Koi Spa

I have always been hesitant to book an appointment because the front counter customer service peeps have always thrown so much shade in the past. However I feel like this go around things were FINALLY different! The woman who booked my appointment was not super friendly, but not ice cold either. I will attribute her shortness to the fact that the phone was ringing off the hook the entire time she was trying to help me. Alas, I got an appointment on the books for a Deluxe Body Polish with Mary Ann and everything went swimmingly. For the first time I felt truly comfortable while receiving a spa service. Mary Ann was professional and thorough. She listened to my concerns and addressed all problem areas. I left there with my skin feeling like silk and felt totally relaxed. The one thing about the massage I really appreciated, was the focus on my feet. I feel like in the past at other spas, they pass over it like its no big deal. Not Mary Ann! She gets it! LOL. And the woman who checked me out, I think her name was Meg, was super friendly, a very nice change!
The spa is clean, quiet and perfectly set for relaxation. I enjoyed my visit so much I already booked another appointment a few months from now.

I made a reservation for two for a hot stone massage for me and my friend’s birthday. When we arrived I was told the appointment was for an Aromatherapy massage. I explained that is not what I made a reservation for. I was told they did not have time to warm up the stones. My friend and I were very disappointed and had a regular massage. They did take a little off the price and gave coupons for 20% off our next service. Donna was amazing she did an awesome massage. My friend’s massage was not so great and she did not get the heated neck rest. The atmosphere is very nice, the changing room is very small. I would give the place another chance, but my first experience was a major let down.

They require a credit card to remain on file in order to make an appointment. So absurd. And they refused to explain why until I asked about the cancellation policy. For a salon that is always empty, you would think they would have policies similar to their competitors. Not getting my business

I’ve had facials here since about 2011 and would highly recommend Susanlee. She is such a great aesthetician– very calming, thorough and knowledgable about facials and products for your problem areas. I always feel so pampered after a facial with her. You won’t be disappointed!

Koi is pricy, but pretty normal for Princeton. I’ve gone to two different technicians and both were friendly, professional and worth every penny.
I am also that person who decides to get my eyebrows or hair done on the fly, so I like that they are always able to accommodate me within about an hour of calling. Although they don’t rush ypu, they also don’t waste time (always working while chatting) so you are out fairly quickly.
I definitly will go back and would recommend this salon to all my friends!

Stayed at the Marriott hotel with my husband for a night and needed a place to get a quick manicure. Made an appointment for the following day and very happy with my manicure. The girl who did my nails was very sweet and would highly recommend this place if you’re looking to get a mani and pedi. ($ 20 for a express manicure).
Great environment, felt comfortable and everyone was very welcoming.
I’d come here again.
:)

Kelly is the best hairdresser /​colorist I have ever seen. She was recommended to me by a friend who always had great hair.
I went to see her — 2 months after moving to Princeton and wanted something simple yet sophisticated — that would grow out well and transition well into my conservative finance job. I shared this with Kelly, and told her my typical routine with hair: wash and go, sometimes blow dry, and needs to be a length that I can put up in a ponytail for long runs. She immediately registered what I wanted and started working. The time spent in the chair was perfect, she wasn’t overly chatty like some other stylists I’ve had elsewhere, and made sure to check in with me every step of the way. I ended with a perfect, sleek cut, perfect color that was exactly what I had envisioned (crazy part: I didn’t even show her the picture of the cut I liked, but it ended up looking exactly like it) I’ve never seen my hair so smooth and shiny, and when I asked how she had done it, she took the time to show me steps for achieving the same look at home. How awesome was that?
She’s worth every penny.

I come to this spa regularly to get my hair done (single process roots and blow dry) and have had a great experience! Ana and Stacey have both done my hair, and they are both excellent, both in terms of the quality of their work and their customer service, very sweet and pleasant. Wilmary did my hair once as well and did a great job.
I have had only one negative experience here, and that was when I came to get my toddler’s hair cut. The woman who cut his hair, Kelly, was a B@&$#%!! The haircut itself was pretty good, but she was very rude. The whole time she did not say a single word to me or to my son, who is 20 months old. It would be expected that she would at least say hello and try to talk to him, given that he is a child and the more comfortable and at ease he is the more likely he is to stay still and get through the cut. But no, not a single word. I tried to make conversation with her several times as well and she didn’t acknowledge a single word I said, it’s like I wasn’t even there. I told her we had been to super cuts for his first hair cut and we were disappointed, but have had a great experience here with his haircuts. Not a single response from her. I then told her that everyone here is so nice. Again, not a peep from her. As he was getting restless, since no toddler likes to sit still, I kept telling my son what a good job he was doing and that we were almost done. Again not a word from her. The only time she uttered a noise was at the end, when my son started getting restless and moving around a lot, she threw her hands up in the air and said, «I’m done» and walked away. How rude! The whole time I felt as if she didn’t want us there, and got a very cold and snooty vibe. No eye contact, no conversation. Poor customer service. I am a physician and I feel that half of what I do involves making my patients feel comfortable and at ease, it is an important element in the care of your customers/​patients. I guess my point is, I’m never going to Kelly again.

Here’s the Deal… came here because we were on a weekend getaway. The spa staff was friendly, accomidating and provided excellent spa treatments. I would certainly go back if/​when in the area!

