A sense of calmness and relaxation. Check. Clean space and attentive staff. Check. Thoughtful of minor details. Check. But I will cut right to the chase of why I docked two stars off:
1. CHATTER/NOISE: Having grown up in Japan, I think I am used to a certain type of spa/bath experience. I prefer the serene, more natural type of spa/bath relaxation, paired with a quiet, meditation-like atmosphere. I didn't dig the chatter in the baths nor the red lounge chairs... they seemed a little out of place with the rest of the spa (mind you, that's a pretty minor offence).
2. SUB-PAR MASSAGES: my girl booked us for a 30-minute massage each. I've been to some super amazing RMT's in the past so the massage here was so mediocre in comparison. The masseuse did not have a relaxing/inviting vibe to her and really did not work very hard. That dinky massage was not worth $90 (minus the waters access).
3. BUSY/CLIENTELE: Possibly our mistake for going on a weekend, but there were many large groups of women/girls, many of whom were quite loud and disruptive. I really did not appreciate when my time in the silent sauna was interrupted by a group of girls coming in and talking about their designer dresses. Take-home message: come on a weekday.
Overall, I did enjoy my experience. I definitely felt relaxed and had a great night's sleep afterwards. But considering the price and what you get for it, I don't know if this would be a place I would return to on a regular basis... I guess you would really need to go back religiously to see if the "therapeutic waters" really makes a difference on your health.