Nusta Spa

I visited Nusta after I received a gift certificate from my job. Walking in, the spa is very welcoming and the front desk spa was very friendly. The setting is very relaxing. I received a massage and facial and both were amazing. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the therapists’ names. I would recommend this business to others and would definitely return.

Nusta Spa provides poor customer service. I chose to cancel and reschedule an appointment because I had been throwing up all day. I did not think it would be appropriate to show up ill to the spa and was told that while my card would automatically be charged a cancellation fee, I would be reimbursed after I completed my actual appointment. I was not reimbursed the day of my appointment, no one has returned my email or phone call, and it has been one week since my appointment. This is a poor business practice. The customer service and management team have major growth to do before I give this experience a thumbs up.
I do not recommend you waste your money on services that are over priced. The room was cold, I wasn’t asked what areas I wanted massaged, and I wasn’t asked what I was looking for in a facial. The best part of the package was the scrub. I’m so very disappointed.

This review is for Carmen who is the ONLY person I go to for my Brazilian wax. She is AMAZING! Whether its your first time, or you’re a veteran, she uses just the right touch to make sure that you’re comfortable during the appointment. She has an amazing personality and is genuinely just an amazing person. I am always pleased with her work, and even when i notice something isn’t right, she doesn’t get offended or annoyed at ALL! I love that because I’ve been to other places where the employee is trying to rush you out, and that’s not Carmen. She is thorough and wants to make sure that you are happy with her work, I definitely recommend you try her out!

I have been going to Nusta for years for everything from nail service to massages to waxing to facials. Rebecca is absolutely fantastic for waxing and facials. I highly recommend her. I agree with some of the reviewers — front desk staff can be unprofessional. Nusta offers 10% discount if you book in advance.

UPDATE (July 2015): Services were awesome as usual (back facial and 25 minute massage — see Chardette! She is amazing! And Regina is a master at manicures and pedicures).
However — front desk staff need a lesson in etiquette. Three young ladies were standing at the reception desk. The short one with glasses and blonde hair was incredibly rude. They told me to sit in the waiting area. I went — and waited 30 minutes. No one came in to show me to the change rooms. No one offered me a locker, robe, cup of tea — nothing.
It wasn’t until a kind young woman setting up a massage chair asked if I was helped. When I told her no — she immediately went to the reception area and reamed them out.
When my services were finished I went back to the reception area. The rude young woman snarked «oh were you waiting for someone to help you? I’m sorryyyyy!»
Girl go get another job. You ruined the image of my favourite DC spa.

They addressed my concerns and offered me a $ 20 gift certificate. I might give it another try in the future.

Just moved to area and looking for a massage place. I have gotten massages periodically for many many years. I went online and randomly reviewed a few businesses. I picked Nusta Spa for no specific reason and it was one of the best random picks I have ever made. It was the best massage (even for a first time massage at a new place) I have gotten in a very very long time. I was so relaxed and without giving my specifics, Lisa did an amazing job proving the right amount of pressure and working through my back. The price was very reasonable especially for the quality of the treatment. Now I have no reason to check out other places in DC. This is going to be my go to place for massages!

I come here for the deep tissue massage which is my medicine. I’ve purchased some of their goods for sale in their lobby. Never have been disappointed. I had a facial once that wasn’t all that memorable but I think I’m just not a facial person.

Carmen White is incredible! The facial she gave me was so relaxing, thorough, and informative. She helped me come up with a special plan for my skin, as I am getting married this year and want to look great in the photos. The entire experience was wonderful. The spa was clean and the staff were so helpful. I needed a different size shoe and the lady asked me what size bathrobe I had in my arms — not only did she give me the correct size shoes, she also gave me a bathrobe that fit me better. It was like they anticipated my needs! Also, I forgot my gift card and the ladies at the front desk researched the person who got the card for me and applied the gift card to my facial. The staff went above and beyond to make the experience wonderful!

I had my first facial since relocating to DC at Nusta today. Rebecca was awesome, super friendly, offered tons of advice and got me on a better face care regimen. The facility was very nice and comfortable, a little warm in the heavy robes but it cooled down once the robe was gone. I will definitely be going back.

