Dale S.
Yelp
This review is for the spa only. We had an early Valentines day here last week and opted for the Lavender Mudtini Couples Hydrotherapy Mud Bath followed by a Couples Cocoa Massage and we chose this location because they stated that use of all the facilities was included with any treatment. This is important to us because we like usually like to relax as long as possible and make a day of it. The website advises that in addition to your selected services, you get use of the sauna, heated pool, and mineral whirlpool. It also says they have cabanas, free wifi, poolside tables and lounge chairs and a nice locker room. We were really looking forward to a relaxing day.
I will start at the beginning. Parking is an issue. There are a few 3 hour parking spaces out front that were occupied and there is an alley way with limited parking one building over from the hotel but it advises it is a tow away zone. Behind the main street where the building is located, there is some street parking but it was all taken. We moved our car just after checking in because someone left one of the 3 hour spots, but we were lucky. The spa is located on a main street that is small but busy and worrying about your car getting towed is not the way to start your spa experience.
The staff was nice enough, I guess; a little awkward though. They asked us if we wanted to leave our tip before we started our services which was strange and we declined. However, as we were leaving they said "20% tip?" as if it was a questions but then proceeded to just charge the 20% gratuity (which came out to almost $80 for our $400 worth of services) so we paid and left. It was a bit uncomfortable through, like this odd feeling that they are going to get their 20% so give it to them now or give it to them later. We always tip well, so it wouldn't have been an issue except that they made it uncomfortable and pretty cringe-worthy.
The locker room was smaller than I have seen before but still nice. There were a few dozen lockers, two shower stalls and two sinks. They also had flip-flops and brushes, both of which I used and recycled before leaving. The robes are one size fits all. Usually that can be a problem for me because I am a larger girl but I was able to close the robe so I was happy. I typically ask for a larger robe or one from the men's locker room but my husbands robe was exactly the same. His slippers however were much larger so if you have bigger feet, at least you can ask for larger slip ones.
We had a little time before our services, so we walked outside to the pool and spa area and the complaints in some of the other reviews we read became understandable. The grounds are old and the facilities show it. It was a gorgeous day but after 10 minutes outside, we decided that we weren't interested in using the pool or spa. They looked dirty, old and worse for the ware. There was dirt floating in the hot tub and since it was maybe 10:30 in the morning, I doubt it was from use that day. It's nice to have the option to use that area but honestly, it was just incredibly unappealing.
They had nuts and water in the waiting area and we really liked the "elixer" or flavored water they offered. They brought a little of it into our first service, which was the hydrotherapy mud bath as well as regular ice water and 2 truffles. I think it's really important to explain here that the bath is just that. It's a bath. There is no "mud". The staff put what looked to be a few bath bombs in the water and as they were lavender scented, the water appeared a purple color but there is no mud. They really shouldn't advertise this as a mud bath. You can see from the other reviews that people are annoyed because they are expecting something very different. Also, there were noticeably broken tiles on the tub even in the dim light and things like that take away from the experience. That being said, we enjoyed our bath. You sit in a warm 2-seater Jacuzzi tub for 45 minutes with a pleasant smell and jets massaging you. It seems a bit long and I think 30 minutes would be more reasonable. I got out early to use the body scrub they provide and shower off but if you're just expecting a romantic bath with your partner (as we were) then you won't be disappointed.
We went straight to our massages and the massages themselves were fine. I enjoyed the chocolate and lavender scents used and I especially liked that my technician asked me if I wanted that or unscented. However, both my husband and I had headaches later that we think were from the heavily scented oils, so if you are sensitive to smell, I recommend taking advantage of the unscented oils. We discussed using the sauna after our massages but as I indicated earlier, by this point our parking time was running out and we didn't want to risk a ticket.
All in all, the massages were good but you're not going to spend a long luxurious day at this spa and $500 for a few hours together seems steep for us. We won't be back.