Imagine my delight to find out that the latest Canyon Ranch had opened down the street from my older brother’s apartment in Miami! Being a spa enthusiast, I was dying to experience the magnificence of Canyon Ranch that consistently demands Top Spa ratings. The Miami location faces onto the Northern shore of Miami Beach and has just celebrated their six month anniversary.

Perhaps I set my expectations too high upon arriving to the resort…but while en route to the spa, I had been fantasizing about stepping out of reality and into a literal bliss.

Sadly, I believe I was more relaxed while walking toward the spa than after I left!

The resort consists of two towers. One is strictly residential, while the other tower also holds the spa, grill and salon. While the layout seems simple enough to maneuver through, walking from tower to tower is in fact a challenge. They are divided by pools, gates and disconnected outdoor walkways, which creates more of a maze than a path.

The ambiance and decor alone, however was exactly what I hope for from a spa. The designers and decorators perfectly captured the essence of tranquility from the naturally muted color scheme to the selection of music, which varies depending on the intention of the room. The resort has a consistently open feel that would relax even the most severe claustrophobic, and many of the walls are paneled with gently running water onto pebbles. The lighting is dimmed accordingly, and the women’s locker room smells of eucalyptus that has been added to the steam.

Where Canyon Ranch suffers is in professionalism. The staff is as disconnected as their outdoor walkways! The first person I encountered was a guest services attendant in the lobby of the spa. I explained that I was fan of Canyon Ranch, a student studying skin care, and that I was interested in a tour of their spa. He replied that they only conduct tours once daily at 3:30 and that I would only be able to see the lobby (where I was currently standing) and the lobby located four floors above us, which is located outside of the salon. I accepted this explanation and requested any literature he had about the spa.

My friend that had accompanied me decided she needed a bikini wax, so we scheduled an appointment in hopes that we could snoop a bit further as a client of the spa. With that set, our guest services attendant escorted us into the glass elevator and up to the salon while explaining the facts of the resort. The man could not have been less enthusiastic or more monotonous! He pardoned himself repeatedly for stuttering, contradicting himself and losing his train of thought. I wanted to dismiss this encounter as a one-time situation here, but every staff member we talked to was equally as scattered. The salon could not find the esthetician that was booked for our wax, the program advisor escorting us to the relaxation room initially had to ask another staff member where the room was, and then she proceeded to get lost while taking us there.

The treatment itself was also a let down. As friendly as our esthetician was, I have experienced less painful waxes in a shorter amount of time from the local salon I went to while growing up in Pittsburgh. My friend had to ask twice for the esthetician to wax areas again that she had missed, and she was left with clumps of residual wax after the woman had used oil to clean the area post treatment. At one point during the appointment, someone even accidentally walked into our treatment room.

Simply put, the most blissful part of the entire experience was walking out of the spa and escaping the chaos.

After six months of business, Canyon Ranch Miami Beach should be as well-trained and professional as their standard requires. It has the fundamental tools to become the top rated spa it appears to be, but by now they should be more informed and connected professionally in order to catch up to the other Canyon Ranch resorts.

Canyon Ranch Miami Beach
6801 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33141-32

800-742-9000 Information and Reservations
520-749-9000 Worldwide Information and Reservations
305-514-7000 Direct
305-864-2744 Fax

Canyon Ranch also has established resorts in Tucson, Arizona and Lenox, Massachusetts.

www.canyonranch.com