Maisie Dunbar Spa Lounge

Maisie and her adorably sweet spa staff embody the catchphrase «Treat Your Self!» I was invited to the Silver Spring spa on a girls day and very impressed. My pedicure foot scrub and moisturizer were so relaxing. I typically get tickled by the treatment, but not with Maisie. I also adore the vibrant summer colors she hooked me up with. The spa is impeccably clean and smells AMAZING. I felt comfy and at ease in Maisie ’ s spa. Bravo!

I was told shellac polish change would be $ 25 then after they did my nails told it was $ 46 with the person who did it, unbeknownst to me. Not happy.

My new mani/​pedi spot. I usually go to Elizabeth Arden, but I was in need of pedi and there was no availability within my timeline. So, I looked up Day Spas, stumbled upon Maisie’s, and am extremely glad I did.
I have SUPER sensitive skin, super, and the products here did not break irritate my skin whatsoever, which alone would garner 5 stars from me. But on top of that, somehow Yessenia got my manicure — no gel, just Zoya polish — to last a full week, which had NEVER happened before (not even at E. A)!
It’s a relaxing environment, Yessenia takes such care of me, the tea is amazing… and the snacks are always yummy :-)

Good manicure but over priced and staff was unprofessional when I visited. I went to this salon for a peaceful manicure but while I was getting my service a lady came in who sounded like a friend or colleague of the owner yelling about decorations and moving furniture around… at which point they turned off the pleasant spa music to deal with her. My manicurist while doing my nails was yelling over me to talk to her… it was not the experience I anticipated. I walked in sat down had tea and it all went down hill from there. For a $ 50+ gel manicure I expected better.

Had a great experience today with Nancy at Maisie! It was my first time! I went in to get one treatment which I had never had before, but she informed me that it wouldn’t last as long as I needed it to and I was able to switch with no problem which I was greatful for! Great service, great atmosphere! I will go back!

I visited MD upon moving to Silver Spring. I had a work gala that night, so a manicure was in order. I walked by and saw that they didn’t seen to busy, so I popped in and asked if they had time to do nails. The people there were nice enough and Maisie herself gave me the mani. I had picked a color, but she recommended another one so I went with her choice. Normal mani, nothing deluxe or spa-​like about it and hardly a hand massage. It was only when I went to check it that first shock hit. $ 40 for a very very basic manicure. What?!
I didn’t say anything because I didn’t ask prices before I sat down, so that’s on me. But the very next day I had 3 nails chip, and I mean at least half of the polish on each. The polish this spa owner hand-​selected for me.
I felt bad and hesitated to post because the people there were nice, but there can’t be any services they provide that is actually worth the high cost. A total rip-​off.

This review is strictly for the website and service menu. In 4 words– OVERWHELMING, STREAMLINE, MAKEOVER, ASAP!
I wanted to check this place out because I live in the neighborhood but after looking at the site, I didn’t get far. I mean, do you offer regular pedi’s? If so, it’s hard to locate.
There are way too many services with fancy names that have me not wanting to waste my time trying to figure out what they are. I get trying to differentiate yourself but this is just overkill.

Maisie Dunbar Spa Lounge is very nice. Very Clean and Quiet. A good spa experience.
My one complaint is when I tried to use a coupon that was sent to me via email. I was told I couldn’t use it because they needed it printed out. That was not stated in the email and being that it’s 2013 and the coupon was sent to me by email and everything is digital… wanting a printed coupon doesn’t make any sense. The coupon should have been printed out and sent in the mail to me if that was the case.
For eyebrows, Nicole is it! I love the way she shapes my brows and it seems to last forever. Ask for her, you won’t regret it. Prices are a bit high, but well worth it to me. Very professional staff as well. She is located right next door to my hairdresser so it’s very convenient to get my hair done and then my eyebrows. I haven’t tried anything else yet but I highly recommend Nicole for your eyebrows.

I recently moved in very close to this place and for the whole first month of living in the building, I kept peeking and peeking at the spa. I was interested in coming in, I felt good vibes, I saw they had their manicure area, pedicure, lounge, wellness products. I was definitely intrigued. Once I finished my moving-​in process, I decided to treat myself to my «month-​versary» gift with a mani-​pedi & some waxing services. My appointment was at 1:30pm, I got there earlier, got a nice tour of the place as they prepared my treatment process.
I enjoyed my time here, they really gave me personalized attention and even the employees that weren’t directly working on my services were hands-​down nice. You can really tell there is a high-​focus on customer satisfaction and that comes with a price, of course.
In regards to the services themselves:
— Waxing — Loved it, no one has been so precise and at the same time so gentle
— Manicure — Decided to go with the normal manicure the first time, lasted me a whole good week which is very good for a manicure (by the way, LOVE all the color alternatives)
— Pedicure — Loving it, still intact. My feet were so grateful. The only thing is I am tall and sat at one of the spa chairs that was against a column so I would have like to stretch a little more while I was in my treatment.
I went back a second time for shellac and Im super in love with my nails. Looking forward to at least visitng one a month to give me some TLC. Unfortunately my budget is limited, but when I decide to invest on myself, I’ll definitely go to Maisie’s!
Thank you!

