Elements Spa & Salon

Elements Spa & Salon is the type of place where the stylist and the therapists become your friends. I’ve been coming here for about a year now and it’s always the best feeling when you know the person who’s doing your hair.
Hank is one of the best stylists for that trendy, forward hairstyle and Maylene is just plain BOMB!
The best thing about getting your hair done at Elements is the head massage afterwards… it’s so good that I sometimes fall asleep and then wake-​up when it’s time to dry my hair!

Sooo… I got a gift card from my friend who was moving to the mainland so I thought I would live it up and treat myself to a package. I purchsed the Narcissus package. I was on the phone for 15 minutes becuase she said I wasn’t able to get my mani-​pedi on the same day and was trying to book everything ala carte. After a long, confusing conversation, they called back and said they could accomadate the mani-​pedi that day.
The environment is warm and spa like. However, I noticed shipping boxes gathered by the manicure station which is just a small bar top. The receptionist was welcoming and offered water or tea. I only had to wait a little bit until I was seen for my eye brow and lip waxing. The aesthetician was friendly and I was happy with the results.
The manicurist was polite and accomadating, however, I noticed that there were several of my nails that had not been completely painted. She then moved me to a really strange chair (it reminded me of outdoor furniture). I couldn’t rest my back on the chair and prop my feet on the foot rest for the pedicure at the same time. Super uncomfortable! Also, they used a wooden bowl with lukewarm water. They put glass stones on the bottom of the bowl that would awkwardly stick to the bottom of feet each time I had to pull them out of the water. She was nice enough to fix a smudged nail that was damaged in the move from bar stool to lawn chair.
Finally, we get to the haircut and the deep conditioning treatment. I had a great stylist who was professional and talented. I was happy with my cut and style. If it wasn’t for the other stuff I would probably go back to him.
Overall, I thought the customer service was good, but the services were sub par. :(

MAHALO ELEMENTS for hooking me up yesterday before my holy-crap-I-can’t-believe-it meeting… I was having a bit of a hair emergency and you called my stylist in that day JUST FOR ME! Hank was able to coordinate with me just hours beforehand and made me look great! Now I know what it really means to be one of your «VIP Guests»!!! Thank you Elements!

