Agora Spa

I will give them one star but only for the wonderful bathroom they have with blade shower and steam room. The receptionist was watching some kind of show on her phone as I entered, no greeting just «do you know how to use the lockers?» Horrible experience. I will not recommend it to ANYONE! Entering the «relaxation room» I was greeted by the massage therapist and as I was filling out my form she was standing over me and was waiting until I finish. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. Massage was OK. a rub down of oil is what they call their «signature massage». I felt rushed and didn’t relax one bit. WASTE OF TIME AND $ 230!
Someone replied with a lame excuse and saying they are the best and blaming me for being late meanwhile I was trying to park my car and got held up as the attendant was taking a while to get me a ticket… FAR FROM THE BEST! They should go check out Noelle and see how it SHOULD BE DONE.

This is my first ever review and it is because I love Agora Spa so much. It was recommended to me by my sister several years ago who considers herself a spa connoisseur. It is by far the best day spa in the area and I have never been disappointed. Their locker rooms are lovely, it never seems to be too crowded and their lounge is perfect to unwind before and after a massage (their magazine choice and teas are wonderful). The only problem with Agora Spa is that I’m usually underwhelmed when I go to other spas when I travel :)

I would highly recommend to anyone to get a massage with Mark. He’s highly skilled and has helped me several times.

Had such a rough couple weeks that I felt a trip to the spa would help tone things down so I booked the 80 min massage and 80 min facial package. Checked in and took a nice shower and steam in the tidy and well supplied ladies locker room. Next to the relaxation area to have a cup of tea and chill in silence until my massage. That part was great until the ladies at the front desk all started chatting about family, bosses and holiday plans as loud as if they were sitting on the sofa next to me. I did my best to try to relax anyway but it was so loud with laughter and chatter no amount of straining to focus on the lovely music helped drown out that desk noise. Bummer. Next came a group of ladies from their massage talking like valley girls about whose masseuse was best and so on. Two suggestions, remove the curtain and install a sound proof door on the relaxation room and put a nice friendly reminder on the wall that says «this is a quiet area.» Went into my massage a little upset about that but Hilda turned out a great massage to take my mind off the noise and disturbance earlier. She was great. Back to the not so relaxation room to wait for the facial. They have a nice selection of tea, cucumber water, fruit and oat bars. That was nice and the noisy ladies at the desk were just discussing work at that point and it had gone from several voices to just two by then. The facial was nice, she also moisturized my hands and feet then wrapped them and put the heat on. Very relaxing, good job. Back to the relaxation room for a cool snack of an orange and water before a shower and heading out to face the ladies at the desk. They really are nice and I didn’t get sassy with them about it. My treatments were nice. Suggestion, if you are like me and prefer quiet before and after spending $ 350 on a package of care, take ear plugs or go somewhere else. Prices are steep but my services were well done. Shhhhhhh is all I have to say.

Ehh… My husband and i were pretty excited about visiting this spa for spaweek. I made my appt a couple of months ago for a massage and had no preference for male/​female masseuse. Oh and a heads up — Im in the industry and have been visiting different spas for years.
Anyways, the spa is a decent looking spa in an old Marriott hotel (needs a serious facelift). The front desk lady was nice and walked us to the locker rooms. She told me to take my underwear off also, which to me is unheard of. Went to the common area to have some water and my husband’s masseuse came and said to me — that she didn’t know where my masseuse was. Umm ok! It was weird since we should have been brought in together since it was a couples massage.
So my guy comes in, messes up my name and not once introduced himself to me. Brought me back and basically began my massage. Never asked me about comfort level. About 10 min in he asked if the pressure was ok instead of asking initially. The back part of the massage was the best. Then everything else after that felt like he was just applying lotion on me or something. Didn’t even massage my head or feet!!! I was pretty disappointed at that. He massaged the front of my neck which felt kinda weird. Usually toward the end, u know when the massage is about to end. — but this time it was a quick ending.
So afterwards my husband tells me his massage was good (not amazing but good) and I was just upset that I didn’t feel great, like I didn’t even have a massage. I am extremely happy that I didn’t pay full price for the massage but I will keep searching for another spa bc this isn’t a place I would come back to.

