On my recently trip to Orlando I was lucky enough to attend the Canyon Ranch Spa at Gaylord Palms Resort.
I am a great fan of having a leisure morning or afternoon and this did not disappoint. On walking into Gaylord’ s reception I was greeted by a nice young lady who asked if she could help. I explained that this was my first time visiting this hotel and that I had a booking for the spa. She duly escorted me through the hotel and down to the spa. The reception lady was equally friendly and helpful. After she had taken my name she passed me on to a colleague who walked me through the procedure. I was shown the lockers. These were plentiful and I was given my own key on a plastic expending bracelet.
I was shown where the restrooms were. Opposite these were three dressing rooms. Adjacent to these were where you could " preen" yourself after your therapy. It was an area which housed four comfortable stools, each with a large mirror and magnifying mirror to enable you to carry out your make-up and hair in great comfort. Each station also gave you mouthwash; deoderant; hand soap; lotion; hair gel; sunscreen; hairbrush; comb; razors; cotton buds; cotton wool; tissues.
I have never been to an establishment which thinks so greatly about your needs. You need take nothing with you, except your swimwear.
Towels are plentiful and there is a luxurious bathrobe to envelope yourself in. Next came the steam room and sauna. These were both quite large so you did not feel suffocated. The steam room had nice beige tiles with border tiles with waves on. The sauna was your usual log affair. After you had been in either, there was also a relaxation area where you could sit and put your feet up and close your eyes and drift away, or you could simply lose yourself in a book until you felt ready to return to your choice of deep cleansing.
At your disposal in this area was a " service trolley". This presented to you bath towels; iced water and (which I found really useful) face cloths in a domed shaped dish on top of ice. There is nothing more refreshing than placing one of these on your face and neck after being in such a hot place as the steam room or sauna. These facilities and the use of the pool were all included in the price of the therapy I had chosen. From the multitude of treatments on offer my favoured therapy is a deep tissue massage. After I had immersed myself in relaxation for 3 hours, yes 3 hours as I believe in total relaxation and if you are going to do something, you may as well do it right, I made my way to the front desk to say I was ready for my massage.
As I had another half an hour to go until my allotted time, I was shown to the co-ed relaxation area. This was very nice. It had plenty of chairs in which to relax, I could help myself to herbal teas or iced water. Also on offer were fresh fruit and dried fruit and nuts. Magazines were dotted about the room. After a futher 30 minutes of relaxation, I must admit at this stage I was ready to fall asleep, I was summoned by a very quiet and gently spoken therapist who escorted me to my room. The room was neutrally decorated and there was gentle music playing.
As I have sensitive skin I asked that any products used should take this into consideration. I was told that all the products were suitable. I was left to undress and get under the crisp white sheet on the massage table. After a short while my therapist came in and asked was I ready and was there any particular areas I wanted her to work on. I mentioned a few places she could concentrate a little more on. After she had worked on various areas with warm oil she placed a hot towel on that area to further relax the muscles. Oh yes, this really worked.
As I am writing this I am reliving the whole experience and wishing I could be there now as this time I know what to expect and I know how much I liked it. The 80 minutes was soon over but I was so relaxed at the end and after putting on my robe I just seemed to float back to the changing area where I had the most fantastic shower. There was no rushing to do anything I could just do it all in my own time without a care in the world. I wonder when I can go back again?
Name: Canyon Spa Ranch, Gaylord Palms
Address:6000 W Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee
Tel. No: 407-586-0000
Notes: Highly recommended if you are into this kind of relaxation
Ease of booking: Very easy over the telephone
Getting there: Just off the junction of Osceola Parkway & I4 W
Atmosphere: Very relaxing
Value for money: A little expensive but you get what you pay for