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| - ** This review is for the spa and pool area only **
I went with a couple of girlfriends on a Saturday to The Phoenician to take advantage of a deal we picked up for a massage, glass of champagne and access to the pool and spa amenities for the day. Overall, the experience was very pleasant.
I arrived early for our massage check-in time, since I wanted to try out their gym and steam room. I had no problem with check-in at the spa -- Emily, the girl at the front desk, was very polite and took the time to show me where everything was since I hadn't been there before. The ladies' locker room is nice and very clean -- they do provide you with rubber "slippers" and very heavy white robes to wear for lounging. The gym is not extremely big, but it's a good size compared to other resort gyms I've used and has a number of treadmills, elliptical machines and bikes, along with machines and free weights.
After working out, I hit the steam room. The room itself seems a little old and tired, with some grout "issues" and rusty sprinkler heads in the ceiling (however, I didn't find it gross or dirty). It smelled *heavenly,* like eucalyptus. After a steam for about 10 minutes (the steam room wasn't overly hot, which was nice since I could actually relax), I took a shower to get cleaned up for my massage. Their showers are big, with a separate little "staging area" inside them where you can change, dry off, hang your towel/robe and leave your slippers. They do provide you with shampoo, conditioner and body wash, which was high quality and smelled great.
My friends and I met up in the waiting area, which is behind the reception desk. Their "water bar" is a nice touch, with several different fruit-flavor-infused waters and hot tea. We waited for maybe 10 minutes or so before our therapists arrived and introduced themselves, leading us back to our separate treatment rooms.
My therapist was Mandy and she was fantastic. I am not always a fan of massages because your level of enjoyment can depend on the skill and... shall I say, "chattiness" of the therapist. Mandy was lovely -- she was very sweet and gave a great Swedish-style massage. I am all about NOT TALKING when I get a massage, since I find it much more relaxing to just let my mind shut down and enjoy the pampering. Mandy asked me a couple of questions during the massage (i.e., making sure the pressure was OK and if the room temperature was comfortable) and that was it. I would highly recommend her -- she knows what she's doing and was very professional. I nearly fell asleep a couple of times and I NEVER do that!
After we were done, Mandy led me back to the waiting area where I met my friends and we compared notes. Both friends enjoyed their massages, but one did say that her therapist talked the ENTIRE time.
We went up to the pool area after freshening up and changing -- the pool area is above the spa, so you walk out the front doors, and then turn around and go the opposite direction. Being a Saturday, the pools were pretty busy, so it took us a little time to find three lounges together. A server found us fairly quickly, and he almost immediately brought us a pitcher of ice water, cups and a menu. The service in the pool area was great -- they were busy, but our server didn't forget about us and was very friendly. I tried their chips, salsa, guacamole and their chicken wrap, which was REALLY good.
I really had only two concerns: they were doing some remodeling on one of the pool areas just below us and the fumes were horrible. As in, the fumes gave all three of us headaches and at one point, we were breathing through towels. We mentioned it to our server, who said they were aware of the smell... but there wasn't anything that could be done about it. Had we been able to move to a different location at the pool, we would have -- it was pretty disconcerting. Too bad they were working on it during the middle of a busy Saturday. The other thing was that they had a guy who played steel drums at the pool area. Loudly. All day. Really, I don't mind steel drums. The fellow was talented and having a great time. But for the love of all that's holy, it wasn't fun or relaxing to shout to talk over a guy playing "Billie Jean" on his steel drums... and he was ALL the way on the OTHER SIDE of the pool from us. Had he turned it down a few notches, it would have been fine. Once he wrapped it up for the day, we were able to hear the waterfall, the birds chirping... and not have to yell at each other.
No issues with splitting our check for the food and drinks at the pool, either, which was nice. Around 5, we went back to the spa for a quick whirlpool, shower and... we were done!
I really enjoyed my time at The Phoenician. Other than the pool remodeling fumes and the excessively loud steel drums, I had a wonderful day and will certainly be back (particularly once the pool remodeling is over!).
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