On a recent stay at the Wynn in Vegas - and after eating too much for too long! - I decided to buy one of Canyon Ranch's day passports to be able to use their gym and gym classes, steam, shower facilities. The passport costs $35. I could have used the Wynn's gym for $25 but I figured that Canyon Ranch would be a really great experience. I was really disappointed in the facilities. I guess I expect a lot from Vegas especially since every hotel has high end spas and this is Canyon Ranch, the pre-eminent spa franchise. First of all, I entered through the Venetian and I don't know if there's another entrance to get into the spa but I was directed by a guard to take an elevator up to the 4th floor for the spa. The elevator opens and I am in one of the Venetian hotel room hallways. So I'm now walking down a long hallway of hotel rooms. I'd be pretty upset if I were staying there that there is foot traffic like this outside my door. The spa entrance was non-descript but said "CANYON RANCH SPA CUB" - the "L" was rubbed out. A little sad. We checked in, paid our $35 dollars, and were not given a tour or explanation of the facilities so we wandered around to figure everything out. The locker room was really spartan, and I don't mean that in a minimalist chic way. I mean it like a high school gym locker room. I saw the hot tub area and I would never get into that thing - it looked like it hadn't been renovated in 20 years and was not luxurious in the least. My friend and I were on the hunt for the relaxation room so we could have some fruit and water before our workout. We couldn't find the room because its actually an unmarked door which had a towel wedged into the top of the door frame to prop it open. Weird. The room itself was really trapped in the 80s and had no character or relaxation quality - my friend pointed out that with all the women in robes and magazines strewn all over the place, it looked like a gynecologist's waiting room. Also, in comparison to say, the Bliss chain, which offers a full spread of light bites in its relaxation room (cheese, crackers, fruit, little brownies), this was kind of pathetic. There was water, tea, coffee, and whole fruit which was actually unripe. (I ate a green banana for lack of choice.) Anyway, on to the fitness class - "Muscle Conditioning". The teacher was nice, but he spent more time talking about what we were going to do as the next exercise than us actually exercising. Also, the studio's decor is dated with some sort of weird pastel logo on the wall and stripes. I just kept thinking "This is Canyon Ranch?" After the workout we had some lunch at the cafe' and then took their class called "Blissful Restoration", which was supposed to be a restorative yoga class. I take restorative yoga in NYC. Its basically a less strenuous version of yoga but there are still all the basic poses and it provides a challenge. This, however, was literally naptime. I spent about 10 minutes straight curled up with my head on the pillow and my knees to my chest. The teacher "lit" three electric candles. Really hokey. I probably should have walked out but I thought it would get better, and after all, I paid $35 for this experience. Also strange is that there is no separate yoga room. There is a workout studio with spinning bikes on the perimeter where we did this yoga class - not Zen or relaxing at all. Also weird is that the $35 is advertised to include full access to showers (not that we wanted to!) but we were not handed a lock for a locker or robes and we were carrying our bags around the whole time. In any event, I am surprised Canyon Ranch would associate its name with this and I hope that another brand buys this space out soon and improves it. Now that the Venetian has the shiny new Palazzo resort attached, there should be a spa that is up to par with the fabulousness of the property.
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