I’ve been waiting to write a review on this place because I just couldn’t decide what type of rating to give them. Elements Spa & Salon is located across the convention center in Honolulu on the second floor of a building which has many other establishments. The inside of the salon is quite nice and I liked the aesthetics. It’s fairly large and well ventilated. We had appointments on Memorial Day and since we went shopping at Ala Moana, we just walked on over which took us about 8 minutes. It was pretty easy to find. We went to redeem a Groupon for a deluxe pedicure and a heavenly hand treatment.
Making the appointments was easy. We even got a call the day before to remind us of our appointments. When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by the receptionist (I can’t remember her name, maybe Candace… but she was an African American female) and she was VERY friendly and super pleasant. We were early, so she took our Groupons and had us sit in the waiting area. We were offered water or tea which we declined.
We greeted shortly thereafter. My tech was Tasha (I think) and my BF’s tech was Megan (I think). They have a small selection of colors available to choose from. I chose a very simple pink.
You’re seated in regular oversized chairs with a cushion and some pillows. No massage chairs. It got pretty uncomfortable to sit in this chair with your feet propped up on the little table after 45 minutes. Disappointment 1. Your feet are placed in a bowl (which reminds me of the salad bowl at Assagio’s when they’re making my caesar salad tableside), with some more than warm/​borderline hot water, disappointment 2. Then your feet are propper up on a small table so the tech can begin to cut your nails, trim your cuticles, etc.
We were sitting side by side, but I noticed that the order of how they did things was different. After the nail cutting and trimming, my feet were covered with this clay type of substance. My BF got a foot and calf massage and then the clay substance. I got a calf massage in the meantime, then the clay substance was removed and then I got a foot massage. I received a very short hand massage before the paraffin wax. As for the paraffin wax, my hands were dipped directly into the little tub and then were covered with saran wrap. Kinda… not classy to have saran wrap on your hands. She put the wax into a plastic bag and then had me put my feet into the bags to get covered. My BF had his hands dipped as well, but instead were covered with the plastic bags instead of saran wrap. He dipped his feet directly into the tub, and they were covered with plastic bags as well. I was told to dip «twice» and he was told to dip «three times». I just find this odd since we’re sitting side by side. It was also a little… off putting to directly dip our hands (and for my BF his feet) into this tub… even though they were ‘cleaned/​scrubbed’… I would rather have (as my feet were) the wax put into plastic bags and then insert your feet/​hand. After the wax is removed, it’s very oily/​greasy. She noticed me feeling my hands and used a dry towel to wipe them off (not my feet though). The other girl used a hot towel to wipe off my BF’s hand. Inconsistent + saran wrap + direct dipping + oily/​greasy feeling = disappointment 3.
The toe nail polish application was okay. They do not have a nail enamel dryer. She said «just sit for 5 minutes while it dries»… after 5 minutes, she put my sandals on and said «just be careful for 45 minutes»… I mean not her fault, the salon should have something basic such as a nail enamel dryer! Disappointment 4.
Apparently this Groupon (which I paid $ 39 for) is valued at $ 100. There is NO WAY that I would EVER pay $ 100 for the treatment I received. The heavenly hand treatment is a 45 second hand massage and paraffin wax which did not make my hands feel heavenly at all. I didn’t notice anything special afterwards (besides the residual greasiness). As for the pedicure, it was okay. It was a VERY basic pedicure with paraffin wax. Perhaps they feel the paraffin makes it deluxe? I don’t know.
You can easily get a much better pedicure at many other nail salons across the island… which will include the same treatment, as well as a huge comfy massage chair, a mini sauna for your feet to soak in, as well as a nail enamel dryer… and for MUCH CHEAPER.
I must say though, in terms of customer service, THAT gets a 5 star (hence the 2 star rating, an extra star for awesome customer service). Both our nail techs were extremely pleasant and friendly, as well as sociable. They did the best that they could with the set up that they were given. I do wish my massage was a bit longer but then again I always wish that. And aside from the inconsistency in what was done, from entering to leaving we enjoyed the company of the nail techs as well as the receptionist. If there is one GOOD thing about our experience, it was DEFINITELY the STAFF!
Would I return? No, sorry!

First things first, these people never answer the phone. Perhaps we just had bad timing but come on — voicemail during business hours on multiple occasions?
Anyhoo, I bought a Groupon for a deluxe pedicure for $ 39 which is supposed to be normally $ 100 for my daughter. After about 2 days, they finally called us back and said they were booked out 3 weeks in advance — really? Then a day before the appointment, they call to cancel because they are renovating the salon. Uhmmm, they didn’t know this well in advance? They promise to call my daughter back and book another appointment as soon as they reopen but guess what? No call back.
A couple of months go by before my daughter tries again. Same story again — telephone tag and another 3 week wait. I can honestly tell you that the service they provided was definitely not worth $ 100, let alone the $ 39 Groupon price. While the girl who did the pedicure was sweet, her skills were a bit lacking. I could have given my daughter a better pedicure.
So in the end, one star because Unilocal makes you give one and another because the girl was nice. Oh and you have to pay for parking.

Did you know this place has been around for 15 years? (Just different owners.) I have no idea! It’s a bit hard to find, but it’s basically across from the Convention Center on the second floor of that two story building. Entrance is from the back of the building.
Anyways, I got a pedicure and a hand massage. You know when they paint the skin and the nail polish isn’t ONLY on the nail? Well, ya, that happened here. Oh well, right? And the massage part for my feet and hands could’ve been a lot stronger, but since the lady didn’t ask how the pressure was, I didn’t tell her to go stronger.
What I did like about this place is that freak wax they did to my hands and feet. I have no idea what it’s called, but you place your hand in this liquid thing, and when you pull it out, it starts to harden kinda like wax. You sit there for a bit with it on while your hands looked like glazed donuts. But OMG when you take it off, your hands are baby butt smooth! LOVE!
If anything, I’d go back for that!
Unilocal 365 Challenge #313/​365

