I am or was a client of all of the businesses listed below and recommend them to others. Services range from the short-term (at the century-old Peluquería Moderna, which cut hair I no longer have) to the life-transforming (at ICUA, which relieved me of 117 grams of prostate tissue).
I receive no compensation from any of these businesses, and recommend only what I know first hand. That chulo new novelty shop in Carabanchel might offer a great deal on Potty Putters, but I haven’t visited the shop yet, and must omit it. Sorry. Maybe when the grass frays on my current Potty Putter.
Can an expat negotiate meaning at these businesses in English? At Jardines de Sabatini, Sanitas Expat, Spainwide and Lexidy, certainly; at the Sanitas health plan, if willing to endure a longer wait to reach English-speaking CSRs; and when communicating directly with notary Blanca Fernandez or with the brothers Gómez Sancha at ICUA. (Partly thanks to the brothers’ childhood regimen of Star Trek re-runs.)
Elsewhere: maybe. It depends. To a point. Don’t count on it. You’re in Madrid, not Copenhagen.
I should have posted this list a long time ago. I’m sorry I didn’t. I hope to occasionally update it in the months and years to come. (At least if the extranjería doesn’t first THROW ME OUT OF SPAIN, a no-longer unreasonable worry, given the Kafkaesque limbo I now endure while awaiting approval of my EU Permanent Residence.) ¹
I still use the fallible, flawed techniques described in Scouting Honest Reviews Online when forced to wade through the endless screens of nakedly bogus reviews at Google Maps, TripAdvisor and other big league sites.
In alphabetical order:
| Name/Link | Business Type |
|---|---|
| Centro Optico Urquijo | Optometrist |
| Clínica Waksman | Dentist |
| Euromof | Office furniture |
| ICUA | Urological surgery |
| Jardines de Sabatini | Hotel |
| La Costurera de Mamá | Seamstress |
| Lexidy Law Boutique | Legal services |
| Notaría Blanca Valenzuela | Notary |
| Opción Conta | Tax and accounting management |
| Pelayo Clínica Dental | Dental clinic |
| Peluquería Moderna | Barber |
| Sanitas | Health plan |
| Sanitas Expat | Health plan service |
| Servicio Técnico Relojero | Watch repair |
| SIT Spain | Moving services |
| Sombrerería Yoqs | Hat shop |
| Spainwide | English business services |
| Trasteros y Almacenes | Storage |
¹ Update, 9/17/2021: Kafkaesque limbo endured no longer! My EU permanent residence just came through.
1/19/2023: Latest edit of listed businesses.