The resort spa is located on the ground floor in a separate annexe off to the right of the main lobby building and nestled in a lush sanctuary that is calming and has a zen-like entrance with a meandering pebble path through a miniature bamboo forest that sets the mood for a soothing wellness experience in its own little oasis.
You feel you truly are escaping the pace of city life, to slow down, be ready to unwind and begin to indulge in the Anantara unique Thai journey. Thai Sala pavilion with reclining soft cushions is well allocated at the spa entrance and is ideal for pre or post spa treatments for further relaxing surrounded by the peaceful landscaping surrounds with occasional birds chirping taking you into the deep of the tropical forest experience.
While Anantara for years has had a strong reputation for their spa and wellness especially their very own creations of spa treatment products, on entering the spa lobby you feel like you have just walked into a retail space, as there are multiple product brands on display over a large retail shelf on both sides of the foyer, pretty full on bombarding by those commercial brands yet not seeing (or being hidden) any of the Anantara signature spa products and essentials which lost the entire essence of the Anantara Spa standard. Good try by doesn’t seem quite right for a spa reception setting.
The Ambience neither made us feel like we were in a spa, but more like a cosmetic or beauty Clinic or Hair Salon. The mood immediately being taken away from the zen-ness but rather smelling the obligation to shop instead of entering the relaxation indulgence. The staff approach was also very robotic and lacking the calm and offering the spa zen and senses, plus they looked more tense than the guests who came for the treatment. On top of that, the reception hosts also were not that welcoming, rather rushing to finish their data entry or paper work without even much eye contact nor the warmth of gesture offering as most spas would.
We had confirmed the Anantara Signature Massage for 60 minutes and were escorted to our treatment room that had a garden facing outlook, so the room was still quite bright even with the blinds closed. While calming ambience is utterly essential for any spa treatment, not only to let you feel relaxed and to let go all your worries as well as to indulge into the sense of peacefulness and sometimes luxrious experience, the treatment room seemed very old and dated, entirely lacking in a spa sense of calm and well-being effect that creates a mood and ambience. Rather clinical in an old way with drab colours and overly starched linens that had created not a pleasant feel on the skin. They looked like they could do with an update and while some touches worked, some didn’t and the impressions given to us were rather disappointing all said and done.
However, we were introduced to our therapists and once settled began the treatment. The Signature Massage purpose is to immerse one into a deep state of relaxation that combines purpose-designed movements with the signature blend of oils. The treatment is meant to restore the flow of energy along the meridian lines. While they were perfectly adequate yet the ambience was less than expected and the flow of movements was not entirely consistent and some extraneous noises were made throughout the massage which interrupted our state of relaxation.
Overall, something seemed to be lacking and it was a shame, as many opportunities were missed, this didn’t quite hit the mark based on all our previous Anantara spa experiences.
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