Spa Wellness Under Starry Skies - Spa Renewal European Style?

At a recent stay at the ‘Palazzo' in Las Vegas, I was very excited at the prospect of experiencing spa wellness at the new Canyon Ranch ‘Aquavana' Spa, which just recently got completed and is now the biggest spa in the world with 70 000 square feet of space. Add to that the fitness areas and climbing gym and you are looking at a total of 131 000 square feet. The whole spa and fitness club span the whole area between the former ‘Canyon Ranch Spa' at the ‘Venetian Hotel' all the way to the ‘Palazzo' tower. Now the ‘Venetian' location accommodates the gym, climbing gym, and all fitness and yoga classes, while the section towards the ‘Palazzo' includes all treatment rooms, lounges, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and other spa areas.

After checking in and changing into my robe in the locker area, it became very soon apparent, that this spa was not what I had anticipated. While I was impressed with some features, I found myself "underwhelmed" overall and tried to figure out why.

The best way to capture my first impression was that I perceived this spa as an attempt to create a green environment with natural design elements and architecture. Now, simple can be stunning as we can see in Zen type of spas, where all interior elements are rather sparse yet exquisite and therefore have a visual impact on you. This was clearly not the case here, with the exception of the conservatory, the co-ed lounge. A very spacious room with a high ceiling, exquisite furniture, water fountain, plants and dim lighting, with soothing music this gathering place provided the stunning experience I was hoping to find in the rest of the spa.  

The concept of the spa is advertised as a European inspired spa environment. Let's take a look at some of the water circuit features with a variety of thermal baths, showers and steam:
The Jacuzzi is very small compared to the overall size of the Spa and considering how many visitors will use it during a busy weekend.
The Finnish Sauna however is very simple, clean, spacious and elegant and delivers a wellness experience. From the Sauna you can go to cool off in an ‘Igloo', which is in essence a luxurious shower with cold mist descending from overhead showerheads.
The ‘Experiential Rains' are similar, overhead multi sensory showers spraying cooling waters and mists. There is also a Steam Room with a large central crystal to inspire meditation.
The therapeutic effect of the ‘Herbal Laconium' had me puzzled. I didn't experience the herbal infused steam as beneficial, since the air was rather warm and dry with a very subtle herbal smell, which didn't inspire my senses.
I was even more puzzled by the much advertised ‘Salt Grotto'. You are basically in a circular room with a dark ceiling with LED lights simulating a starry sky, sitting on reclined and heated stone benches, which feels very pleasant, but where is the salt? I didn't see it, smell it or breathe it. After a while sitting and relaxing, a puff of air sprinkled a few grains of salt from the ceiling. I have been to European spas, where salt infused air is very therapeutic and has a healing effect on the breathing apparatus and you feel the benefits for your lungs the minute you inhale this air. I didn't experience this in the Salt Grotto at all. The air again was rather dry and I couldn't smell any salt, nor experience any therapeutic benefits.

Very impressive are the Ritual Baths, and all the Massage Therapy options including Vibrational Therapy are very current and up to date. The spa treatment menu is very extensive and offers an amazing variety of spa treatments.

The ‘Canyon Ranch Café' is a highlight, since it offers health meal choices and lists the calories you consume. 

For me, the concept of the spa and the impressive treatment menu isn't quite reflected in the design and layout of the experiential water areas.

I can't help but compare the ‘Canyon Ranch at the Palazzo' with European medical types of spas or ‘Therme' as found in Germany. The designs might be similar in its simplicity, yet at the ‘Thermes' the therapeutic value of the spa features is apparent.

While I applaud a perhaps new trend of spas providing wellness in a more fundamental way, I find, that the designers and architects of the new ‘Canyon Ranch' were not working hand in hand with the spa consultants. My main impression of the spas main water areas is that of more fluff than value.