The Norwich Spa at Graduate Providence

I would like to start off by saying my initial impression of the spa was decent. The receptionist was welcoming and the spa was visually appealing. The smell from the elevator however was appalling. My massage was pretty good, however my facial with Barbara was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, yet my face was left throbbing and beat red for hours after the facial. The extractions, as she put it, were in fact "torture". I was praying for the service to just be over the entirety of the appointment, which is pretty disappointing, as I was really looking forward to a relaxing service. Overall, I would not recommend this spa.

I surprised my daughter for her birthday with the Holistic meditation experience, aromatherapy and the spinal treatment. She said by far it was the best gift she had ever received with regard to relaxation. She commented on how lovely the place is, and we will both be returning to try other services.

My husband I booked a Couples massage to celebrate my birthday. When we arrived 15 minutes prior to our service we were told that one of the massage therapist went home sick and that they were only able to do one massage and offered to do a body wrap service for the second one. When we asked why we weren’t called about this change they said it had just happened. They never offered to do a couples massage at another time and were not accommodating or apologetic for this mishap! I get things happen, but to not have been notified or even offered another day / time when they could do the service is horrendous. We planned our day, drove there and parked in the garage all to be told we weren’t able to get our service . This is not the level of service I would expect from any service industry business.

My friend and I were greeted by our first names and I was immediately impressed. However, the experience was nothing like the Norwich Spa in Norwich CT. I did not see the sauna or pool area. My friend and I were there for a 100 minute treatment. The womens changing room doesn’t have any extra hooks or a bench so there is no place to hang or put your robe while you’re hanging your coat, etc. The lighting is terrible. You have to actually touch the faucet to turn it on. There were only a few paper towels to dry your hands. The carpet definitely needed vacuuming. I froze in my treatment. Nothing was warm. Not the air temp. Not the table. Not the blankets. Not the creams. The shower head was broken. My technician kept apologizing but I think she did the best she could with what she had. My friend had the same treatment. When we compared notes her treatment sounded much more relaxing. I can say I do not have any more discomfort in my neck but that’s about it. Will I go back? Probably not. I’d much rather go to their hub in Norwich CT.

I had an incredible experience at the Norwich spa at the Graduate hotel - we were in town to visit Brown with our high schooler and I decided it had been ages since I had a massage. I squeezed in an appt and was delighted to be given a very professional and lovely massage by a masseuse who doesn't wish to be named. I told him I was going to write a nice review and he said he hated to be written about online 🙂 so anyway - great massage, very thorough, I only booked a 50 min massage and was nicely surprised that I was able to get both legs and arms with my back! He even did my ears - who knew ears needed to be massaged! Nice changing rooms as well, the robe and sandals were so nice I wanted to keep them!

This is the BEST gel manicure and pedicure I’ve ever had. The pedicure lasted a month before I had to take it off because it had grown out; I’m convinced it would have lasted longer. I am not a dainty girly, I’m rough on my hands (I.e., hand wash dishes, dig bare handed in the dirt when planting, constantly jamming my fingers); however, this manicure lasted two full weeks. I only had one finger nail chip where I had to remove the polish (pointer on dominate hand) ~ a week ish after application. It was not a big deal because I had a similar regular nail polish color at home I was able to use. The only downside is that I don’t live remotely close to Providence, RI to come get these regularly.

The venue has changed significantly since I was last at this particular location - years ago as a Red Door Spa - now, Norwich Spa Providence. The architecture was always my favorite part of this location's vibe, inside the also new Graduate Hotel, once Biltmore. The space smells delightfully clean and fresh, the space also looked very hygienic. Everyone was very friendly. It was also nice and cool on another hot summer day. The layout, especially for relaxation area(s) are odd. The "deep relaxation" area is a gorgeous room, yet lacks cohesive design, furniture and most importantly relaxation. They had lots of space and comfy chairs yet nowhere to put your feet up. The larger area outside of the treatment area had some ottomans for their chairs, but the lighting was very dim in some areas and it lacked any real warmth, bare walls and muted colors made the room feel cold. My massage therapist was very friendly, courteous and used good pressure. But she didn't actually massage my whole body, despite it being a full body massage - I did ask for specific areas of my back that required a little more attention. However, I didn't expect the rest would be left untouched. I felt like the service was incomplete. My pedicure after was exceptional. I had a lovely woman that took her time to listen, do a properly thorough job and made me feel important while I was in her chair. The nail bar and makeup areas on the first floor are gorgeous. A solid effort from a well known Spa in a newer satellite location. I feel they have the potential to be truly exceptional, but are missing the mark in a few areas. I would absolutely go back, but I do hope they reconfigure their relaxation areas to a truly relaxing space that invites the guest rather than just accepts them. 8.5/10