Excellent massages. Have been going occasionally for a few years. Smaller spa than its competitor Noelle, but just as luxurious and has better massages.
Receptionists have always been sweet to me, and always remind me to get my parking ticket validated for free parking. Even the cleaning lady in the locker room is a sweetheart.
Showers and steam room are nice. Good products to use afterwards. I always feel pampered.
The massage therapists have all been great. They know their stuff. If you have an issue, mention it and they will work on that spot. Neck, backache, tired feet, whatever.
I had a facial there once, and the lady did a good job but kept trying to sell me face lotion with «Live minerals, live minerals from the Sea of France. They are living.» I am not sure what science class she took, but minerals cannot be alive. I know it is her job to sell face creams, but the sales pitch was funny. Needless to say, I did not buy. I just wanted my face scrubbed. No sales silliness.

Oh how I want agora to be my second home. Everything is spotless and chic. The steam room smells like lavander, the robes are 100% Egyptian cotton. Which you buy just before the gorgeous corridor of high end product, placed perfectly in front of their floor to ceiling window that capture the view of the whole town, including the long island sound. After a refreshing steam shower i waited for my therapist, in the «Zen» lounge as i refer to you where I sipped a relaxing blend of ginger and camaraderie tea and listen to music just thinking it hasn’t even started yet and I’m already content. Joyce a small but fiesty blonde woman emerges and greets me with a smile that said I’m small but very stronge. She was good, especially if your a guy she got down into the nitty gitty hard reach spots. Over all this place is heaven on earth that accepts credit cards.

My friend and I went to the spa for The Journey (which included an exfoliation wrap and facial) and we also got a manicure. We had the journey first, the room was a little chilly. My skin did feel soft after the wrap. The manicure definitely didn’t last 35 minutes as they said, the room only fit the two of us which was tight. The prices were a little over priced and not worth the money. You are better off waiting for spa week and getting the same thing done at Elizabeth Arden for only $ 100 rather than paying $ 200. The best part was the steam room and the shower after we were finished!

I was stuck between 4 and 5 stars, but the friend I got massages with says 5 for sure. So Woohoo! We liked it!
Services:
Like any day spa, Agora offers it all and then some. Facials, massages, skin and body therapy, waxing and packages. We both got the 25 minute express massages (shoutout to my masseuse Mark!) but almost as good at the relief post rubdown, was the experience. There are two locker rooms, one for men the other for women, but what’s in them is awesome. Showers. Not just an showers: Swedish showers. We’re talking 15 nozzles on 3 racks that just blast your body with water. It’s a bit scary at first, but it feels oh so good.
There are also saunas. That’s right, steam rooms, that you can use for for free before or after your paid service. They give you plush robes and those rubber slippers that have the bubbles on the soles, both of which are very comfy. There are two relaxation rooms as well, where you can sit and have something to drink before your appointment. The rooms are very cozy, with ridiculously comfortable chairs and were quite toasty warm. Another really interesting feature is the ability to order food. Because it’s attached to the hotel, while you’re waiting in the relaxation rooms you can get lunch if you like. It’s typical hotel fare, so slightly overpriced, but I can’t comment on their quality, we didn’t order anything. We did steal some Saratoga Springs water, tough. No worries, we didn’t need to pay for them. Anything, from the tea to the Nature Valley bars in the relaxation room are free for you. And you can stay in there as long as you want.
The service prices were pretty decent actually. It may have been a hotel, but it wasn’t a spa in New York, so that was definitely a plus. A 25 minute massage was only $ 75, which is pretty good if you look around. They do add 20% on automatically when you pay at the end, but even $ 90 is pretty tempting. The price was definitely worth it, my shoulders feel so much better.
Venue:
Located in just on the edge of downtown Stamford at the Marriott (the one across from the mall, for those who know the geography), the Agora Spa is difficult to find inside the hotel, but well worth the search. Often day spas get tacky and over decorated, but this one’s just about right. The theme is a medium wood with blue accents, mainly in a mosaic tile way.
The locker rooms are also tastefully decorated with cream slate tiles and wood – no metal storage units here. They also offered you just about everything you could need: shampoo, conditioner, soap, hair driers, deodorant, lotion. Good forethought there.
I recommend Agora to anyone who wants to take a personal weekend, some alone time, a little bit of self-​reflection. Whether you want to spend a night out of the city or just need a good spa that’s not going to break the bank, by the time you’re done, you won’t want to leave.