FAQs and Policies

What should I expect? What should I wear?

Plan to arrive about 10 minutes prior to your appointment. Late arrivals may result in reduced service time. Come in, help yourself to tea or water, your provider will be with you shortly.

Your treatment provider will escort you to your room, perform an intake and then give you privacy to prepare for your service. They’ll knock before coming back in. For Table Massages and services, you should undress to your comfort. Generally, the less clothing you wear the easier it is for your therapist to treat you. Nude is ideal, but many people feel more comfortable wearing a small pair of underwear. Avoid bras and boxer shorts which are harder to work around. You should expect to be draped during the entirety of your massage. Breasts and genitals are never exposed. Gluteal massage is typically included in a full body massage, but may be opted out of. Always communicate your goals and boundaries with your therapist. For Facials, you should plan to remove your shirt and bra (or lower bra straps), at least. You may leave comfortable bottoms on or undress to your comfort. You will be lying on your back under a drape on a massage table for the duration of the service. Prenatal facials will have the back of the table elevated for safety. For Reiki and Thai Massage, you will remain clothed, choose comfortable clothes that are easy to move in, like what you might wear to a yoga class. In the Sauna, the more skin you expose, the more you’ll get out of it. We provide a towel to sit on if you’d like to go nude, but shorts and bathing suits are welcome. We can also provide a spa wrap upon request.

How should I schedule and prepare for facials?

The professional grade products, tools, and techniques we use are intended to make visible and immediate changes to the skin and are therefore quite strong and intense. For best results, please review the following list of procedures and treatments that should be scheduled away from certain facials.

• Shaving and all other Exfoliation should be stopped 48 hours prior to advanced exfoliation facials.

• Prescription Retinols including Retin-A, Renova, Tazorac, Differin, Tretinoin, and similar products should be stopped 7 days prior to advanced exfoliation.

• Botox and Filler Injections should be completed 14 days prior to all facials or scheduled at least 48 hours after your facial.

• Laser Resurfacing should be completed at least 14 days prior to advanced exfoliation, but adding red LED to a Custom European Facial after laser can speed healing and rehydration.

• Accutane (isotretinoin) should be discontinued for 6 months prior to any exfoliation, but we are happy to provide a custom soothing facial without exfoliation for accutane users.

Should I come to Awaken if I’m ?

• LGBTQIA+? Absolutely. Awaken is a safe space for people of all preferences, expressions, and identities.

• Under 18? Mostly. Clients ages 13 and over are welcome to book facials. Clients under 18 are accommodated by some of our massage therapists as well, but a parent or guardian will need to stay in the room. Please call to book so that we might find the right fit.

• Pregnant? Absolutely. For massage, please book our prenatal offerings during any trimester. Moms-to-be are also welcome to book facials, yoga, Thai massage, and Reiki. The sauna is not for use by pregnant women, but the Celluma on infrared mode is a good alternative for targeted treatment of major joints and muscle groups that don’t require exposing the belly.

• A wheelchair user? Yes. We can accommodate clients in wheelchairs and our hydraulic tables lower very close to the ground. Please make a note when booking, so that we might reserve the best room for you.

• Larger-bodied? Yes, with some limits. The weight limit on our tables is 450lb, and we can accommodate heights up to 7’10” on them, but we can accommodate bodies larger than those measures for some services. Please call or text to discuss.

Where should I park?

Street parking is usually available right in front of our building, or on the two flanking side streets. Only half the street is available on Mondays and Tuesdays between 9 and 11am, for street sweeping. If you can’t find a spot, or would rather not parallel park, you may park in the Peak Properties lot behind our building, but will need a temporary parking pass. We have a stack ready at our front desk, or you may email us to request a file to print at home, so that you don’t have to make another trip back to your car.

How do payments work?

We require a credit card or gift card to hold all appointments. This allows us to enforce our cancelation policy. Services or groups of services valued at $300 or more also require a 50% deposit, which is non-refundable, but those appointments may be rescheduled in alignment with our change and cancelation policy below. All other payments are taken after services are rendered. We accept cash, credit cards and gift certificates. Tips/gratuities are not accepted. Awaken is no-tipping day spa.

