If this wasn't part of the Marriott, it would have 2 stars. But since I am a loyal Marriott customer and know they CAN offer an amazing spa experience, I bumped them up.
However, I wouldn't say this one is "awesome". First, before we even arrived, I was a little unsure about the atmosphere based on all the pictures on the web. The photos looked more like America's Next Top Model Challenges, that just happened to be set in the spa. The ridiculous poses on the pedicure chairs and plenty of pictures of glamour shots of the girls didn't help me get a feel for the actual spa facilities.
We stopped in anyways to hang out and schedule a couple of services - since our experience at other spa's have been amazing, we figured this was a safe bet. On my first visit in over the course of my stay, check-in was a touch painful and involved 2 people to complete: the one very helpful guy and the girl that just stared back at me from behind the desk. It was awkward. She then escorted me to the locker room.
And that was were it ended. The locker room attendant proved to be a hit or miss deal - on this particular time she was behind the counter, but many other times during my multiple visits, the desk was empty. I received no real tour of the facilities except for standing in the middle of the room, pointing in the direction of things. I can only tell you for sure that they offer bathrooms, a hot tub and sauna. Those are all the things I found.
The facility itself was clean and nice. The locker room is a shared space for getting naked, getting dressed, grooming and...eating? There is a kitchen in the middle of it - which does nothing for me. I think it is a little gross actually. They offer a gym which seemed to be pretty good except for the first 3 treadmills I tried didn't work.
While a tad small, they do offer a private pool for the spa guests, which is much nicer than the family circus pool in the main area. However, it is by a walkway so that you are completely on display and with no umbrellas, there is no escaping the sun all day. One thing that stood out compared to other experience, was the lack of pool service. No one came by to take a drink order, clear away used towels or uneaten food, or even do a general picking up. Ii certainly didn't notice any leftover food and used towels lying about in the photos! This was the case throughout the 3 days we were at the spa. It definitely kills the ambiance - especially if you are paying for services or paid to just hang out. We also ran into a snafu and poor service when trying to order lunch.
As for the services, I can't complain at all. You have to try pretty hard to make a massage terrible. And the facial was one of the best yet.
So at least Aquae Sulis can deliver on the spa treatments...which they do well, so there is hope! They just need to spend less time on the glamour shots and more time on actually creating a glamorous experience. And getting rid of someone's unfinished lunch that has been sitting next to me all day.