Well I’ll start off by saying the massage was very good. When I arrived the front desk person sent me to the locker room 3 times before he gave me a locker that was properly stocked. There were 6 of us and we reserved the private area that includes mimosas. When we first arrived, we were told there was a marathon going on and several of the employees were stuck in traffic. Ok, that’s fine. Half of us were able to get our services on time and the other half was still waiting after our 1hr massage was done. They even told one of my friends that they might have to cancel her appt since the masseuse had not arrived yet. We eventually all got our services and it was time to relax and sip on mimosas. Well… they didn’t have any orange juice. We had to wait another 45 min for them to go to the store and get orange juice. All in all it seems like this place was very disorganized.

My mother-​in-​law very generously gave my husband and I gift certificates to Nusta for our birthdays, for massages (for both of us), a facial (for him), and a mani-​pedi (for me). Here’s a run-​down:
Massages:
Since the spa recently suffered a fire/​flooding situation, they weren’t able to accommodate our massages on-​site, but they sent two masseuses out to our house in Alexandria to massage us at home, so that was pretty cool! They brought their own tables and pillows and oils, etc., and set up right in our basement and living room. My husband really loved his massage and said he felt like a million bucks afterwards. Mine was just okay. It was a «mother-​to-​be» massage and I was really looking forward to it since I hadn’t gotten a massage since becoming pregnant. The problem was that the girl, while very nice, barely put any pressure on me as she massaged me. I told her she could press harder and she said okay but it continued to feel like someone gently stroking my arms and legs rather than massaging me. I’m not sure if she was just afraid to press hard because I’m pregnant, or what, but it was kind of disappointing. I was envious of my husband, who got a proper rolfing from his masseuse.
Mani-​Pedi:
I went into the spa for these services and saw Regina, who did a great job. She asked me a lot of questions along the way that I appreciated (e.g., whether I had any sore spots on my feet, if the water was too hot, whether I needed a bathroom break) and she got my services done in time for me to not have to refill my parking meter. My hands and feet looked great afterwards; she turned my pretty gnarly feet into just plain pretty feet!
ETA: 36 hours later, and my nails are chipped. This is a record, even for me. This doesn’t take away at all from the good job that Regina did, but I think the products they’re using are not awesome if they chip THAT quickly. I don’t even know what caused the chip; I looked down and a huge chunk of the paint from two of my nails was suddenly gone. :(
Atmosphere:
I only saw the mani-​pedi area and the entrance, but the spa seemed really nice and relaxing. The mani-​pedi chairs were really comfy.
Ease of booking:
Here’s one of my main complaints about Nusta: it took SO MANY phone calls to schedule my appointments. The people I spoke to on the phone all seemed utterly confounded by the fact that I was trying to use a gift certificate, and I was given conflicting information about how the gratuity would be calculated (at one point I was told that I wouldn’t be able to use all of my services because they needed to subtract an automatic 20% gratuity, etc.). Also, every time I got on the phone with them, I’d end up stuck on the phone for what felt like forever while they made me repeat the same information over and over. Ugh. It was just a headache to deal with, and I didn’t understand why it should have been complicated at all.
Facial:
Husband hasn’t gotten his facial yet but I’ll try to report back when that happens.

This review is long overdue. I was in DC visiting my sister when we decided to have a sister spa day and get facials. After checking Unilocal and calling a few places we settled on Nusta. So glad we did! … both of us had amazing facials and were super happy with the whole experience. I get facials semi-​regularly here in San Francisco and thought I had a good place but now I can’t go back to my old SF spot as it pales in comparison to the way my skin looked and felt after the treatment with Rebecca… sigh… the only bad thing about Nusta is that it’s not in my home town. My sister lives in DC and now has a regular standing appointment with her facialist, lucky her… I now have to plan my trips to visit her to include a trip to Nusta

I had a generous gift certificate so I went to Nusta spa for a Calming Massage and a Shellac manicure.
The massage was very relaxing and felt really good. I’m not super into body work and when I get a massage it’s more for relaxation than for serious working-​out of knots, and this was definitely that type of massage. Even for my taste, though, I wish it had been a little more intense. But it was very relaxing and not a bad deal for $ 105.
The manicure, which included gel polish removal, was $ 70. I would never pay this much normally, but it worked out since I had a gift certificate. Kellea did a fantastic job, was very fun and pleasant to chat with, and was definitely a perfectionist which I appreciate in a manicure. It was definitely a higher-​end manicure than your average nail salon. However, for that much money I expected there to be a bit more of a hand/​arm massage, maybe even a little neck rub at the end, and there was only a cursory hand/​arm rub at the very end. So while it was a good nail service I think for the price it should have included a bit more in the frills department.
The space is pleasant, and there’s a nice little room where they have you wait and you can have tea or infused water and snacks. The bathroom was nice, fairly basic compared to other spas but fine. There’s no sauna or steam room which is kind of a bummer, especially since I’d imagine many of their competitors do have them.
Everyone I interacted with was very friendly, helpful, and pleasant. Overall a good experience.