Got a groupon which can be a hit or miss with these deals. But From booking my appointment to getting my nails done, the customer service has been excellent! Right when I walked in I was offered something to eat/​drink and I was given a warm neck relaxer. The place is beautiful and makes you feel like you are being pampered. My nail technician, Winnie, was very attentive and pleasant. I don’t understand why people complain if they got a groupon. Did you really expect to get a full spa treatment for $ 39? I didn’t see it that way. I just saw it as getting a basic service that’s not normally offered on their menu to be exposed to the wonderful business that I did not know existed in my neighborhood. Maisie also has a line of cosmetics that look awesome… check out
for that. If you get a pedicure during the cold season… know that they have the option of giving you a foot warmer that allows you to wear open toed shoes during chilly weather. Will definitely go back!

I went there for a mani-​pedi… it was OK nothing great, I found the attendant rather irritating, giving me tips on «beauty» when not asked for, and pedi was crappy and did little for my feet. She also smudged up my polish and then removed it and did it again, and smudged it up again. For the mani, I asked for clear polish, but she applied nothing and said she was done. Ugh. For the price, I’d expect a much better mani-​pedi… what I had was a joke.
Not to mention, the girl doing my mani-​pedi herself had hideous nails that were unkempt, dirty, chipped, and yucky long. Another girl (Nancy?) kept chatting and making silly jokes about the girl doing my mani-​pedi, super ugh. I’m going there for a relaxing session and such childish unprofessional behavior is not what I need.
The most irritating thing was, I got a call, early Saturday morning from them, asking for feedback about the experience… ugh… I’m sorry but I never gave you permission to call me, least of all on a Saturday morning when I am catching up on R&R after a crazy week.
All in all a very irritating place. I’m never going back.

Maisie and her staff give great attention to their guests. Of course, you can find cheaper mani’s and pedi’s, but they won’t use quality products or last as long. And you won’t find better service ANYWHERE! In addition to nail services, the body services and facials are awesome, too. Maisie has a wealth of experience and ensures that everybody she hires is on the same page as she. I’ve been to a lot of spas, but I always keep coming back here — it’s special.

Now I understand how my mom feels when she sees me– disappointed.
I’m not cheap but I don’t spend money unnecessarily. When MD opened, I checked out their prices online (starting at $ 29 for manis and $ 64 for pedis) and decided Revo in Colli Park would continue to be just fine. But when a recent Groupon deal came up, I decided to check out it. If I liked the place, maybe it could be my new spot for when I need pampering.
My visit started out well enough. I was greeted as soon as I walked in by Winnie, who said she’d be my tech. She immediately offered to take my coat and then led me to the «waiting area», a cute chaise w/​a table of snacks. Winnie also offered me tea while I filled out a short intake form.
When I finished, Winnie took me on a tour of the spa. Maybe I’m just a b-​i-​t-​c-​h but when I’m trying to relax, I don’t want to walk around and feign interest in rooms and services that I’m not getting that day. Can I just sit and sip my tea please?
Then it was time for the pedi to begin. While the spa is generally nice decorated, the pedi area looks about the same as that in any strip mall nail shop. I don’t mean that as an insult– it’s quite clean, pillows are provided, and warm neck relaxers are offered but the area just doesn’t have a spa feel to it. Maybe it’s the floor to ceiling windows that allow passerby and their dogs to peer in at you, I don’t know.
Before this review gets too long, I’ll tell you about the service itself. Winnie is friendly and knows what she’s doing. She asked several times if I was okay, did I need a magazine or more tea, etc. My nails were shaped well and nicely polished (though another young lady polished my toes).
So why am I disappointed? There’s no way the mani and pedi I received are worth $ 100. I almost hope they gave me discounted service due to the groupon because I’d kill myself if I’d paid full price. I didn’t get a leg massage, hot stones, clay mask, or any other of the frills and extras that are common to spa mani pedis. If this mani pedi had been received at a nail salon, I’d give it 3 or 4 stars. But in a place that claims to be a spa? Subpar.
Finally, two incidents led to the 2 star rating. Firstly, Winnie did my mani in the pedi chair. That is a pet peeve of mine! There was no one at the multi-​seat manicure counter so it’s not like space was an issue. Not very relaxing. Secondly, I was excited to find they have a selection of Essie magnetic polishes that turn into a snakeskin print. I picked a cool silver color and gave it to Winnie. She polished my nails and then took out her topcoat. I thought maybe she’d forgotten and asked her if she didn’t have to use the magnet before the topcoat? She replied that they’ve tested the magnetic polishes and they don’t work. REALLY!!! I realize that is a product failure but if you know it doesn’t work, why wouldn’t you just tell me? Better yet, take the polishes of your shelves.
I doubt I’ll give MD another shot. There are just too many spas in the DMV to risk less than stellar services and products.

