Upon arrival, you are greeted with a very tranquil environment. The staff seemed pretty well…read moreorganized, and they provided a really quick but informative tour. They provide slippers, a robe, and a locker card for you and I was promptly shown where to put my belongings. I booked a 60-minute RMT treatment, but was early. I lazed in their lounge area for about 20 minutes. In the lounge, there are light refreshments such as water, coffee, tea, fruits, mixed nuts etc. You could also order off their menu if you please.
My RMT was a few minutes behind, but I understand, and she apologized. The massage went great, she was really strong, and intuitive. I then proceeded to the newly renovated Grotto for my allotted 2 hours of soaking and relaxing (it's 2 hours booked time-slot, they don't set the timer for you when you step foot into The Grotto). The entire Grotto area is not large, it is about the size of a standard hotel swimming pool area. It was beautiful, but it's not mind-blowing. The mineral pool takes up the majority of the Grotto, and that was lovely. It had a large waterfall feature that was like a curtain of silence (more on that later). The temperature was perfect and my skin did not prune! There is one cold waterfall (more like a fancy Moen-style fixed showerhead). There is one medium-large hot tub. Outside, there are several (about 6) patio-style tables and chairs, equipped with heat-lamps (for colder months) and medium-large gas fireplace/pits. You could also order food and beverages here (alcohol too). They had 5-6 large wooden barrel-like structures that were the dry saunas. I went mid-week, so I didn't have to share mine with anybody. It is very new and very clean. They also have 2 outdoor showers in case you need to rinse off. There is a self-serve beverage area that serves four different flavours of water varying in effervescence (not kidding). All in all, not a bad experience. PROS: -lovely ambience: I can see if you want to splurge on a mini-spa experience, the Grotto could be a great option ($95 per person, 2 hours stay max) -new facilities: the locker room is large, clean and very nice. The showers were large, clean, and well stocked. The lockers are electronic, so I didn't feel like my belongings were in any danger. They even have one bikini dryer which worked like a charm. -RMT: she was great, very lovely personality, and knew what she was doing
CONS: -The Grotto: since I booked an RMT treatment, I had no choice but to add the Grotto (why? Not sure....) Would I have added the Grotto anyway? Sure... but would I pay $95 for a couple of pools and self-serve sparking water? No... Why didn't I get a slight discount for The Grotto since I am already paying for an RMT appointment? Not sure.... I was tempted to go back to the lounge and take the entire bowl of fruit (they featured plums and nectarines that day which are so expensive at the moment) and empty out their mixed nuts dispenser. But I promised I would not let my intrusive thoughts take over my life anymore...-The Grotto rules: there are signs posted everywhere that all guests should speak in quiet voices (much like the Scandinave Spa in Whistler). However, there were a few couples having full blown conversation whilst soaking in the mineral pool. Keep in mind, there is a constant, loud waterfall in The Grotto, so in order to be heard above that noise, you need to speak loudly. That's why I had to take reprieve behind the curtain of silence, because I did not care about whether or not Steve wanted to go back to get those runners. I was also a bit peeved that the staff standing around (2-3 of them at a time) didn't reinforce these rules. In Whistler, they are way more stricter about the silence rule. -The RMT: again, she was lovely and skilled... but $200 for 60 minutes.... Yes, I will get SOME of the money back, but my health coverage pays only for what the average RMT charges across Canada, so I will likely get about $100 back. Again, I get it, it's a resort/spa, it's all about the ambience and location. She did throw in some warm towels, lavender mists etc to make it more "spa-like", but I would not return just for an RMT treatment I can get elsewhere for much cheaper.
-The check-out process: If you noticed, I reiterated "treatment" several times. Are you supposed to tip for an RMT treatment? Okay, I get it, it's a resort/spa. I would have tipped my RMT anyway, because it is what it is. The thing that left a really bad taste in my mouth (and it wasn't the lavender mist spray or the strawberry-lemongrass sparkling water), was the AUTO GRATUITY. Now, am I a dunce and didn't read the fine print? Maybe... but I am also only ONE PERSON. I used one towel, one robe, one pair of slippers (which I returned, I swear), and I fetched all my own refreshments. There was a 15% auto-gratuity for BOTH the RMT and THE GROTTO *shakes head* I would have gladly tipped them 15%-20% on my own anyway, but that's not the point. TLDR:Do it once, won't be back
