Viva Day Spa Dallas Review

I don’t think I talk about it much, but I am a skincare nerd.

I share the beauty treatments and self-care experiences I try, but I rarely share how much I compare them. When I travel around Texas, I will look for a beauty treatment the same way I look for a restaurant or hotel. I want to enjoy it, and I also want to know what is happening, which products are being used and why someone chose them for me.

Viva Day Spa had been on my radar for a while because it has multiple locations. I had always known it as a luxurious spa. But I can’t believe it took me this long to go. Dallas is not lacking for spas, but to me Viva isn’t just about going in for a massage. This is the place where I set aside a good chunk of time to reset, get there early enough to enjoy some tea in their relaxing lounge, and just splurge.

The Dallas flagship takes up 10,000 square feet on the second floor of The Plaza at Preston Center. It has 19 treatment rooms, infrared saunas, steam showers, lounges and a Reflection Room found only at this location.

The menu covers massages, facials, Hydrafacials, body treatments, waxing, spa packages and med spa appointments.

Like I said, Viva is the place you want to spend the day at so I went in to try the Viva Diva Spa Package, a four-hour-and-45-minute combination of sauna time, massage, body treatments and a customized facial.

Inside Viva Day Spa Dallas

Viva Dallas is above Tootsies and next to Hillstone. You walk upstairs into a lobby with a tall wood staircase, a large mosaic wall and clusters of pendant lights. Forget your typical spa because Viva really takes you from the hustle of the city through a journey with their grand and bright lobby to their sultry and moody check in area.

After checking in, I was taken into a circular lounge to complete my forms. There was tea, infused water, nuts and other small bites. I filled out the paperwork there instead of balancing a clipboard at the front desk.

The Reflection Room came next. Large star-like lights hung overhead, and the lounge chair supported my neck and shoulders so well that the chair itself was already relaxing me. You go from one room to another, and it creates a whole ritual before the main treatments begin.

Spa Services and Amenities at the Dallas Location

The main spa options include:

Swedish, deep-tissue, hot-stone, prenatal and couples massages
Customized facials, Hydrafacials, acne-focused facials, dermaplaning and peels
Body treatments, waxing and brow tinting
Multi-treatment spa packages, including shorter options and couples packages
Med spa appointments for services such as microneedling, Morpheus8 RF microneedling, Fraxel, IPL, laser hair removal and injectables

Two Duet Rooms are available for side-by-side massages, and the Dallas location also has Viva’s first Duet Facial Room.

Viva Dallas is a SkinCeuticals flagship and uses both SkinCeuticals and Eminence Organic Skin Care (both evidence based clinically studied products) in its facial treatments.

My Viva Diva Spa Package

The Viva Diva Spa Package lasts four hours and 45 minutes. It combines sauna time, a 90-minute Swedish massage and body treatments with a 90-minute customized facial. There are several choices within it, including a back-and-shoulder or foot-and-calf scrub and foot reflexology or foot hydration. The package has to be scheduled by phone.

I chose the foot-and-calf scrub and reflexology.

The Sauna and 90-Minute Massage

My treatments began with the sauna and cool peppermint towels. Then I moved into the 90-minute Swedish massage.

I hold a lot of tension in my jaw, neck and shoulders, and I cannot comfortably stay face-down in the face cradle for a long massage. I asked if she could position me on my side, similar to a prenatal massage.

Perks of traveling: I am always getting a new specialist. Sometimes people look at me like my request is a little weird, and they cannot always accommodate it. My massage therapist at Viva brought out a huge, thick side pillow that was almost as tall as me. She worked through some of the knots and pain while keeping me off the face cradle.

The aroma choices included vanilla, a detox blend, orange blossom and, I think, lavender. I usually notice aromatherapy when someone holds it near my nose at the start of a massage, and then it disappears. I could smell this throughout the massage.

Warm stones were used on my back, shoulders and neck. The foot-and-calf scrub, hot herbal steam towels, body wrap and reflexology were all worked into the same portion of the appointment.

The 90-Minute Customized Facial

I am a skincare addict, so the facial was the part I had been waiting for.

Seeing SkinCeuticals caught my attention because I care about formulas and skincare with clinical research behind it. My esthetician also introduced me to Eminence Organic Skin Care which I was initially apprehensive about. The word organic alone does not tell me whether a product has research behind it or whether the ingredients make sense for my skin, so of course I had questions. But we’re all good. Both brands are science backed and clinically studied.

After lying in the heated bed, she removed my makeup, analyzed my skin, went through my home routine and looked at the ingredient lists in products I already owned. Then she built the facial around that conversation and what she saw. Since it is so personalized, almost every facial will be completely different depending on the person.

We did multiple cleansing steps and a light chemical peel that still allowed me to go out afterward as well as Celluma red light LED therapy and layers of hydration.

I like to joke that when I get a facial, I am relaxed, but I am also excited like I am in school. I am asking questions the entire time. I basically held my esthetician hostage with skincare questions, and she answered so many of them.

The Skincare Conversation I Took Home

I actually love a complicated skincare plan, but not to the point where I am lost in it.

Before this facial, I was struggling with the balance between hydration and exfoliation. My esthetician found a gap in my routine and explained the reasoning without turning the conversation into a list of products I had to buy from her. She talked through ingredients and product types in a way I could apply to my existing routine.

I left planning to switch to a calmer cleanser and rethink where exfoliation fit.

At some point, my skincare questions turned into questions about Viva’s hiring and training process. I wanted to know how they found people who could go this deep into ingredients while still tailoring the appointment to one person. She walked me through the training, the brands and the science they study. Basically, Viva provides an in-depth interview followed by rigorous training so that you know you’re in good hands.

What to Know Before Booking Viva Day Spa Dallas

Location: 8300 Preston Road, Suite 250, Dallas, Texas 75225. The spa is on the second floor of The Plaza at Preston Center, above Tootsies and next to Hillstone.
Parking: Free surface and underground parking are available in the shopping center.
Hours: Open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Arrival: Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early. A late arrival may shorten the treatment.
Food: The package includes hot tea, wine and chocolates.
Sauna: The Viva Diva package includes sauna time. If you are booking another service, ask whether sauna access is included.