I go to Koi Spa for my haircuts. Kelly always cuts my hair and she’s very good! Best layers ever!

The booking experience was so unpleasant that I called up and cancelled my appointment minutes later. If it was that difficult to get customer-​focused treatment over the phone, I can’t imagine what my massage would have been like.

I decided to try Koi based on the reviews and the fact that I have passed by it on several occasions and it looked really pretty and professional. I had a haircut, a full head of highlights and a glaze.
Firstly, I knew it would be expensive, but they charge more for haircuts than what it says on their website. I got a trim and they charged me over $ 50 for a «haircut»…really?
Also, I specifically asked for CARAMEL colored highlights, and the only solution they had was to put blonde highlights in and a glaze over it. Apparently they only have blonde as a color for highlights… strange for a salon.
My hair does look nice and I knew I can probably go to another salon and have another glaze put in to make my hair more caramel and less blonde, but it should have been PERFECT for the price I paid.
If you want to try it, I would say do if you have the cash. It isn’t BAD but isn’t spectacular and for $ 245, I should have walked out feeling like a supermodel, but instead I just felt like I had decently better hair than I had before.

Came here recently for a mani/​pedi, wax & massage. Leah did my massage — she was fantastic. I felt so relaxed I even dosed off. Christine did the wax — also amazing, they use a cream wax so it felt really smooth and didn’t hurt as much. The manicurist, Lorena, was very friendly and knowledgable and did a great job. The place is a little deceptive, it’s inside the Can Do gym, so you’re expecting a little spa, but it’s actually quite big and a full service spa inside. On one side is the hair and nails section, on another side is the waxing/​massage section. The relaxation room was nice and the massage and waxing tables are heated. The spa is so relaxing I even started to doze off during the wax!

Great courteous staff. I’ve had hair color, hair cut, nails and a facial here. Haircut was good (Amy), manicure was okay and the facial wasn’t bad either. The folks there don’t push you to buy anything either. The spa has a very nice ambience but I think the people in working there are a ⁴⁄₅. I’ve definitely had better experiences at other places. The massages and facials never felt customized and the folks who did it seemed bored. It’s still worth a try.

I always get a bit miffed when companies advertise themselves as being in «Princeton»; when they are not truly in the so called Beverly Hills of NJ! We have lived in South Brunswick, for 30 years; and watched the Forrestal Center being built. With that being said, we have been to Koi several times and always have been satisfied. The woman that cut my hair was Wilmary… she was very nice and did a great job. However, not worth $ 60.00! I think they are overpriced, but then again being in «Princeton», that’s why they can charge what they do!
Come on Koi, and the fitness center you’re in. You are not in Princeton. You maybe paying for a Princeton zip code but, you are in South Brunswick!

I wasn’t too happy with the way the lithuanian woman looked at me when i entered. it was a mix between annoyed and rude.
the spa itself is very clean and ava gave me a 50 minute sports massage (deep tissue) that was excllent! That little cutiepie is strooooooooooooooooong! she was very nice and professional and i ll def come back!

Wilmary was amazing. I am getting married in Princeton and needed to find somewhere out of Philly to get my hair done on the big day. Let me tell you this was unexpectedly one of the most stressful things so far with wedding planning. 4 salons, 2 trials and hundreds of dollars later I finally took some advice from my future sister-​in-​law and tried out Koi, with a mere 3 weeks to go before my wedding.
Koi spa is a little out of the way (forestall village) not intimate or unique in any way shape or form, but the staff are pleasant, greet you with a smile, and the space is open, bright and clean. They also have a nice little cookie, coffee and water bar in the waiting area. A plus if you are like me and drove all the way from Philadelphia in rush-​hour traffic to get there.
Wilmary just has a calming effect, and she was also is confident in her abilities to take the lead with styling my hair which an important quality for a stylist. Definitely an expert. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to tell a stylist what to do… I want them to use a hairstyle as an inspiration and apply their skills to personalize it to you.
Oh and compared to other salons in the area, Princeton can be so expensive, the prices of Koi are quite reasonable (they don’t charge you $ 75 for a blowout).
I am so excited to go back the day of my wedding… and should probably write a not so flattering review of where I got my first two trials to save someone else the stress and money and fizzled hair that I endured.

I’ve been going there for over a year for haircuts with Wilmary and I’ve never been happier.
The staff are fun and professional.
Wilmary is the only person who has ever cut my hair correctly.
Highly recommend her!!!

Koi Spa is my new go-​to place for esthetician services and haircuts. The hair stylists all use the Vidal Sassoon method for cutting hair, which means they know how to cut your hair so that it looks amazing now and as it grows out.
As for their esthetician services, I searched for over a year after moving to NJ to find someone I trust: Grace. She gave me the best bikini wax I’ve had in 6 years of waxing. She uses a nice hard wax that *just* grips hair and has an excellent, no-​nonsense technique. A painless Brazilian? Trust in the power of Grace!
***Pro tip: CanDo members get a 10% discount for all Koi Spa services Monday — Wednesday!***

Tried to buy a gift card here for mother’s day, but the place was inexplicably not open at the posted time. The front girl at the gym was also unapologetic and unhelpful.
No posted signs or anything explaining the non-​standard hours. Seems very unprofessional.
I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to rate them since we didn’t experience any of their services, but Unilocal won’t allow a non-​rating — so take this rating with that caveat.