Do we offer Memberships?

We do not. And you shouldn’t want one. It’s a trick! Spas that offer memberships start with heavily inflated prices and discount down to where we set our normal rates in exchange for some fee or commitment from you. While scheduling regular self-care is always a good idea, making a financial commitment to do so at a specific place is not. Your favorite provider might leave, or you may experience changes in your schedule or body that make it impossible for you to receive the services you’ve paid for. Awaken strives to make our pricing accessible to everyone, whether you want to come once, or once a week, we’ll never pressure you into marrying us. While we do understand wanting to be rewarded for loyalty, the real reward with regular visits is that your provider gets to know you and your needs, and each service is better than the last.

What is our CBD massage oil add on?

The CBD Massage Oil we use contains 1000mg/ounce of CBD isolate, approximately 10x stronger than most commercially available oils. It is custom blended for us by East Coast Naturals. CBD can reduce pain, soreness, spasms, relax tension, reduce joint pain and nerve pain, and is an incredible anti-inflammatory. This oil is THC free so there is no high but you may feel very relaxed with lower anxiety levels.

Derived from the Cannabis plant. It is a key component of Cannabis sativa L. that accounts for many of the plant's natural health benefits.

Simply add on the CBD massage oil to any session at booking or ask your therapist when you arrive.

Not habit forming or addictive, not psychoactive. The ingredients are Ricebran Oil, Organic Arnica Herb, Canola Oil, CBD Isolate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic triglyceride, Shea Butter, Triheptanoin (and) C13-15 Alkane, PhytoCide Elderberry OS, Vitamin E

What are Thai Herbal Compresses?

Our compresses are handmade in Thailand and have been used for centuries to combine heat therapy, herbal therapy and aromatherapy in one modality.  They help fight inflammation and relieve soreness and pain from tired muscles and joints.

Ingredients:  Kaffir lime, Turmeric, Galangal Lemongrass, Tamarind Leaves, Plai, Camphor, Borneol, Curcuma, Agarwood, Malabar, Citronella grass, Golden Bush, Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC., Cryptolepis buchanani Roem. & schult, Niebuhria siamensis Kurz, Spider Lily,  Pandan, Thai rice

How are we responding to COVID-19?

The safety of our clients and providers is our top priority. Our COVID-19 protocols are informed by the CDC, the Virginia Department of Health, and the American Massage Therapy Association.

• Vaccines and Testing: All of our team members have been vaccinated against COVID-19. We test and isolate according to the CDC guidelines at the presence of symptoms or if a known exposure occurs.

• Mask policy: Masks are optional for both clients and providers. If you’d like to wear a mask and/or ask your providers to wear one, don’t hesitate! We are happy to accommodate.

• Medical grade air purifiers in each room (learn more about them here)

• Cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces before and after each session (using medical-grade cleaning spray, laundering all materials that are machine-washable, etc)

What is our change and cancelation policy?

Our providers are in high demand and often booked a week or more in advance. Late cancelations have a direct and serious impact on their livelihood, so we ask that you call/text/email or cancel online as soon as you know you won’t be able to make your appointment. Cancelations made more than 2 hours but less than 24 hours in advance of an appointment will be charged a fee equal to 50% of the appointment value. Cancelations made less than 2 hours in advance will be treated as no-shows and charged 100% of the appointment value, as there is no way for us to rebook the appointment at that point, and our providers would otherwise go unpaid. Clients who cancel appointments less than 24 hours in advance twice in a 6 month period will be asked to pre-pay their appointments and they will be non-refundable. Deposits are also non-refundable, but may be applied to future appointments when at least 24 hours notice is given.

What is cupping?

Cupping is the application of silicone suction cups. Cups are used during a massage to soften tight muscles and tone attachments, loosen adhesions and lift connective tissue, bring hydration and blood flow to body tissues, move deep inflammation to the skin surface for release, and drain excess fluids and toxins by opening lymphatic pathways.