The atmosphere and the people are a huge part of the spa experience - is your therapist someone kind, professional with whom you can be okay being totally naked? Are you made to feel special and even, healed? Is the treatment worth the price?
And, is the overall experience corporate relaxation with a logo or quaint bliss with a personal touch? That brings me to tell about two of the spas I've visited in Hawaii - Spa Luana at the Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu and the Luana Spa Retreat in Hana, Maui - the former corporate and overpriced, the latter quaint, warm and personal.
I just returned from the Luana in Hana (luanaspa.com) where I had a great massage/facial package with the owner, Nancy. She was so down to earth, interesting to talk to and really good at her job. She took extra care on all the problem areas I identified - sore calves from hiking, super stressed and irritated skin around my mouth - and we casually chatted off and on about families, how Alaska and Hawaii are similar in certain ways, the real social structure of Hana, where to find local art, etc... She took good care of me and sent me off from the cozy little treatment yurt on a hill with a hug and a wish to see me back next year when we return with the baby.
The other Luana at the resort was still very nice - but expensive and while the treatment staff were good, the reception were young and completely clueless when it came to welcoming a guest. I felt like I was intruding when I walked in for my scheduled appointments and they'd ask my room number before my name. (In general, that's my complaint for ALL of Turtle Bay, the professionals in the spa, the servers in the restaurants, the bartenders, the yoga and surf instructors, the housekeeping staff - they were all great; it was the front desk staff, the spa reception and the restaurant hosts that clearly had little to no hospitality training, were sloppily dressed (Ugg boots and leggings to seat us for an expensive meal - really?!) and they were even rude at times. I get that these are low-level, high turnover jobs but it is a shame (and a liability to return business) that these folks are the first faces you meet before you get to the really great, dedicated employees who make you feel welcome.) The spa includes a mandatory 18% gratuity on the final bill and then in fine print explains that "portion goes to the staff and a portion for an administrative fee" then suggests you leave an additional tip if you like. I almost always tip 20% or more for spa services, so I was annoyed to see this on there already - what am I, a group of 8 or more diners in a restaurant? I guess that's how it goes in a giant resort, though... It all kinda turned me off.
I probably wouldn't have even considered writing about the contrast of these experiences had the spas had different names from one another. Luana means basically "leisure" or "pleasure" in Hawaiian, and I suppose however you define those two ideas would decide which luana spa is more your style.
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