Canyon Ranch SpaClub at Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida
Julie Register visited this resort spa in Florida in November 2007

While I was attending the ISPA Conference and Expo, I took the opportunity to visit the Canyon Ranch SpaClub which is located in the Gaylord Palms™ Resort & Convention Center where the event was taking place. The online brochure said the spa was open until 9 pm daily. A few weeks before the conference, I called to make an appointment for a 50-minute Canyon Ranch Massage at 8pm thinking it would be great to have a massage before bed. The woman on the phone said the spa closed at 8 not 9. I mentioned that the online brochure stated a later time, and she assured me they closed at 8. She should have said she would let someone know so they could correct the problem. By the way, the printed brochures in the spa also say 9 pm. This kind of document control problem appears to be very common. I've experienced it at a number of spas. Unfortunately, 7 pm was too early. Disappointed, I made an appointment for early morning. Massage is also a good way to start the day.

The Gaylord Palms has a 400,000 square-foot convention center, 1,406 guest rooms and a 4.5-acre glass-enclosed atrium with themed environments that depict the popular Florida destinations of Key West, St. Augustine, and the Everglades. There are lots of restaurants and shops. It's a big, over-the-top hotel with rivers, waterfalls and alligators. I expected Canyon Ranch SpaClub would be a big, over-the-top spa. It wasn't.

The 20,000-square-foot spa has a boutique, 25 treatment rooms, men's and women's locker rooms with steam and sauna, a small women's waiting room and The Tea Room, a larger co-ed waiting room. While pleasant with subdued decor, the spa was not extraordinary. In fact, the locker room and women's waiting area were a bit cramped. The pre-treatment experience was somewhat Disneyesque in that I felt I was being "staged" in queue while waiting for the "main event" and "entertained" along the way.

Stage 1: The main reception area was large. I checked in an hour early (45 minutes is recommended in the spa brochure) and was asked to wait while they checked three other women in. Odd, I thought. I poked around the boutique for the 5 minutes or so it took to check the others in.

Stage 2: The three strangers and I were escorted down a short hall to the locker room check-in area and left at the desk where a woman handed us each a form to complete and gave us sandals and a locker key. The area was cramped and busy.

Stage 3: Once we all had our sandals and keys and had handed in our forms, we were taken through the door to the women's locker room. We were shown the location of the lockers, showers, steam room and sauna. We were then shown the door to the lounge and instructed to be there 10 minutes before our treatments at which time we would be escorted to The Tea Room.

Stage 4: We were on our own. I found my locker, changed into the robe and donned my sandals. I sat in the steam and sauna for a while, decided I'd had enough heat, and looked for a place to relax. The four chairs outside the steam room and sauna were occupied, so I went into the lounge. I was the first one there from "my group." There was a refreshment bar with water and tea. The hot water for tea was empty, so I got a cup of water and sat down. Here's where the "entertainment" began. There is an open doorway that connects the check-in area to the lounge. These areas share a common wall. Unfortunately, you can hear every conversation in the check-in area while trying to relax in the lounge. "Please fill in this card by the X's." "What size sandal do you where?" (There was one medium, one large, one 7, one 9 and two 5's while I sat there.) Apparently, the robes hadn't arrived from the laundry, so there was a phone conversation about that. Predictably, the next guests to check in were all asking each other what size robes were in their lockers. All were XLs. (Obviously, I could also hear everything going on in the locker room as well.) I heard the woman at the check-in desk counting locker keys as each one plunked down on the countertop. I heard locker doors bang. I heard hair dryers run. I tried to shut my eyes and concentrate on breathing, but the noise was too distracting. By the time I opened my eyes, the lounge had filled up.

Stage 5: A women came into the lounge and did roll call. She then led us down a hall to The Tea Room. It was much quieter there. I wished I had been allowed to come here directly, but I imagine there was a group that had just left before we entered. There was a tea cart with dried and fresh fruit and nuts. There was orange water and Tazo teas. I got a cup of tea, sat down and relaxed...for about three minutes until the next "entertainment" began. Click, clack, click, clack. The sound of high heals rushing down the hallway broke the quiet. Three people in suits - spa or resort managers, I assume - came in and decided to hold a conversation at the beverage counter. The conversation was not held in "spa voices." They were completely oblivious to the guests trying to relax around them. I was delighted when Naomi, my massage therapist, came to rescue me.

The Main Event: As we walked to the treatment room, Naomi asked if I had any injuries or concerns. I told her my neck and shoulders always need attention. She said she would be doing some stretches to relieve that and to allow her to do all the stretching. As we entered the room, she showed me a tray that held goggles that I would be wearing during the massage to moisturize my eyes and message cards I could select from to take with me after the treatment. The Canyon Ranch Massage was great, and I felt terrific afterwards. The card I selected said, "To feel better is the root of every desire. For us to feel better is the only reason any one of us wants anything. If you had only one goal, and that was to feel good, you would live successfully and happily - and in a way of fulfilling your life's purpose - ever after."

Exit: Naomi escorted me back to The Tea Room, and we said our goodbyes. I no sooner sat down and closed my eyes than I heard high heels clacking and doors banging in the hallway. Relaxation was just not happening for me in these lounges, so I got dressed, checked out and sat by one of the waterfalls in the hotel's atrium to relax and enjoy the after effects of my massage.

Afterthought: A spa experience is more than just the results of a treatment. Everything the guest experiences from the web site and phone reservation to check out should be on par with the quality of the treatment. That's integrity.

Other services offered at Canyon Ranch SpaClub include:

 
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