Check whether you are going to the Hoala or Element salon before you go!
I had an Aveda gift card and looked on the Aveda website and called the number in Honolulu. When I called to make the appointment, they asked for my credit card number. That should’ve been the red flag that turned me away. If I didn’t show, they were going to charge me. So, I go to Ala Moana mall (the Aveda salon I know of) and they couldn’t find my appointment. I told them the number I called and they told me I made the appointment at Elements. Didn’t know there was a difference. Rather than pay and not get the treatment, I rushed over to Elements.
Like any salon, they talk you into upgraded services. I had made my reservation for a 30 minute facial ($ 60) and the receptionist suggested the 60 minute ($ 85), then the esthetician suggested a peel (I didn’t know the cost, ended up coming out to $ 140). With tip, it was almost $ 160 total. When I went to pay, I gave them my gift card. They refused it, because apparently it is only valid at the Hoala location. Needless to say, I’m upset. I’m out $ 160 and still have this stupid Hoala gift card. It was a nice facial, but not worth $ 160 and I’m not excited about having to go back and use this gift card, even if it is at the Hoala location =(
Don’t get me wrong, my esthetician was very nice and knowledgable, but I can’t get over the location/​gift card issues.
GROUPON: I overheard someone trying to book an appointment with a Groupon they had bought. The receptionist stated that they were completely booked between now and the time the Groupon expires, and all she could offer was a credit for the amount the Groupon costs. That is not ok! File a complaint with Groupon, they will give you your money back.

Mom got a Groupon for a Deluxe Pedicure and a Heavenly Hand Treatment ($ 39, worth $ 100) and gave it to me to use right after finals. I thought the treatment was probably worth the $ 40, considering a normal pedicure usually runs about $ 25-​$ 35, but I would never pay $ 100 for it!
The girl who did the service was pleasant and didn’t try to chat too much, but I could tell she was having trouble working with the setup and the space and materials she was given. My biggest problem was the setup of the nail area. The chairs were just wicker chairs with cushions on them that were pretty uncomfortable after the first 20 minutes because I kept sliding around. No massage chairs, no foot bath, just a wooden bowl with warm water that I stuck my feet in. There are two chairs right next to each other and the other lady who was getting the treatment was a little too close for me to fully relax. Also, the salon is so small and not separated into sections that I spent the whole time looking directly at and having to listen to a lady who was getting her roots done and yakking with her stylist. Not my idea of a relaxing experience.
Even after all the stuff she rubbed on my feet and the the filing and buffing, I still noticed some rough patches, although she did go out of her way to clip off the remnants of an old blister I had. The pedicure itself was fine, but their color selection was a bit small, so I didn’t find a color I really wanted and just went with an unnoticeable pale pink. I had never had the paraffin treatment on my hands and feet, so it was an interesting experience, but I’m not quite sure what it’s supposed to do, because I felt the same after it was done. Overall, I don’t think I would come back.

My mom and I booked reservations a day before Mother’s Day and thank goodness they had an opening. My mom had a facial and I had the 1-​hour Yin/​Yang Massage w/​a mini facial. My goodness I was in heaven! The massage therapist was excellent at what he did. Got all of my knots out of my shoulder and eased the tension in my lower back. The mini facial was great combo. In fact, all hour long massages come w/​mini facials! I’ll definitely be visiting again.

