Eric H.
Yelp
Went for an afternoon couples session. Reservations for a spa offering grants you access to the entire facility for the whole day. If you're staying at the resort, you can walk over. Otherwise, you can self-park, or you can opt to have your vehicle valeted. If you've driven in, then when you check out, the facility will give you a QR code for validated (free) parking. Otherwise, I'm not exactly sure how the parking situations works.
Once you check in, the staff will provide locker keys for your belongings, then proceed to give you a tour through the locker room and all the amenities leading back to the spa area. Both areas are constructed equally, but in terms of usage, the W side appears to be more populated with groups and noisier conversations. The M side seems to be more chill, mostly individuals keeping to themselves; quiet, serene, and empty. At the end of the tour, your tour guide will select a locker for you and ask for your shoe size. Non-slip slippers will be provided for you to wear. The locker itself contains a robe.
Both segregated areas contain a locker room, a large sink area, 3 showers each, and 2 bathroom stalls each. Clean towels are displayed in triplet formation and are frequently replenished. Signage indicates showering is required prior to sauna, steam room, or vitality pool access. Showers have 3 knobs: one controls which head outputs water, one controls water flow, and one dictates temperature. Water temperature seemed to fluctuate if the cool setting was on, ranging from cool to almost too hot, so be careful. Staff frequently replenish the set of three towels within each shower stall; there is also a bench to sit on, and a hook to hang garments.
Both sides have their own the salt block sauna, herbal steam room, vitality pool, and outdoor lounging area. On the M side, all areas were functional. On the W side, the steam room was out of order. Posted signage includes guidelines on how to use these areas, including their temperature ranges and exclusion criteria. Iced towels are available by the vitality pool. If you wear glasses, you can expect water vapor to condense on them in the steam room. In the sauna, a flipped rod regulates time. The vitality pool itself is temperature controlled to feel very comfortable, and has jets to encourage water circulation below the surface. It also feels quite dense. The outdoor lounging area has trees.
The co-ed relaxation lounge area has a selection of refreshments are available. I observed cucumber water, a choice of 3 bagged teas, and some nuts. Plenty of artwork adorns the walls, and there are cushy chairs, coloring books, and puzzles with puzzle pieces shaped like the silhouettes of various animals. A balcony overlooking hilly areas covered with trees. Ants appear to have access to the balcony, but for the most part, they don't bother you.
We opted for a 75 minute couples massage + salt scrub package at 3pm. The set times are when all who have appointments gather in the relaxation lounge five minutes prior, and wait for their names to be called. Each staff member, whether massage therapist, esthetician, or other wellness therapy provider, will call your first name and individually introduce themselves and engage in a friendly conversation with you. You'll be walked to the relevant spa room, though for our case we were walked outside and down the stairs, past some cabanas (which can apparently be rented hourly) to a sky loft structure. About 15 minutes was allotted to salt scrubbing in a shower. Three scrubs were provided: summer, coffee, and a third. They were fragrant and gently exfoliating. They left an oily / waxy residue on the skin that seemed difficult to wash off.
After salt scrubbing, we were instructed to lay face down on the two massage tables like a limp rag doll covered with a blanket. The instructions were unclear that we were supposed to fully derobe first.
The massage was about an hour long and quite thorough. The massage therapists were excellent. Back, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, neck, jaw, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, torso, etc were all covered. The table itself was adjustable, and warm towel rolls were used to keep previously massaged areas warm.
Afterwards, we were led back out to the infinite pool area. We noticed a gym, checked it out, and noted it had no smell. Grabbed a refreshment from the Quench bar. They offer to bring your order directly to you, no matter where you are in the spa area.
Upon spa checkout, a 21% service fee will be applied to your total.
Next time: therapeutic massages here seem to be effective, so I would opt for one again. However, I would skip out on services which are simply aromatherapy or salt scrub based. Yes, the products they utilize appear to be quality, but it would better to spend funds towards time where their staff actively provide therapeutic services. They utilize Tara Spa Therapy products.
