Treatment we had: Signature Pedicure, $70.
What we liked: The staff was professionally pleasant—I overheard regulars chatting about their kids and their lives. The pedicure chairs, which are reclining club chairs, were comfortable—but don’t expect heated or massage seats, as some spas have. There’s no whirlpool bath for your feet, either, although glass marbles in the portable basin were a nice touch. There was a good selection of refreshments, including pomegranate iced tea and cucumber water—although I had to help myself when no one offered me anything. No one offered to take my coat, either—I was told to just throw it over a chair.
What you should know: The pedicure itself was just okay—with minimal attention paid to shaping nails or pumicing rough spots. My technician was a bit rough and overzealous—an area she trimmed around the nail on one big toe hurt the next day.
I couldn’t help feeling the spa itself needed a makeover. The amenities are dated—such as the tiny portable fan used to dry my polish.
Bottom line: This is a popular spot for pedicures—there are 15 stations. Maybe my expectations were too high: For $70, twice the price of many spa pedicures, I wanted twice the treatment. I didn’t get it.
Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, 5225 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase; 202-362-9890; reddoorspas.com.
>> See all 2009 Great Day Spas
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