I went here because I purchased the Groupon for Deluxe Pedicure with Heavenly Hand Treatment. I actually first thought this Groupon was for Aveda in Ala Moana when I bought it and then realized it was not… was going to just use it as credit but I needed a pedicure so I thought why not…
The salon itself is nicely decorated and looks like a real salon and spa… however, the service was definitely not up to par. Ok so the girl that did my service was nice but quite (talk about awkward silence) and did a decent job but I think some of the kaimuki (aka «I make prettay fo u») places do a much better job and they only charge $ 20. The station for pedicures is just a chair and ottoman type thing. You are basically sitting reclined up with your legs straight in front of you… kinda awkward when you are getting a pedi. The bowl for soaking you feet is just that… a bowl. I have never seen that before and also it made it kind of weird because they could only do so much in a bowl. Anyway, the service was nice but the «heavenly hand treatment» is just paraffin wax and she did not take it off fully. I thought she’d wash my hands off or something after, I still had wax in my nails when I left! The feet treatment was a little better, decent massage. But now that I have come home and had a better look at my toes, they look like I did them myself. I mean from far you can’t really tell but it’s the point that you are paying so much for such a service.
Anyway, I would not recommend this place to get your nails done. Possibly their other services are better but yeah if you want an awesome pedicure just go to Nail Room and pay $ 20 for wonderful service! Also there’s no parking… at least from what I could see… I just parked at Ala Moana and walked over.

I came here to use a Groupon called «$ 39 for Deluxe Pedicure with Heavenly Hand Treatment ($ 100 Value)» My reivew is only about this service
I think businesses use Groupons to drive new customers through their doors to sample services… so it’s unfortunate when they don’t manage to turn samplers into repeat customers
I did not believe the service I received was deluxe or heavenly… I also did not think it was worth $ 39, and Definitely not worth $ 100.
Also the nail area furniture was very uncomfortable (I’m 5’4″ maybe if I were over 5′ 10″ it would have been okay.
The paraffin had hair snippings in it and smelled of something like imitation peach or apricot. They put saran wrap, not bags on your hands and then put them in potholders; they put the same damp and dirty towel which they used to ferrier and dry your feet with to cover your paraffin wrapped, saran wrapped feet with. They also do not have any nail enamel drying machines.
It’s two days since my service and now 3 out of 10 toe’s polish has partially popped off from the cuticle area up.
The young woman who worked on me was very polite but either lacked experience or was stunted by the equipment she is given to work with.

Driving down Kapiolani, I always noticed there was a salon. I thought it was a hair salon. My friend got a groupon for a pedicure so I figure I’d go to check out the place and try a new spa and salon. I’m always up to try something new.
Since I haven’t done a pedicure for awhile, I decided to get a spa pedicure. All these new pumps were torturing my poor feet. We walked up to the second floor and headed down the hallway. At the end, there was a door and a sign that said, Security Systems. Before we started heading downstairs again, we caught a glimpse of the Elements Spa sign. We were at the right place but missed the sign that was facing our right side. We were greeted with smiley faces as we entered the spa.
We sat down in their small waiting area. They asked us if we wanted water or tea. I was a bit thirsty so I asked for some water. To my surprise, water was brought to me in this dinky sample size cup. Two sips and all gone. I didn’t want to ask for another cup of water. Not what I expected from a spa. When the staff members were ready for us, we were brought to the back of the waiting area, literally back of the waiting area, for our pedicure. My feet was sitting in warm water in a salad bowl (it looked like a oversized salad bowl). The chair was comfy with some brown towels covering the arms. The entire spa pedicure was about 45 minutes and as soon as my toes were painted, they put on my slippers. Usually, when I get a pedicure, they wait for the polish to try first and then they put on the slippers. At Elements, I kinda felt like I was being rushed out. Overall, I didn’t really have a great experience. I’m not sure if I’d come back.
P. S. The foot massage was pretty decent.

H got us a couples massage and facial for my birthday.
We parked across the street. Decided to do parking until six because we were going to have a 2 hour appointment and didn’t know if we would be done. We were also 15 min early (as recommended)
We saw two ladies sitting downstairs smoking.
When we got upstairs there was no one at the desk (they were downstairs smoking). One lady came up and gave us forms to fill out. She brought us the yummy average tea and water.
We sat in their waiting area. The place is cute inside with nice warm colors… so we were kind of chilling out. At about 15 minutes past our appointment time I started drafting this review.
A nice lady named Bella came over and introduced herself as our facial therapist. She gave us some water and explained that the other therapist for the massage is stuck in traffic. But at least she said something.
once the other lady got there (about 30 minutes after our appointment time) we got in and going things were ok…
4 stars for the massage… minus a half a star for the wait and the noise coming from the hallway during the massage… and the other half minuses is for the mediocre facial. The lady didn’t want to really get into it… it seemed like a extended lotion application.
So…not bad. Glad they had a couples room.

