Absolute Spa

I have been to this spa in the past and was impressed. I came in to get gel nailpolish and the lady wasn’t very knowledgable in doing nails and spoke minimal English. Several times I had to tell the lady she was missing spots on my nails, which was not as relaxing as I expected my spa experience to be. I explained the situation to the receptionist which had called the manager and all the manager did was apologize. She Did not acknowledge the lack of service or even try to give a complimentary discount. To top it all off the gel has chipped after 2 days of wear. With having experience as a retail manager I felt as if I was under appreciated and not treated well. I will not be coming back here again. For that price and branding I was expecting exceptional service but now I will Definitely be sticking to my regular spa. Only reason why I increased the stars is due to the amazing dm that took care of my complaint professionally.

If you’re looking for a great massage, you can find it here. If you’re looking for ambiance, not so much. The facility is very small and extremely simple. The change rooms offer shaving supplies, mouth wash, soap and shampoo. For the cost I was expecting more of the change room amenities, like other spas offer (at least deodorant). If rating focused on facility only this would be much lower. The masseuse (Lillian) made the visit, as she should. She was thorough and attentive. She explained the process well and my options (where applicable). She did an excellent job providing a relaxing massage! I didn’t have to worry that the pressure was too much as she was constant and consistent. I was very relaxed once she was done.

Got a manicure there and the technician was fantastic (will update with her name). However, the facility itself is quite small for this chain. There are only two manicure tables and two pedicure chairs from what i can see. The lounge area can only sit four persons at maximum. This made chatting with my friend a bit uncomfortable as we were quite close to the other pair that was also in the lounge.
They also have a VERY limited selection of nail color to choose from. We only had two polish swatches (24 colors) to choose from compared to other places that had 5 – 6 swatches (60+ colors). I was looking for a pink hue and they only had 2 to choose from.
At least their technicians were good.

I was staying at the hotel for an extended period of time and had a sore low back. Took me forever (3 weeks) to get an appointment (seems they don’t have numerous therapists working the same shift).
I wasn’t picky about whether I had a male or female RMT therapist. I booked two treatments a week apart hoping they would help.
The first one was odd. The RMT talked throughout the whole treatment about odd things (think zombies, morbid news, tv shows I wasn’t familiar with…) during my treatment, and although I can be a rather forward person, to tell someone the conversation is awkward while naked under a sheet on a table isn’t my forte. The therapist did the same stroke all over my body, using it 10 – 15 times on a single area. Never once did the RMT use a variety of strokes. Just long finger like strokes over and over and over. I even remember rolling my eyes and wishing it was over faster than it was.
Second treatment was just as monotonous, I got the same RMT. (I guess everyone else is particular about gender). Same experience: overly repetitive stroke (YES! Just the one again!) but at least this time the RMT didn’t speak. I only had to ask for more pressure once, and they did increase it, but seemed to be annoyed about it as the remainder of the treatment as their limb handling and strokes became more rough as opposed to deeper into the muscle.
I have had hundreds (yes, hundreds) of RMT/​LMT massages in my life due to my line of work. I won’t be returning here.

Very disappointed! This is not a spa and should not charge the premium that they charge. The change room is not big enough for two men to change at the same time without exchanging sausage. The change room only has one shower. If another guest is in the shower, you have to sit and wait. The change room didn’t have any towels, shower soap, mouthwash, razors or hair gel. The beverages served were water or one type of tea only. No snacks, no steam room, no hot towels. The massage room was right beside the tanning room and was not relaxing due to the noise of the tanning machine and the attendant yelling over the noise. The therapist was not very good, no hand strength. it was like getting a massage from my 9 year old son. Despite my complaint to management, I haven’t heard back from them to explain the terrible service. This doesn’t deserve the title of spa. When using the word spa, you expect a certain experience. My experience was a tea room and bad massage. I can pay 40 bucks for that in China town.

Nice décor and all as you would expect from a known spa. Although, I didn’t bad receive service I cannot say I was blown away either. I’m basing this more on the quality of the RMT massage. Out of 10, I’d give mine about a 6 overall. Not enough pressure what I usually require for my tight shoulder and neck. Checked out the pool and hot tub after which are pretty standard. Was expecting a bit more to be honest.
In all honesty, it would be tough to pay out of pocket for the sessions. If you have coverage through work then it’s worth checking out once but that’s it in my opinion.

Wow, tremendous disappointment. The place is nice and professionally run, but the quality of my massage was one of the lowest I’ve ever had in Vancouver. Massage therapists are like sushi restaurants in Vancouver, generally hard to find a bad one.
Fairly early on in the massage I wasn’t getting any pressure at all, so I asked for a bit more. She said «sure, absolutely!» and I got maybe 3 minutes of decent work. But the other 87 minutes were like being lightly pet like the family dog. I thought I was being marinated instead of given a massage. Seriously, I’ve felt more pressure from a nasty glare.
When I went out to pay and reception asked me how it was, I told her it was pretty disappointing because of the above. She explained to me that «next time if you want more pressure you should request an RMT», an option of course that was not given when I actually requested the massage. There wasn’t any kind of apology, not even a «sorry you didn’t enjoy it». Pretty weak. Do not recommend.

Loved it! They offer complimentary makeup touch up service at the end of ur treatment. You are also entitled to use the hotel pool as a client of the spa.

I’m not used to such fancy-​shmancy treatment! Absolute Spa does a great job of making you feel like you’re on a tiny little relaxation getaway. This is probably due to the fact that most of their clientele are staying at the resort and ARE on vacation, but I’m just a local shlub who needed to see their RMT.
I was at a loss for where to go for registered massage therapy, downtown hails similar prices to what I paid at Absolute and aren’t necessarily in a spa setting. There are more economical choices but the locations aren’t always great and their hours are usually my working office hours so I can’t fit an appointment in. I threw in the towel and called Absolute because they are located centrally and open 7 days a week. I made a Saturday appointment to see Doug, and I’m not going to lie, the thought of a male masseuse made me uneasy but my visit was great. Doug was friendly, professional and didn’t make me feel awkward at all. He has been an RMT for (I believe) 14 years so he knows what he’s doing and it shows. I left my appointment feeling relaxed and not like I’d been tenderized like a slab of steak (as I had with some other times I’d gone to see an unfamiliar RMT, I was too afraid to speak up and had been worked too hard)
I made a follow up appointment and plan to return as long as I am able to.