I love this place. The owner is super sweet too!

I’m cheap. There, I said it. This place? Not cheap. I paid about $ 120 for a manicure and pedicure. You can stop reading now if you didn’t pass out.
I was leaving First Avenue Hair Design and popped in because I needed a little TLC. Eeveryone was nice. Not «Hi, pick your color» nice. It was more like, «Hi! Welcome! How are you?» nice.
It was open, bright, spacious, clean, and quiet. No strong odor of acetone, no dust all over the place, none of those drying stations with blue UV lights age your hands and possibly give you skin cancer. Can’t get a manicure with no fingers, can you? I was welcomed by Maisie herself who introduced me to everyone in the place and gave me a short questionnaire to fill out and asked if I wanted something to drink. There were no cellphones ringing. One person was dedicated to the phone and I heard her talking, but I never heard it ring. Maybe the ringer was low? There was no TV (praise Jesus).
I declined the beverage and the questionnaire was general stuff about my lifestyle, how I currently care for my nails and even asked my favorite nail color. After I was finished, I was given a short tour by Iris. Their bathroom (not just two perpetually wet sinks off in the back with various nail brushes with questionable levels of sanitization) was clean and bright with these amazingly soft towels. You sanitize your hands, do a little scrub (non offensive smelling) and head back out.
Mariela did my pedicure and she had to keep telling me to relax because Im ticklish, but she was quiet. No metal scraper, no razors. She just buffed my feet to softness. I got a paraffin dip and I meant to get a Minx design, but forgot and now I’m sad because I want one.
Maisie did my overlay and didn’t use the Dremel of Death on my nails. I didn’t choose my color. I just said bright pink and Maisie brought back a pretty Essie color. I think I saw OPI, Essie, and China Glaze. She also does Shellac which I love, but I swim and it’s too soft for my needs. The overlay was thin. Very, very thin. You can barely tell it’s there thin. I loved it.
At one point Iris asked if I paid for parking. I’d been there for a bit and she wanted to make sure the meter didn’t run out. I’m not sure how long I was there. I don’t care. I don’t get a manicure and pedicure to watch the clock, but if I had to guess I’d say an hour and a half.
I’ll go back. I might need a sugar daddy to do so, but I’m going back.

I realized all the reviews were based on discounted services, so I decided to go back and give this place another try.
Situation: I got my nails done at a cheapy place and decided that I wanted acrylics, about 4 days later, I was clawing and trying to bite my way out of the nails. I called Maisie’s Spa and they were willing to take me right there.
So, I paid full price for a soak off and a sugar butter mani/​pedi. I was shocked because the soaking was painless. They put bubbles on my fingers filled with a substance that soaked the nails off. Afterwards, my nails were healthy and happy. The mani/​pedi was spectacular! No clipping of the cuticles, no waiting, no «wtf» moments. It was great! I was scared of threading, but Humira threaded my knuckles (not that I’m hairy knuckled) but she promised the next time I come in, she’d hook it up.
There is also a family feeling to this spa. Everyone seems to know everyone and they have events, gift baskets, and people who care. I enjoyed myself and quickly added myself back on their mailing list. And as if she didn’t have enough colors before… She’s got a lot more now! It is definitely nail heaven on earth.

My review is solely regarding Humira, the threading and henna expert. Humira has single-​handedly converted me to threading. Sure, I’d tried threading before in mall kiosks and dank spots tucked away in Dupont Circle; but nothing compared to the results that were achieved with Humira. Not only did I allow her to thread my brows, she took hold of my «stache» as well. I was hair free for longer than usual, and my brows were precise! I’m particular about my brows. After all, brows make the face!
Once everything was plucked, Humira applied soothing rose water strips to the threaded areas. There was no irritation, and surprisingly minimal discomfort. I wonder if she does pits?
Additionally, Humira’s henna is meticulous. She painted some pretty intricate designs on my cousin’s back and feet. They were gorgeous!

