Hidden between casinos and pools in the Venetian resort in Las Vegas, there is a magical place of beauty called the Canyon Ranch Spa. This little slice of heaven is world famous, but it was my first visit. On a recent girls trip, we scored spa credit as part of the reservation package. Any service was going to be a bit pricey, but the spa credit was a fantastic deal! Massages were booked for the group, and a full day pass to the spa was included for the day of service. Without a paid service, it is a $25 per day for hotel guests, and $40 for non-guests, to use the spa amenities (totally worth it, and here’s why).
Fitness Center
Our all access pass for the day included fitness center, 40 foot climbing wall & gear, assigned locker & robe, complementary beverages, relaxation lounge, unlimited Fitness Classes, and Aquavana thermal suite of extremely awesome experiences (more on this later).
On-site there is a full hair & nail salon, plus a shoe store with gait & footwear analysis, just in case you need new fitness shoes. The full spa facilities have a bit of everything.
Yoga and Fitness Classes
We started our day with a yoga class. The instructor was great! We had multiple levels of fitness and yoga experience. The instructor provided individual attention and modifications to ensure no injuries, as well as more difficult poses to really challenge us. Fitness classes and wellness presentations were offered all day, and the full day pass offers unlimited attendance.
Food
We worked up a sweat and an appetite in yoga, so we stopped for breakfast at the casual dining Canyon Ranch Cafe. Delicious, healthy options as well as substitutions for any food allergy/intolerance you can imagine!
Services
The hour massage was very relaxing, and exactly what I expected from the resort. Without the spa credit it would not have justified for me the twice the normal massage rate charged due to resort pricing. Of course, there is assigned locker, spa shoes, robe, and full mirrored areas to blow-dry & style your hair after treatment.
Amenities
After the massage, we were escorted to the co-ed relaxation room. Connected directly to the relaxation room is the wave room & salt grotto, plus snack & beverage stations.
Wave Room
The wave room is a large, dark room with calming ocean sounds and lounge chairs. In the center of the room is a water feature with a light projector that displays on the curved ceiling above. It sounds wacky, but several people were actually so relaxed they fell asleep. It felt like the gentle rocking of a boat in calm waters. The friend that suffers from motion sickness could not look at the waves, but liked the oceans sounds.
Salt Grotto
The salt grotto is a completely tiled, enclosed room, with a salt wall. The tile seating is quite comfortable. The room smelled CLEAN, I have no other description for the smell. The room is slightly warm, not hot, and near-silent with subtle water fountains at the base of the salt wall. The photos were taken in the brief moment that my friend & I were the only occupants, this room was packed most of the day we were there. It is such a neat experience, I preferred the salt room over the wave room.
Up to this point, I liked the spa. It is an indoor focused spa, which is nice is bad weather. The wave and salt rooms were a nice bonus to my expectations of a typical high-end resort spa, such as Spa Avania in Scottsdale, AZ or the Aviara spa in Carlsbad, CA. While I admit, both the Avania and Aviara have superior outdoor offerings.
Steam Rooms, Sauna, and Rain Showers
I went back to the Women’s segregated side of the spa for the showers, sauna, and steam room. A small sign directed guests to the Aquavana experience, which I expected was the usual shower, sauna, and steam room. The steam room is labeled Crystal Steam Room, which was a normal steam room found anywhere, with a large crystal geode in the corner that was barely visible due to the, you guessed it, steam. The sauna was also a typical sauna, with added crystals for a colored light show, if you squint really hard. The showers have various scents of storm, rain, or fog – interesting, but not that out of the ordinary.
Hot and Cold Therapy
I explored deeper into the Aquavana experience, and I was pleasantly surprised. Side by side next to another ordinary hot tub (HydroSpa) were two new environments. The Igloo environment is an enormous walk-in shower in an enclosed room to control the temperature. Named Igloo on purpose, it is a cold room set between 41-45 degrees Fahrenheit (5-7 degrees Celsius). Similar to the shower, there were three buttons to select from. Rather than the same rain smells, the Igloo shower rains down in a surprisingly refreshing COLD water with cotton linen, floral, or musk fragrance, depending on the selected scent button. Likely in part to the cool temperature, the scents are strong, but not obnoxious. And the walls twinkle from embedded fiber optic lights. I went in multiple times to enjoy this environment, feeling like a polar bear right at home.
Goldie Locks Room – Just Right
On the other side of the Igloo room is the Herbal Laconium environment. Feeling cooler than both the sauna or steam room at a mere 108 degrees F (42 degrees C), and humidity at 40-60%, this is the Goldie Locks room. It is not too hot, not too cold, not too humid or dry, it is just right. There are tiled alcoves for sitting (on a towel) facing away from the door. The Laconium is my favorite environment, probably because I am from Arizona, the heat was warm and gentle. The humidity was not sticky at all, it was soothing. On purpose or accident, the Igloo and Laconium rooms are better enjoyed bouncing between the two environments. These were certainly a special treat, far removed from the mundane, the full Aquavana experience is delightful!
This post was a bit of a challenge to capture all of the amazing and wonderful amenities without disturbing the other guests. I waited until everyone else left to capture a few photos of the salt room and the Aquavana experience. These photos certainly do not capture how great Canyon Ranch is, but I hope they help to convey how much I enjoyed the spa!
No special consideration was given to me other than being a paying guest at this property.