I highly recommend Imi. He really really knows his stuff. I had a 90 minute deep tissue massage and he worked wonders. He dealt with some issues in my shoulder that my physical therapists hadn’t been able to help with. The spa was lovely, the staff was more than gracious, and overall I was very happy with my experience.

First off, the front desk woman Tiffani was so nice, so helpful, so accommodating! Secondly, I had an hour massage with Imi (I think that’s how you spell his name) it was a great massage and I had wished I book a 90min massage instead. Normally, I get antsy but this was such a great massage! If agree with other reviews that the towels and robes could be updated.

I’ve been to Nusta Spa several times. I’ve had facials, hot stone massage, journey of the senses massage, and Brazilian waxing. Marlize is great. I love the Terre & Mer facial (though it is rather pricey). I also like the space – very calming design. The only reason I give it 3 stars is that I’ve been there a few times when the front desk staff is so loud that I lose the calming, centering quiet time in the lounge waiting area, which is integral to my spa days. Also, sometimes the music is too peppy and not relaxing enough. They really need to train the staff about being quiet and calming for the busy DC workers who just want to get away for a few hours.
Also, journey of the senses is not worth it. Stick to basic massage and/​or hot stone.

I visited this Spa twice. The 1^st time I visited the spa for a massage back in 2011 it was great! I forgot the name of the massage therapist but she was good.
So I then my husband and I scheduled Deep Tissue Massages. His massage therapist (Vanessa) was great! I had Kristin which was not good at all. Kristin either does not understand what a Deep Tissue massage consist of OR should only do the basic swedish massages.
Also, the waiting room is very small. There were 6 of us waiting for our services and it was crowded and not relaxing.
There are defintely better spas in the area. So dont bother unless you are able to grab a discount. Also, there is only street parking or you will have to pay for garage parking.

UPDATE: WTF, my hair started growing back in LESS THAN A WEEK. SUPER LAME. I guess the wax is fast because she doesn’t get the hair from the follicle. NOT worth $ 73. I will not be returning here. Boo.
ORIG REVIEW:
Fastest effective brazilian EVER.
I booked my appt using their online booking system. I booked an appointment with Hana but I ended up with Jojo — so if you really want a particular waxer, you may want to call the spa and confirm that you are getting the waxer you booked.
The spa is about a 5 minute walk from the Farragut North metro stop. It has a nice soothing vibe to it, and it’s very clean. I’d read the reviews about the bitchy receptionists, but the two that greeted me were both very friendly and lovely.
I arrived a little bit early and hung out in the waiting room. The waiting room is a little small, and just has water. There’s some snacks (trail mix type snacks) on the other side of the spa– in front of the restrooms.
Jojo came to get me in the waiting room and my wax started right on time. That woman is ALL business. She didn’t make any small talk (which I actually prefer) but did ask questions to ensure an efficient wax. The wax wasn’t the most painless I’ve had, but MAN, I was DONE in ten minutes FLAT. And she got everything!
I also liked that she didn’t try to sell me any products.
EVERYTHING about my waxing experience here was soooo much better than Bliss at the W. I’d definitely come here if I had to get waxed in the district again.
Another plus is that they offer to email you your receipt instead of giving you a paper copy. Easier to find and saves trees!

I found religion in this place!
I’m a man and in typical «man» fashion, I believed that massages were complimentary services included in my marriage. «Real men don’t go to spas,» I used to say.
Then my wife made me go to this place as a part of my Valentine’s Day present.
Then I got a massage from Lisa.
I think I saw the face of God during that massage.
I went in cranky and irritable with all the stress that living in this city can give. Five minutes into it I was drooling. By the time I left, my eyes were glossy, I had a permanent smile and not a single care in the world.
I’ve since fired my wife from massage duties (which was probably her diabolical plan all along) and I can’t wait until I go back.