Canyon Ranch Spa.....never again!!

Just off the Solstice. I will never again go to the Canyon Ranch Spa. I stopped in to book a manicure and pedicure. The woman never showed me the options. She told me they had a special. With the language/accent barrier I thought she said one seventeen but supposedly she said one seventy. On what planet would $170 be a special price for a mani/pedi. I stopped in later to mention that I needed the manicure to be a gel manicure. She never mentioned any additional fee. As I waited in the waiting area for my appointment employes were yelling to each other and one employee ran right through the seating area. Grossly unprofessional especially for a spa environment. My service was fine but I assume the jets did not work in the pedicure stations as mine was never turned on and the other customer's was not either. When she gave me the bill to sign I was so shocked I was too stunned to read the details. My bill was $257. Wait....I had a mani/pedi!!!! I knew I was expected to tip and expecting my service to be $117 I had brought $20 cash and gave it to the manicurist. I immediately went to guest relations and was told I needed to take it up with the spa. I immediately went to the spa desk and explained how shocked I was. She explained to me the special was $170, the soak off of the gel polish was $33, the gel Polish was $15 and the tip was $39. Wait I just tipped this woman $59 for a mani/pedi!!!! That is when I started to cry. My husband is going to kill me! She went to find the manager but he/she was unavailable. I told her I was quoted $117. I told her $33 for a soak off was ridiculous. I understood the extra $15 for things associated with the gel Polish was understandable. I told her I had just tipped the woman $20. She said all the literature says there is a gratuity charge. I get that. I did pay her a gratuity. I did not see any literature regarding the service I was having!! She did take the charge off my bill for the $33 soak off. I'm sure even she could not rationalize that fee!! I learned a very important lesson... I need to see quotes in writing!! There was a mani/pedi in my price range available but I trusted her offer of a special. Goodbye Canyon Ranch Spa...you have seen the last of me!

I don't even know how they quote those prices with a straight face! They are just crazy high - even higher than other cruise ships I have been on!

Thanks for the warning!

Consider asking for a slip with all your charges before the services. Steiner, the former concession operator gave me a couple of unauthorized up sells in the later years of their tenure. In the early days of spa operations the focus was more on customer wellness. Most have adopted pricing like this or ala carte pricing, unfortunately they didn't explain it well to you. Sounds like more a communication issue than a sneaky charge. (Which I have had with Steiner)

I love spas on ships, but more and more I try to fit a few nice days before the cruise. Partly for pricing and partly because hometown spas care about your repeat business.

My mani shellac and pedicure at home cost less than $33 + a $10 tip.

I had a manicure on the ship only once. I think it cost $75. I did not ask upfront because I was used to the under $50 for both mani and pedi. That was the last time I went to the spa.:rolleyes:

Someone posted the price list here, and I made a comment about some of the prices. There is a price list available at the front desk, the lesson is to read it and point to what you want. I thought the shampoo and blowout prices were also very high, higher than NYC prices......and since there is discretion as far as short, medium and long hair, I would caution anyone getting a blow out to get the price quoted before the service has started.

I stay far away from them. Too pricey for me.

Very sorry about your experience. The lesson we learned a while ago is buyer beware. Always get the price in writing before accepting, especially when there is a language issue. Again, sorry it happened.

I thought the price of my hot stone massage on a port day was reasonable and comparable to Steiner. Some of the pricing for hair care, Mani's & Pedi's seem outrageous. I had my 1st gel mani on Celebrity with Steiner, and except for the pressure to buy, buy, buy, I thought the price was fair.

My DH & I get our Mani's & Pedi's the night before we fly out and will continue to do so. I'll go for one massage on a port day if the price stays reasonable. Luckily my hair does what it wants so I have no need of hair care. :D

Mary Lou

Sorry that you had not a good (In your mind) experience!

Canyon Ranch is expensive and everyone knows it! Be happy you got it for under $200! Next time better go to the Nail salon at home!

Canyon Ranch is one of the best Spa's you can go to! Next time enjoy a massage then they are sublime! Or a facial.....

Everything has its price!

Canyon Ranch prices for wash and blow dry are about 50% more than the previous company. Plus they add a 17 or 18% gratuity. To make matters worse, the stylist almost burned my scalp trying to blow dry my hair as fast as she could to get to the next customer. And it did not look any better than the old company, at best.

This was for medium length hair and there is a pretty large surcharge for long hair.

I pay less than $72 for a blow dry at a top hairdresser in Beverly Hills! Canyon ranch for blowout...Never again!:eek:

Was very disappointed when I heard Canyon Ranch took over the spa, as we have never had a positive experience with them on our Cunard cruises. Their staff is unprofessional, unorganized and their prices are insane. Now I just plan on doing my own hair and nails as I refuse to give them $1.

Someone posted the canyon ranch prices here back in April and I gasped at seeing their price for a gel manicure :eek:

It's easier fir me to get my nails done at home or to bring my own polish along on the cruise.

Never buy things without see a price list or getting a written quote. All cruise ships are the same. You get on for a relatively cheap amount and the lines try and squeeze out every penny they can before you leave.

At least you have learned your lesson

The part for me that really ruins what should be a relaxing time is the hard sell for product. The last time I went for a mani the gal started asking me about my beauty regime. I do not wear make-up except lipstick nor do I use any expensive skin products - baby oil and Eucerine cream - that's it. She kept on about a few products when I mentioned that I was on the cruise celebrating my 50th birthday - she stopped in her tracks - You're 50??? she said. Not one more word from her about product!