I’ve only been to Maisie Dunbar at their new location (on the corner of First Avenue and Fenwick Lane) so I cannot speak on their former location.
They’ve only been in this space for about a month. I’ve been seeing them gearing up for opening over the past two months and I don’t think they are fully settled in yet, but they are now open for businesses.
When I dropped by one afternoon, it was to be inquisitive but it ended with a pedicure once I was offered a $ 25 gift certificate towards any service. Usually, I would only pay between $ 30-​$ 40 for a pedicure, so I was thinking that $ 25 towards the service was going to discount my pedicure to virtually nothing. There was not a price menu up yet and it was my fault that I didn’t ask, but turns out that even with the $ 25 off, the pedicure still came to $ 38 which means a regular pedicure will cost around $ 63.
Now the pedicure itself was great. Nancy took her time on my feet and the pedicure comes with a parrafin wax treatment. I can admit that my feet were the softest they have been after any pedicure that I can recall. Even two weeks later… smooth baby. Just smooth. Additionally, they also have a ton of colors to choose from and offer some special nail, skin and spa services.
They will ask for you to fill out a form that is pretty thorough about beauty needs, lifestyle and contact information that was a bit more involved than expected, but I guess they are just trying to take care of you as a long term client the best they can. I left a few areas blank.
I also got a cute little goodie bag because it was my first visit. There were some coupons and cuticle oil in there and the bag was dainty, so it was a nice little touch.
The spa itself is not very aesthetically fancy and there is no soft music and dim lighting, so if you’re coming for that kind of spa experience you may not be happy. They are still working on finishing touches and set up though, so I guess you never know where the vision is headed.
Bottom line: The spa is clean, staff is nice and thorough, but be ready to pay high end spa prices.

Shortly after my ridiculous mani/​pedi here, I received a call from a very concerned woman at Maisie Dunbar after I asked to be taken off their email list, citing my experience. She was polite, very apologetic and appalled, saying she would call later that week to schedule an appointment with Maisie herself to make up for it. I think wow, thats some pretty amazing customer service. To me, that goes a long way. Bad days happen everywhere, and I personally am someone willing to give second chances. Feigned concern is all it amounted to, she never called back. So my experience remains poor.
All of these new users raving about this place in their single, five-​star reviews seems strange but not nearly as strange as the fact that one even mentions that I «relied on coupons, and paid half-​price» even though I never said anything about that. Yes, I used a Groupon discount, which is a great way to build up your client base, BUT NOT IF YOU GIVE CRAP SERVICE the only time they come in. First impressions are everything in the service industry. Maybe the salon should focus on strengthening the core of it’s business rather than rallying the troops to write fake positive reviews for them.

Like the previous reviewer, I found Maisie Dunbar Spa Lounge did not live up to its advertising.
I appreciated the convenient nearby parking, and the apparent cleanliness of the facilities. With the exception of Nancy, the staff is friendly and outgoing. Although I was only coming in for a mani/​pedi, I was given a long questionnaire to complete, with questions ranging from my occupation to my nail care habits. This might have been useful to the nail technicians, if they had even glanced at it, which they did not.
This may sound petty, but the front desk staff’s constant, unyielding eye contact was a bit creepy. I’m sure someone told them that this was a good sales technique, but it made me want to scream «Stop staring at me! Look away! Break — your — gaze!»
The pedicure was great. I wish I could remember the technician’s name (Joy?) She was gentle, friendly, professional — right on target. The manicure was another story. I, too, was unlucky enough to have Nancy as a manicurist. She gave me a manicure while I was in the pedicure chair, which required some uncomfortable arm twisting and balancing of the soaking dish on the chair. Nancy was mute for the entire process, sullenly hacking at my nails and staring dully at my hands. She definitely didn’t get the eye contact memo! While all of the other employees were gracious and well-​groomed, Nancy’s demeanor and appearance was coarse and unprofessional. Definitely not what you’d expect from such a high-​priced salon. The staff at the $ 31 mani/​pedi place I usually go to in Silver Spring is far more professional than Nancy!
The manicure was lackluster, and didn’t even last a day before it started chipping. The weirdest part of the experience was that I was not permitted to choose my own polish colors — the pedicure technician chose for me, after making a general inquiry into my preferences.
As I checked out, I got the hard sell from the front desk staff. I was not interested in their promotions for more overpriced services — I just wanted to get out of there without spending any more money!