Elizabeth Arden - Red Door Salon - Chicago, IL Review

Disclaimer: When I have gone to The Red Door Salon in the past, I have had good experiences (some of the best manicures ever!) However, this time was a major exception! 

Background:
It was a Thursday and I was way behind on my to do list. I needed a manicure and pedicure tomorrow (Friday) at 2pm. No exceptions. I couldn't be flexible. That was the only time I was free. After-all, I was in a wedding and needed to look the part.

I called all over Chicago and finally landed an appointment at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon. Great! A LITTLE PRICEY, but great!

Note: While I dont typically blow a lot of money on a manicure and pedicure that only last 2 days, (typically go to the casual dive on the corner!), I was willing to pay this time. After-all, I needed an appointment at a specific time-- I couldn't be too choosy.  

My experience at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon was mediocre at best. Here's a breakdown of my experience...

Location: The Red Door is located on Michigan Avenue and Walton (with the entrance on Walton across from the Drake). Because of the location, you feel like you are going someplace special. A plus for the Red Door. 

My first encounter: When I entered the Red Door, I walked down a long hall way only to be told by a grouchy woman at the counter to walk down another long hallway to wait for Emily, my manicurist and pedicurist. Emily came quickly, but when she greeted me, I could tell nearly instantly that she was a little grumpy. Oh no, a bad manicurist can make or break the deal. I was hopeful she would be fine!

Pedicure: We walked into the pedicure room and Emily asked what kind of pedicure I wanted-- even though I specifically scheduled the BASIC. ($50 basic!) She handed me a brochure of my options and next to each option, it said how much time it took, (40-60 minutes) but no prices. I told her I scheduled the BASIC and still wanted the BASIC since I was in a rush for a wedding rehearsal that night.

Emily said the times listed in the brochure were wrong-- that all the pedicures were 60 minutes so I should splurge. I continued on with-- only the BASIC-- I didnt want to risk it. And, I really didnt want to spend more than $50 to have my nails polished.

Now, come on. I knew what was happening here! And, so do you! She wanted me to get an upgrade, for another $25. And, to prove the point, Emily asked me about 5 more times and I said no each time. She even went so far as to say my feet were a little dry on the heel and I could really use some special treatment there. It would only cost another $12. P-L-E-A-S-E!

Now, I have to say, despite me saying BASIC pedicure over and over, I didnt quite realize exactly how basic it would be. It brought new meaning to the phrase 'BASIC pedicure'. There was nothing fancy about it. A little scrubbing, a little rubbing, a little polishing and bam. Done. $50 in the hole. It was outlandish to me.  

Oh,and guess what. Did I mention that my pedicure was done in 35 minutes??? So, the "60 minutes for all" was a blatant fib. Annoying!! The good news, however, was that I was going to be done soon.

Now, onto the manicure.That went pretty fast. I got a French Manicure and despite me telling her to make the white line medium width, she went with a thick line. It looked fine, not great. (as an aside, I had a manicure at the Red Door Salon last year and it was the best manicure I ever had!) To Emily's credit, during the manicure I think she realized I was not happy with her. So, she started trying to warm up to me. She asked me a bunch of questions, but then it took a turn for the worse.  She inappropriately made comments about my husbands job, my home, my financial situation, etc. "Oh, you live there....wink. wink.", "Oh, your husband has a good job, you should come here more often...", etc, etc. Give me a break! INAPPROPRIATE.

My bottom line on the red door salon... this visit was really frustrating!I felt like I got sub-par service, pressured sales and grouchy/inappropriate people. I do, however, give the salon 3 stars since I have had good service in the past. If you go, plan to ask for a specific person. It can make or break your experience. (and the bank!)