You know its good when other hairstylists stop you and ask where you get your hair done. Yah, baby. That’s happened to me. More than once.
Even my MOM says she likes this hair color the best out of the hundreds I’ve had…(who even KNOWS what the «natural» color would be?). Mayleen just continues to KILL it. But she is getting busy these days! I have to pre-​book two appointments in advance these days, so don’t be step’n on my turf!
But this place keeps getting better and better. Last time I was there, they had an assistant who gave me a hand massage that almost made me pass out it was so fantastic. I also got a hair conditioning treatment that was on special that day, it was very relaxing and also left my hair all shiny and pretty.
I’ve had waxes there too and been very, very pleased with them. I have yet to get a massage, but that’s next. I always see people leaving their massages with that dazed look of relaxation.
It does drive me a little crazy that I have to pay for parking in the lot across the street. I do feel like the salon should rent out a couple of spaces, for clients. After all, its a full service salon with full service prices, is it too much to ask to have free parking? I shudder to think what I drop in that place over the course of a year, free parking would be nice.
I guess writing an update every 2 years isn’t too much. because I am still luv’n on Elements.
So if you go, don’t take my regular time, be prepared to pay for parking and enjoy your own little oasis in the middle of town!

So this is a review a long time in the making. After getting hitched, some very thoughtful family gave us a GC for this location. We booked some facials and a couples massage. It was just what we needed after entertaining family and friends for several days.
We also returned recently. It was a good, relaxing massage. Minus 1 star because you can hear people in the hallway, and it’s right on a main, busy road so you can sometimes hear traffic or sirens.

So this review is purely about the esthetician they have at elements with the short black/​brown hair, (whom never gave me her name) who gave me a Brazilian wax recently. I went in for my regular Brazilian bc my usual esthetician was booked up and I was in desperate need. I get one every six weeks so its never painful anymore. The esthetician talked about herself the ENTIRE time! (Where she likes to party, how far she has to drive to work, local club owners she knew, how many DUIs she’s had), and on and on and on. Even when I tried to hint to her by saying «I’m not trying to be rude but can you wax me while ur talking, instead of stopping to talk?» she STILL continued to take her sweet @$$ time and kept talking! Finally, $ 80 gone and 45 mins later, (the longest it has taken any esthetician to wax me, EVER) she’s finally done. On my way home I felt a small patch of hair that she had missed and I had to go to longs and pick up an at home waxing kit that immediately removed it ($ 10 more). I’ve given aveda salons enough chances and now I am just DONE with them. This is not my first bad experience in an aveda salon but certainly my worst. Clearly they hire straight out of beauty school and your expected to pay a high end price for them while they basically train on you.
Go to heaven on earth, première salons, or the plantation spa but don’t waste your money here. At those salons you’re in and out in about 15 – 20 minutes and you don’t have to listen to some beauty school drop out talk about her «like totally important life». You’ll just end up going to longs to buy some cheap stuff to fix what you just paid an arm and a leg for.

So here is my rundown of Elements:
Ame is amazing at haircuts and coloring. She is the best hair-​colorist I have ever had and such a sweetheart.
I’ve also had a pedicure, massage, and facials here that were all very professional and wonderful.
I only had one semi-​bad experience when I received a facial from Keke. She is a very nice person but she pressed way too hard on my temples during the facial– so hard that my temples hurt for two days after. This is partly my fault for not saying anything– even when she told me at the beginning to say something if it becomes too unbearable. But goodness, I can’t imagine anyone would want their temples rubbed that hard!!!

