Or something a bit closer anyways. But the price is reasonable and they do have plenty of space to accommodate a decent sized party.
I left Kalista not feeling like a beautiful bride, but just disappointed and worried about where I was going to get that extra $100 I hadn't planned for. Even though I really liked the job she did cutting my hair, I won't be going back after my wedding day experience.
I have gone here off and on for a few years. And I have had varied experiences. About 50% of my haircuts have been ok (nothing great) and the other half I have been less than happy with. Also, it's pretty much a gamble how much I am charged. They quote a base price but I always pay more (even for just a simple straight but with some layers) and always different prices! I always want low maintenance cuts, and often times felt as though they didn't really listen or take this into account. They do have some cool products and lots of eco friendly options. I agree with some of the other comments about gossip and sometimes a lack of professionalism, but for the most part the stylists are at least friendly and talkative to me. And I have never had to wait for an appt.
One of my biggest frustrations is that I have never been able to get the same stylist twice. I go in about every 4 months or so, and have requested stylist I liked in the past and they are NEVER still there. So, seems like lots of turn over, which doesn't seem like a good sign.
Please, anyone else with suggestions on where else to try for a good quality, not break-the-bank kind of salon, please let me know!
I've been going to Kalista for a brow wax for over a year now and I'm very happy there. Midori is an excellent esthetician, I would recommend her, and I can't complain about the others. The atmosphere is comforting and I like the decor. I'm surprised to read all of the negative reviews of the place, as I've had only good experiences there.
I got my hair cut and colored here a few times while between stylists. I overheard a lot of gossipy and rude conversations between the stylists. Where they partied last night, where they are going tonight, who they don't like, problems with the last client, the next client, the current client, etc. Excuse me, we have ears! And we can hear everything you are saying! The main priority here seems to be conversation between the stylists, and the customers are to sit in the chairs like mannequins and accept the cuts and colors they are given. Once my stylist didn't show up, and they had someone else come in to do my color/cut, but I would have preferred a call at home to offer to reschedule. I like my hair blow dried, and despite my requests, I was sent out with damp hair loaded with sticky product. I always felt like I had to go directly home to shampoo and style.
I am tempted to give this place a 0! I had the most horrific experience. The friendly dog tried to bite a kid while I was there. My hair looked horrible, luckily I have short hair and could fix it easily. My friends literally gave me funny looks when they first saw me, like "wow, what happened to you". The girl who did my hair was nice but again didn't do what I wanted. I felt the place seemed unclean to me, I know people think it's cozy, but where I'm from anyplace that gives messages has enough light you can see that things are clean and it has a warm comforting environment, I guess this could be your thing if you're more earthy than myself but I was not impressed. I'll stop now, but I would really save yourself the time, money and disappointment and go elsewhere.
i have been in there a few times to browse for product, but i've gotten such an uncomfortable feeling that i know i dont want to have a service done there. the owner and stylists are very gossipy, seemingly mean and loud, and it doesnt make for a good place to trust people with your hair.
i really want to like them because they do have more natural products, and because the design seems nice - with little money, theyve transformed a bad corner into a cute salon - albeit kitschy at times. but theyve been rude to friends of mine too, so i'll probably never go back.
Using only cruelty-free and environmentally friendly products, Kalista Salon is the perfect place to go to both look and feel great! A friendly and helpful staff can cut, color, weave, and wax like nobody's business. The prices are comparable to any other decent local salon, but the added element of a relaxing and quiet atmosphere help it stand among the best. Kalista Salon also offers massages, manicures and pedicures.
So I should've listened to all the negative reviews this place has gotten on different sites, but they had a coupon and I was kinda desperate. I have a date I'm really excited about this morning at 11 (which I planned around my so called hair appt, btw), so I called YESTERDAY morning at 9 AM to make an appt at Kalista. To my surprise the girl said I could come in at 9:30 AM today. So although I pulled my back out at the gym the day before and I've been super exhausted, I pulled my butt out of bed, rushed over there, only to find the front person (apparently she's a massage therapist) on the phone for a good 5 + minutes before I got to even tell her why I was there. She asks me what my name is, then makes a face and is like, we have an appt for _____ at 9:30... (not my name, obviously). So she looks me up and what do you know, the idiot that scheduled me put me in for 11:30 AM. So then they call some stylist and leave a voicemail asking if they could come in, and she's all, this person THINKS she had an appt at 9:30AM. NO, I WAS TOLD 9:30. I even confirmed it, twice. I asked the girl, 9:30, right? She said Yes. They just lost a customer.Oh yeah, and parking stinks. They sat there an talked smack about other salons. One of them: Bliss. Hey, I've been to Bliss. At least they have their &*%^ straight and they do a good job. I'd recommend going to Blu Salon -- go see April. This is what I get for trying to cheat on my stylist! I just wanted to get in sooner than what I'd already had.