Just off the transpacific on the Millennium, I usually frequent the spa more often than I did on this cruise. I kept watching for specials but didn't get any fliers advertising them in my cabin. I knew from seeing the price lists posted that I would be doing my own nails on this cruise after my pre-cruise manicure faded! I was right, and very glad I packed my own nail polish remover & polish.

I did indulge in a couple massages though, I just waited for the specials. They weren't publicized, I saw them posted in the spa area on a sign on their counter. I got a hot stone massage for a discount, still overpriced but within the realm of cruise ship reasonable. Then on the last day before disembark, I decided to splurge on a 25 minute neck & shoulder massage. And I have to give a shout out to Eve, the sweet girl who did my massage. She gave me extra time because she didn't have a next client - I never expected that. It was a great massage even without the bonus time. Also, neither massage therapist tried to hawk any products. I don't buy them anyhow but it was nice not to get any sales pitch.

LOL, is it me or is this deja vue all over again with these shipboard Spas??:rolleyes:

 

I did indulge in a couple massages though, I just waited for the specials. They weren't publicized, I saw them posted in the spa area on a sign on their counter. I got a hot stone massage for a discount, still overpriced but within the realm of cruise ship reasonable. Then on the last day before disembark, I decided to splurge on a 25 minute neck & shoulder massage. And I have to give a shout out to Eve, the sweet girl who did my massage. She gave me extra time because she didn't have a next client - I never expected that. It was a great massage even without the bonus time. Also, neither massage therapist tried to hawk any products. I don't buy them anyhow but it was nice not to get any sales pitch.

Thanks for this good info. I looked yesterday at the Canyon Ranch price list which shows only 50 minute or longer massages. Too long for me, but half that length is an enjoyable splurge.

Also glad to hear that they haven't been hawking products. I have good sales resistance to this annoying practice, but my husband came back once with a $150 tab for maybe $30 worth of stuff (never used and eventually trashed.) I haven't set foot in a ship spa since because it was so annoying. We should have returned it in hindsight.

Cruisefar, I am so sorry you had that experience, and thanks for helping the rest of us know we won't be able to enjoy a relaxing spa experience without a bit of upfront conversation to avoid very unpleasant shocks. Pretty outrageous price gouging IMHO.

I am cruising with relatives soon, and one is new to cruising and a big fan of massages weekly at home. She could easily afford to have one of each kind on the menu, but isn't happy to pay unreasonably high fees any more than I am. I'll warn her to check at the spa desk for specials and be careful to have a clear upfront understanding of the charges.

I've told her about the T-pool on Constellation, which may be my "spa experience" this time.

I have had one spa experience on a cruise. I can't even remember the line. The price for a facial was high but about what I'd expect and the facial itself was good.

However, I was so stressed by the time I left by defending my decision not to buy the products any benefit from the facial was diminished. I market a line of skin care products and that wasn't even a good enough reason not to buy!

I haven't returned to a ship spa since.

We were delighted to see Celebrity pick up Canyon Ranch Spa on board. A little pricy, but you are on a cruise ship. In our opinion, CRS is much superior to prior spa experiences from other companies operating at sea. I love the hot rock massage and DW has experiences most of their offerings on land and at sea.

Personally, our experiences with CRS on the Connie in June were top notch.

You just have to let the workers know you are not interested in upwell - no problem then or during follow-on visits.

To the OP, sorry this happened to you, but thanks for coming here to give future cruisers a warning to confirm prices and know what you are getting, in advance. My DH looks forward to a massage on most of his cruises, he knows it's expensive but it's a luxury splurge for him, and lots of things on a deluxe vacation are more expensive than at home. Not everyone wants to patronize the spa but many do, and it's unfortunate to have the experience ruined by a misunderstanding about the price. Actually, he thought his massage on Reflection from Canyon Ranch in May was one of the best he has ever had, with no hard sell --- and he plans another during our January cruise. But, as is most things, buyer beware.

The prices aren't what bother me. I go into vacation expecting to spend a lot. But I wasn't happy with the Canyon Ranch staff on my Silhouette cruise. I found the operation to be confusing and disorganized, and the barber who gave me a facial / shave didn't shut the heck up. For an hour he kept trying to make conversation with me when it should be a quiet, relaxing experience. Looking forward to the spa on Azamara this December.

Michael

Nothing more irritating to me to try and get a relaxing procedure done, and have the tech talking non-stop. That's happened to me a couple of times. Although not a spa treatment, the worse was when I had to have a Echo of my heart the other day. The results came back actually better than my Echo from the year before. I didn't know that valves can repair themselves. :rolleyes: It was no surprise, though. The tech barely looked at the screen because she was telling me all about her family the entire procedure. She would glance at the screen real quick, click on it and then back to talking with me. All other Echo's from past years have been done in almost complete silence.

I pay less than $72 for a blow dry at a top hairdresser in Beverly Hills! Canyon ranch for blowout...Never again!:eek:

I had a wash, blow-out, straightening and style done to my hair last Friday. Cost, $25 including tip!

The part for me that really ruins what should be a relaxing time is the hard sell for product. The last time I went for a mani the gal started asking me about my beauty regime. I do not wear make-up except lipstick nor do I use any expensive skin products - baby oil and Eucerine cream - that's it. She kept on about a few products when I mentioned that I was on the cruise celebrating my 50th birthday - she stopped in her tracks - You're 50??? she said. Not one more word from her about product!

OK, you have to show a photo of yourself, now. :eek:

On my way to the store for baby oil and Eucerine cream...........

On my way to the store for baby oil and Eucerine cream...........

Lol. Like :)

...

OK, you have to show a photo of yourself, now. :eek:

On my way to the store for baby oil and Eucerine cream...........

I tell ya it keeps it simple and easy! and cheap too!