Budget beauty treats

You've probably seen the adverts; and if you haven't you might just have heard of Groupon-style bargain hunters KGB Deals. Log on to their website and program it to remember your nearest town and it will give you a plethora of lovely offers at a fraction of the price you would usually expect to pay. There are also national deals for money off of websites, products, and holidays. Even better, you don't need to hope that other people see and choose to buy the deal for it to become a deal. All it takes is for you to hit the button, give the Paypal readies, and claim your deal. I've tried a few of the beauty deals over the last few months, so here's my thoughts so far:

The Pros:

1. Ridiculously low prices for beauty and hair treatments that are usually way beyond my budget
2. A cheap introduction to new beauty treatments that you might not have paid the higher prices for to start with (hello fishie pedicure)
3. It's difficult to work out which salons offer wonderful, gorgeous treatments and perfect customer service. Here you can find out by trialling a few without having to pay full price for potential bad service and a bad job
   

The Cons:

1. The sheer numbers of people buying the deal means that you are going to have to either book the second the deal is released or wait at least a month, if not longer to get your deal. Not so good if you wanted a fast appointment.
2. You'll be getting the google maps out and going down a LOT of back streets - the salons are often way off the beaten track
3. Some salons can be snobby and treat you like a freebie bargain hunter rather than a potential repeat customer
   

So there you have it. If you don't mind slogging down a few back streets clutching your voucher, and you are happy to book in advance, you can get some pretty impressive deals.
Such as: Colour, Cut and Blowdry for £29; facial and laser hair removal also for £29; or a facial, pedicure, manicure AND brow shape for £15. KGB will email you every morning and let you know the deals of the day, and each deal gives you three days to buy it and usually about three months to book it.

THE DEAL: 30 minute facial, luxury manicure and pedicure for £28
THE PROMISE: Shake off the winter blues with today's stellar deal. For just £28 you can enjoy an express facial, luxury manicure and luxury pedicure worth £115. That's a 75% saving!
THE REALITY: St James Hair and Beauty is almost empty as I turn up on a rainy March monday afternoon. It's looking a little run down but the woman doing my facial for me is absolutely lovely. Really chatty, explaining everything as she goes along. The facial is very relaxing and the pedicure and manicure are both wonderful jobs, using an OPI nail colour in a coral hue. I am not offered any vouchers or given a price list for my next visit, but I am left with a feeling that I have been welcomed and looked after like any other customer

THE DEAL: Half-head of highlights, wash, cut and blow dry, Wella SP conditioning treatment and a scalp massage for £35
THE PROMISE: This kgbdeal includes a half head of highlights, wash, cut and blow dry, Wella SP conditioning treatments, scalp massage and a £20 voucher for family and friends to spend on any treatment over £50
THE REALITY: First of all, it took a long time for someone to get back to me in order to book my appointment. I sent emails and left messages on the answerphone of the Tache Hair Salon but to no avail. They finally DID get back to me, once I had put in a dispute with Paypal in order to get my money back. Not off to a great start. I totally understand that salons are overwhelmed by the amount of people getting in contact and booking appointments, but leaving me feeling as though I have been ripped off before I even get there is not a great start. The salon itself was within a gym and a small, but smart and well looked after establishment. The half head of highlights was throughout my hair and took a long time (I have very thick hair and lots of it) and the cut and blow dry was good. The Wella conditioning treatment was really just a conditioner after the shampoo and the scalp massage was three minutes whilst the conditioner was taking effect. I expect this to be a part of a colour and cut service and to have it listed as an extra as part of a deal is a bit cheeky I feel. Besides, the hairdresser had big acryllic nails which, along with the fresh bleach on my scalp, made it more like a form of torture than a relaxing addition. The Tache hairdressers were polite and did a good job with my hair, but I always felt like a 'KGB cheapie' and I didn't get the promised voucher at the end.

THE DEAL: A £40 waxing voucher for £8 at the Phoenix Beauty Point
THE PROMISE: Phoenix Beauty Point offers caring, luxury treatments that are designed to soothe and pamper. Your waxing voucher covers all available treatments and gives you the chance to mix and match if you wish.
THE REALITY: I chose a full leg and eyebrow wax and was able to book an appointment fairly quickly. The salon itself was locked up when I arrived and very small. I rang the doorbell and was greeted by a friendly beauty therapist who sat me down with some magazines while I waited (I was early) and went back to her client. The treatment was excellent and the beauty therapist was lovely and friendly and explained that she ran the salon on her own, which is why it was locked when she was with clients. She did everything herself - answered the phone, opened the door to the next customer, and did the treatments; whilst at no time making me feel like I was in the way or ignored. When I left she gave me a very generous loyalty card with discount which meant that every single treatment would be less than half price. Six weeks later and I'm about to book my next wax. When you find a gem like this one, you keep coming back; whether or not KGB has deal after deal for waxing or not.

THE DEAL: Hair package: includes full head of colour or half-head of highlights, cut and blow dry, shiatsu massage, treatment and a drink for £29
THE PROMISE: This kgbdeal includes a full head of colour or half-head of highlights, cut and blow dry, shiatsu massage, treatment and a glass of wine or beer
THE REALITY: GF Salons is a fairly new salon in the back streets of Central London. It is difficult to locate and you can imagine that it is easily overlooked by customers. It is a well run and organised salon and they give me a profile to fill out, as a new customer. As I arrive I am offered my drink (I choose sparkling water rather than beer or wine) and seen by the stylist very quickly, despite being about ten minutes early. The stylist is friendly and chatty and I feel like a regular, no hint of snobbiness whatsoever. The half head of highlights advertised in reality becomes just the top few layers of my hair and my fringe. I am offered two colours of highlights; but on the proviso that I pay an extra £10, so I stick with the one shade. The treatment is (you guessed it) in reality just the conditioner after my shampoo, and likewise the Shiatsu massage is a scalp massage whilst the conditioner does it's stuff. Again, I really do feel that conditioner after a colour treatment, a scalp massage, and a drink (alcoholic or not) are not extras. They are lovely additions, but they aren't anything special and shouldn't really be considered part of a deal. The haircut and highlights is wonderful - the stylist did a really good job. I am left feeling that I have got a really good deal for my £29, despite the mis-selling of the Shiatsu massage and treatment. As I leave I am handed a little envelope with money off vouchers and price lists for myself and 'recommend a friends'. If I could afford more than £30 for a haircut I really would come back here, but these deals are more of a necessity than a bonus extra for me right at this moment and I already have my next colour and cut booked for September (as discussed earlier... you have to do it in advance!) curtesy of KGB deals.

Have you ever booked a KGB beauty deal?
What was your experience like?
Are you planning to book one in the future?