Was very very disappointed. Tried to book a special after hours appointment, as it clearly states on their website «After Hours By appointment» I called and they said they would need a couple of days to coordinate it and let me know.
So after a couple of days I received no call back and i tried calling them and spoke to another person who was going to check with the owner since she was in and call me back. So I didn’t receive a call back and tried calling five times between 5pm to 7pm and just received their answering machine and left a message.
I called back the morning of the day that i wanted to have the appointment and they informed me that they couldn’t do it and thought someone had called me back. This royally screwed me over and to top it off the lady i spoke with hung up on me when i was trying to find out when the owner would be in to talk to her.
I don’t know how their services are, but beware the customer service. With so many other spa places, deciding to give them my business was a huge mistake!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
In response to the owner Chi:
Chi,
At no time did any of the employees: Kahea, Diana, and Fa’a tell me that the spa could not offer the services starting at 10:30pm that I was interested in, until i was finally able to talk to someone on Friday @ 11am the day i was requesting services for. Obviously if they did I wouldn’t be upset and could’ve tried to book with another spa that could’ve accomodated me. Trying to misrepresent the facts of what happened instead of just owning up to it and teaching your employees better customer service makes the situation even worse. Clearly either your employees are lying to you as to what happened or you just want to try and save face by lying. Try a little more integrity.
Mark

Although the spa services are far better than the salon services, both are definitely lacking.
Let’s start off with the spa services. I had my first ever Brazilian wax here and my first esthetician was fantastic. She took her time, made conversation and basically just made sure I was comfortable and not in pain.
When I called back to make another appointment with her, they told me she no longer worked there and recommended someone else for me. I tried her out, and she was the complete opposite from my first esthetician. She told me I was her only client that day, but the service was very rushed. She didn’t take her time, and that was definitely painful on my end. It was also very uncomfortable to strike up any sort of conversation with her, with her replying with one word answers.
My third esthetician was just as wonderful as my first. What else can I say about her? I’m definitely coming back to her.
My massage was great. Very relaxing.
The salon service was horrendous. I’m not too sure if their stylists are familiar with cutting bangs, but if they are, they’re not doing a great job at it.
My first — and only — haircut there was alright. Good amount of razored layers, just the right length, but the bangs… The bangs were so lopsided I actually ended up trimming them myself. I wanted them just at eye-​level, and the shortest length was above my eyebrow.
I also never received the scalp and hand massages and mini-​facial that were indicated on the salon’s website. Instead? I got neighbored with a stylist who just couldn’t shut up. Both times I was there, all you could hear in the salon was her. Did she like to hear herself speak? Probably.
I had a bang trim (which was supposed to be complimentary between haircuts) that I ended up paying $ 15 for. When asked about the charge, the manager said that they never said it was free. Their website has it listed as free!
If you like rotating your estheticians, then this is the place for you.
NOTE: Shortly after putting up this review, I got a call from someone at the spa. How interesting? Call them back, or no?

My wife had her bachelorette spa day and bridal party hair and nails done here over a 3 day period. The total bill was almost $ 1500.
The people that work here are for the most part extremely friendly and when you are in the spa, seem to want to cater to your every need. Their phone etiquette is lacking, though. Also, the communication here is nil, since things that were said by one person on the phone don’t seem to get passed on to other people. Also, the manager Jamie is very nice but doesn’t seem to get things done and is hardly ever at the spa.
Long story short, make sure that you go over the charges, because I was overcharged by over $ 80 due to ridiculous things like charging for premium services when only the standard service was performed, or charging for services that weren’t performed at all. Oh, and make sure that you calculate the percentages for the tip, because we included an 18% gratuity and the manager tried to pad that even more. Luckily I decided to do the math or I wouldn’t have caught it. Shady.
Regarding the service, the stylist was talented and did a great job with the hair for the bridal party. However, my wife complained that though her nails looked good, they didn’t even last a week. Comparing that to where she normally gets her nails done in Santa Monica, it costs less and lasts longer in SM.