Avoid this place at all costs!

If there was a zero-star option, the Protea Fire and Ice Spa would have earned it. It is truly the worst customer experience I have had in a long time.

Gifted a Hyperli voucher for a 70-minute massage, I initiated a booking via email along with a scanned copy of my voucher at the end of May 2023, a whole month before the expiration date.

I received no response to my email and thus called on 2 June 2023 to make my booking. My booking was confirmed for the 10th. A minor injury led to a rescheduling, accepted without hesitation, to the 17th June.

On arrival for my 14:00 appointment, my existence in their system had vanished. The staff drew a blank, my booking did not exist despite the confirmation via telephone.

The spa staff said they would accommodate me if I waited for 15 - 20 minutes so I agreed to wait. Ellen,the assisting staff member, ushered me into the room at 14:21. I was left to prepare for the massage, in anticipation of what was yet to come. Instead of tranquillity, I was met with more drama. Ellen returned and announced that my voucher was expired. This did not make sense because it was valid when I booked.

As futile as it was, I dialled the number on the voucher, only to find myself calling the spa's reception again. I presented my original email as evidence of my booking request, which Ellen proceeded to scrutinise for any inconsistencies. She then declared their email was dysfunctional. A baffling declaration considering she initially questioned whether I used their correct email address (which I did!).

The absurdity of this conversation, conducted while I lay unclothed on the massage table, was embarrassing and utterly unprofessional. Ellen casually suggested I purchase a new voucher or pay upfront. My humiliation was reaching its peak. I wasn't the purchaser, I couldn't retrieve a new code. It was a gift.

The lack of knowledge about their own communication channels, email, and phone, was a glaring red flag. To be told that the spa email was dysfunctional after providing the right address was ridiculous. If it's indeed unusable, it's their responsibility to rectify the issue and certainly not display it on their website and Hyperli.

My partner had to come back to fetch me and also tried to explain the situation to Ellen who was completely unhelpful. I was seething at this point, feeling humiliated and distressed, especially due to the fact that I was made to have this conversation while I was still naked on a massage bed.

Protea Fire and Ice Spa's dysfunction extends far beyond its email. Their inability to confirm a booking or scan a voucher, and their ignorance of standard procedures were baffling. Most places would confirm the validity of the voucher before confirming the appointment, but Protea Fire and Ice Spa seems unable to grasp this basic concept.

I then requested the manager’s phone number. Ellen failed to provide a complete number for Noli Spar (the main manager) which I only realised after leaving the venue. Another manager, Bukiwe, failed to pick up my calls. When I did eventually get through, I was hung up on the moment I mentioned Bukiwe's name.

Ellen’s attitude, far from accommodating, was more akin to blaming me for their shortcomings. Her insinuation that I had used an expired voucher was outrageous, considering it was valid at the time of booking. The issue was entirely due to their incompetence, not my actions. Her claim that she was 'trying to accommodate' me while busy was a pitiful excuse, another example of the spa’s unprofessionalism.

I have never ever received such poor customer experience from a spa before and am actually horrified by the level of incompetence from the entire organisation. The staff are disorganised and rude while management are uncontactable.

I advise anyone seeking a massage to avoid Protea Fire and Ice Spa. It's a place where you are likely to leave more upset, irritated, and stressed than when you walked in. The level of service is appalling, you will waste your money, and the level of frustration it inflicts is simply not worth it.