I spent a half day at the spa with my first treatment beginning at 11am and was there till 4:30pm. I had a very nice time. My first treatment was a Summer Rain Shower Massage which took place in a Vichy Shower room. The therapist was Hubert and he was the same therapist who did my Vichy treatment years ago when it was still the Watermark hotel/spa. Having a massage while under the warm spray of vichy shower has got to be one of the most indulgent and relaxing things on earth! Hubert did not disappoint and his attention to detail and service are excellent. He brought me a new robe as he noticed a small hole in the shoulder of it (which I had not noticed). The only negative about this treatment is that it is a long time on your stomache with your head having to be turned to one side or the other as the table is flat (although padded well). After a while it becomes a little difficult to remain comfortable, but it is still worth it as the warmth of the waters makes it all worthwhile. My next treatment was a facial and it was excellent. The therapist asked me if she could do extractions around my nose and I was all for it as I knew I had some blackheads that needed removal. She did an excellent job and it was 50 minutes of pure relaxation. My husband commented that my face looked radiant later that night and it is now 4 days later and my skin still looks and feels great! Following that I had spa lunch (included in my half day package of facial/mani/pedi). This is where I feel the experience has taken a sever downturn since it was the Watermark. I selected a salad, sandwich, and dessert. The salad was a huge portion of overly drenched greens in a dressing that was too thick and hearty for a spa salad. The sandwich was in house roasted turkey on a croissant. Again, it was massive and was enough for 2 people. It had two very thick 1/2 inch slices of turkey which did taste good, but was too large and thick for a spa sandwich. I was only able to eat half and it felt like such a waste. The dessert was supposed to be a pecan chocolate chunk brownie with vanilla ice cream. It seems like they are trying to make up for their lack of flavor and creativity with huge portions. It was two huge triangles of brownie that were a bit dry and overcooked (heated up in the microwave, so portions were very hot, other portions cold). There were no pecans anywhere. It was very disappointing to be expecting a creative spa type light lunch and get this overly done massive proportions of sub par tasting food. On my previous visit when it was Watermark, the food was fantastic, so much so that I brought my husband back the next day for a roof top lunch and we both raved about it. The other point that I will mention about the way spa lunch is done, is that it is at the roof top cafe as it was back when it was Watermark. It can be very awkward to be naked with just a robe on and be sitting there with regular street dressed people coming up to look around or eat lunch. I felt extremely uncomfortable this time as I was the only person there wearing a robe, with my hair disheveled and in flip flops, while tons of staff and others dressed in suits were also there preparing and setting the area up for some function for that night. This is not a good set up and is definitely not a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Not to mention that when it is time for you to go back to the spa a staff member has to insert their key card into the elevator and press the spa floor for you, but you may end up on a different floor with other people from the hotel entering the elevator and you are standing there looking a mess with just a robe on. Next I enjoyed the sauna and whirlpool for 20 minutes before I showered and got ready for my mani/pedi. The therapist I had was extremely nice and thoughtful. She did an excellent job other than cutting my cuticle a bit on one of my toes (which she apologized for) and the paint job on the nails looked great. However, the next day it was already peeling off and by the next day after that it was completely peeled off of my finger nails as if it was made of vinyl or rubber. My toes still look fine. I suspect there was too much oil on my fingernails when she applied the polish. Anhyhow, the spa is still very nice and beautiful and the staff very professional and nice. There are just some issues they could improve on to make it once again outstanding. The food needs a serious re-work!
- Watermark Hotel San Antonio
- Watermark Hotel
