I visited the spa for a 90min massage and 60min deep cleanse facial on Friday 9 August and both treatments were fantastic with my therapist, Wira (from Indonesia). Wira was highly professional at all times, her massage technique was steady and consistent and she had excellent bedside manner. I enjoyed the treatments so much that I booked a further 90min massage with Wira two days later before I checked out the hotel. The spa is large and the staff at the spa reception were very friendly and went above and beyond to provide a very professional service. The professionalism of all staff members really stood out for me as a first time client. However, the reasons that I unfortunately cannot give the spa 5* has nothing to do with the staff or treatments, but to do with the changing facilities and music.
Firstly, the changing room is very small, despite the spa itself being expansive. The changing room has only one toilet, one cubicle for changing and one (very old) hairdryer! If more than one client is in the changing area at the same time, it is not possible to get ready efficiently. I assume many clients are late for their appointments since the hairdryer (which appears to be from the year 1990) has very little power and switches off automatically every 2 mins for 2mins to cool down. In addition the showers (of which there are four) were not cleaned to an appropriate standard for a 5 Star Hotel Spa. I entered the first shower and the showerhead was broken, I moved to another shower and there was hair and dirt in the shower from a previous guest as well as dirt in the corner of the tiles which has clearly accumulated over some time. The trash bins were also full of slippers and overflowing on my arrival, I went for a sauna etc. and when I returned 45mins later, the changing room still had not been cleaned. This needs to be improved as it is very lazy and not acceptable for a 5 star hotel spa.
The other downside was the music during my first massage, it was very strange for a relaxation treatment. It was too upbeat and reminded me of music you would hear when on hold on the telephone or background music in a lounge/bar. Having visited hundreds of spas over the last 15 years I can say it was the worst music I have heard during a massage. As soon as I pointed this out to my therapist, Wira, she was quick to find a solution and played some lovely spa meditation style music from her iPhone. This prompt action by Wira changed my whole client experience and thankfully ensured the massage and facial were wonderfully relaxing.
Finally, I would like to point out some further positives of the spa; the post treatment relaxation area is clean and spacious and the serving of green tea with honey and chocolate dates after my treatment was a lovely finishing touch. The spa reservation/booking experience was easy as was the check-in experience. The spa has a large sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and ice shower, which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are also adequate towels and water available throughout the facilities. The spa robes were also in good condition and soft to the touch. The lockers were spacious and easy to operate with a 4 digit code.