Trellis spa at the Houstonian is a nice place, but for the price, it's just ok, if not a bit disappointing. What I felt like I was really paying for was all of the support staff and the nice facilities.
I had booked a massage/facial/dinner package for almost $300 - an 18% gratuity is automatically included, and while the massage and facial were pretty good, I probably will not be back.
The masseuse was quite good and experienced - the best of the three items in my package.
The facialist was a bit too chatty...the first 10 minutes or so of the treatment, she asked me questions along the lines of "where are you from?" and "no, where are you really from?" Yes, I understood what she meant the first time, but I'm here for a treatment, not for you to ask me about my family history. (Of course, I did not say that last part, because I didn't want to offend someone who is about to work on my face....)
The facial itself was ok. She told me to come back "a few times in the next two weeks" to get the best benefit, but after I told her I was only booked for this one time, she sounded quite let down.
The support staff (concierge, cleaning crew) were excellent and completely on top of things, and the facilities/environment were very very nice. (Although, you would think that the locker room would be stocked with high quality soaps and lotions...nope! Very low end shampoo/conditioner/body wash in the showers. Should have brought my own...) I suppose if you wanted a fancy place to hang out all day and chat with girlfriends, etc..this might be it. But if you're just coming in for a massage....I would probably try another place.
Did I mention that the package came with dinner? Wow, what a complete let down. I arrived in the afternoon, for them to tell me that the kitchen closed at 2:30, and I was supposed to have picked a meal when I booked the package. So, what ended up happening, was I was able to pick from a small assortment of, and I quote, "leftovers," to which the front desk lady quickly corrected herself to say "we prepare extra meals in case guests change their minds when they book the package." They did try to make it up to me by giving me a free glass of wine. Even if the kitchen was open, the full menu was comprised of what I would call at best a light lunch. read more