Spas: Is there a "best" one? Which one is that?

[KiniShakenBake]

We are on our third visit to WDW and have been learning as we go. Our friends splurged on a spa visit the first time we all went, and we did last time as a splurge for our honeymoon. We just chose what was closest to our hotel. That said, we loved it and it was the second thing on my husband's "Don't bother to schedule the vacation if this isn't included somewhere" list, right after "walking distance to Epcot." It became one of our must-dos.

That said, I realize there are a lot of options on the property and am 99% sure that the collective wisdom here contains some information about which one is the best value, experience, etc.

Last time we went to the Ship Shape, which was fine and lovely.

What are the other experiences out there on the property, and which one is the best for a not-ungodly price? We're looking for two 80 minute massages, preferably at the same time, and we don't really care if they're in the same room or not. We are also okay with traveling to it, either by Uber or resort transportation.

Thanks for all your wisdom!!!

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Check Groupon for deals at Mandara Spa at the Swan. DD & I had a facial there this summer and it was great.It "feels" like a spa. We also did a massage at AKL. The technician came from CSR to do the massage at the fitness center in a massage room. She did a great job but it had less of a spa feel. DH & I may try one of the Senses Spas in December. If you are going after that I can let you know about our experience.

 

[KiniShakenBake]

Thanks for the Groupon suggestion. I'm on it now, and they're out of the custom massages, but they have the hands and feet. Hrm...

If anyone knows how often they refresh their groupon offer, I'm all ears.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I always love four seasons spas....though that might not fall into your Groupon zone...though I do see a few decent ones on travelzoo....not as close to Disney as I would want (the Rosen one looks neat)

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Thanks for the Groupon suggestion. I'm on it now, and they're out of the custom massages, but they have the hands and feet. Hrm...

If anyone knows how often they refresh their groupon offer, I'm all ears.

I think it flips between the spa at the Swan and the one at Universal. When I got ours, I pretty much stalked groupon and waited for ones that fell within our dates. I got is so early that the expiration date fell about 2 weeks after we left WDW. I've seen good reviews for both the spa @ GF and SSR.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I've been to Ship Shape, the GF Senses Spa and the Mandarin and, though the GF spa was lovely, in terms of value and experience, I would put Mandarin as number 1 on that list.

 

[dreamseeker9]

I'm going back to WDW in 6 days and just received Disney gift cards for my birthday. I was also contemplating a massage in the middle of our trip. Has anyone been recently to Saratoga Springs' Senses spa? I read some reviews that the Senses at SSR is better than GF.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

I'm going back to WDW in 6 days and just received Disney gift cards for my birthday. I was also contemplating a massage in the middle of our trip. Has anyone been recently to Saratoga Springs' Senses spa? I read some reviews that the Senses at SSR is better than GF.

If you do go to SSR, please let us know your experience! I'm still trying to decide for December.

 

[KiniShakenBake]

I've been to Ship Shape, the GF Senses Spa and the Mandarin and, though the GF spa was lovely, in terms of value and experience, I would put Mandarin as number 1 on that list.

Good to know!!! We just picked up a Groupon for the hand and foot ritual for both of us and we're going to take our chances on getting one for the actual massage, hoping one comes out before we go. *fingers crossed!* I also shortened the actual massage because hands and feet are getting their own two hours of pampering. Edit: I got the other deal, too. And I got it with 1000 airmiles because Groupon and Alaska are buddies. SQUEEEEEEE So much pampering.

From experience, a massage in the middle of the trip is amazing. It's a blissful break in true Disney style in the middle of a frenetic week. We wouldn't go without scheduling something, so we do a longer trip with a massage break in the middle. Then again, we have to fly from Seattle, so we make the most of the flight cost.

 

[KiniShakenBake]

So here's the skinny: We are going back to Mandara. It. Was. Awesome.

A little pre-planning goes a long way. We got two 80-minute custom massages on Groupon, and two hand and foot rituals on a different groupon. I did not realize the hand and foot rituals were manicures and pedicures, but they are. I felt as though the massage portion was a little lacking on those, but mreh. It was done with bamboo sticks and was kinda cool, but not cool enough to do it again.

My massage was AMAZING, and hubby seemed to feel similarly about his. I melted into a blissful puddle during mine, and fell asleep partway through. Somehow our couples reservation was lost, so we ended up in different rooms, but that wasn't a huge deal for us.

The spa is beautifully appointed, with all of the things you might expect at a proper spa and the relaxation just flows here.

They did print a 30% off bounceback good within 7 days on our receipt, and hubby and I discussed the feasibility of doing one massage near the beginning and one massage near the end of our vacations in the future, instead of the hand and foot ritual. We'll certainly be going back to Mandara, though. Way better price than the Disney Spas when you buy ahead of time and the only full spa experience in the Epcot area. Well worth it.