Wave Nordic Spa — Attraction in South-West Oxford

*Edit made after owners response: it's weird to say in one breath "We definitely do NOT refill our bottles with cheaper products..... We use dove for their bottles and refill it with a better bodywash as Dove isn't considered a spa wash."

1. So you do refill the bottles with a different product than what the bottle says. Why?

2. Why use Dove bottles at all if they are not considered a spa wash?

3. Basic summary: you use empty Dove body wash bottles (that are not spa grade) and fill it with a "spa grade product". That doesnt make sense. Why not use the bottles of the product you are using/offering? Why use non-spa grade bottles at all? Thats what Im referring to when Im explaining the transparency and integrity of your spa. It is extremely sketchy to do something like that in a wellness facility.

I can see why you may find my review to be scandalous, but I find your establishment and response proves that your business is the one that is scandalous.

Will not be returning and will spend less for a better experience at an honest spa. Shameful.

Original Review:

For a true Nordic Spa experience I would spend my money elsewhere.

I wanted to love this spa as it is close to home and in a beautiful location. But similar to the fake products in the showers, I found Wave Nordic Spa to be more of a facade, delivering a subpar experience, cheap facilities that lack proper maintenance and an operation that doesn't care about integrity. I came as a guest so I don't know much about the booking process but I can speak on the spa experience and am honestly surprised there are so many 5 star reviews.

The good: Beautiful location and building. The hot stone beds and warm pool were enjoyable. The restaurant which is a seperate business has good food and decent service.

The not so good: The spa area is basically a concrete slab with few elements of nature and lacks the feeling of seclusion. While walking towards the entrance and while trying to relax in the hammocks there is a strong and obvious sewage smell. The "eucalyptus" steam room smelled bad aswell, very musty, similar to the YMCA. Three amenities malfunctioned while we were there - a cold water bucket broke and was spraying onto the patio for 20 mins or so, half of the gas fireplace stopped working (they couldn't figure out how to fix it) and there was a floor board unattached at one end in the sauna so it stuck up about a foot off the ground in the middle of the room. Empty plastic momosa glasses remained on the table for the entirety of our stay. And when you are done they offer shampoo, conditioner and body wash to use in the showers. However, they refill the higher end bottles with cheap products. I use "Wella" products (shampoo and conditioner) in my salon and the product in their bottles smell nothing like it and does not lather like a good shampoo. Also, the "Dove Vanilla Body Wash" they offer was grapefruit scented and an orange shimmery colour like that of a body wash from Dollarama. Made me wonder what I had sprayed on my face from their complimentary face mist bottle. This really turned me off. If someone from the spa responds to this review I am curious to know the thought process behind switching out good products for cheap ones and attempting to hide it.

I find it difficult to trust the cleanliness and transparency of this spa, my experience felt cheap and not worth the cost. For the same price I can go to Thermea Spa Village which is a lot bigger (atleast 4 times the size), offers far more (6 saunas, 2 steam rooms, 6 cold plunges, 3 pond-sized hot tubs, multiples fire pits, multiple rest and quiet areas, a beach, free sugar scrub station, outdoor showers etc.) has clean, high-end amenities, a lot more secluded areas to relax and is an honest, transparent business (which I find to be most important in a health and...

Wave Nordic Spa was a wonderful experience.

When you drive in, you can feel the golf course feels right away and Wave is right there. You can smell the wood burning from the fires as you come up to the building.

When you enter, there is no one there and the receptionist area is deeper into the building which was different! We were unsure where we were going but eventually made our way.

Once you sign in, you are given a key for your locker and are able to make a reservation for the restaurant. To note - the restaurant is not part of the spa and is a different entity. Once you are done the kind receptionist directs you to the change rooms and then states they will meet you where you entered to provide a tour.

You are offered complimentary mimosas, which was a lovely touch. As you tour, they explain all the rooms, spaces and answer any questions. The staff were very nice!

They did not have oversized robes available which would also be an inclusive touch for those who may need - I did hear a couple women speak to this in the change rooms.

We did everything there and did four rounds to include the cold plunge - worth every penny! There were two steam rooms, one with citrus and one with eucalyptus. There is a large sauna, hot stone beds (feel asleep here each time - who knew lying on a rock was comforting when warm). I would’ve like to see this room with dimmer lighting. There was a sitting room to read, connect or sit still. Two fire spots and one wood burning fire with chairs. Hammocks, one large heated pool, a hot tub, and a cold plunge pool. There were also services such as massage, pedicures and yoga - none which were available on the Sunday we went which was disappointing.

The restaurant wait was over 1.5 hours before we got our food and there was no check in while waiting, water offered or updates. They did make a bill adjustment. The food was delicious, I will give them that! You are able to go to the restaurant in your suit and robe as it’s meant to be a break from the spa - however, due to the long wait, we were so cold by one point. I hope they figure that out!

I truly felt relaxed, and slept extremely well that night. We arrived for 9 am and left just before 5. I would’ve like to see them open past sunset on Sunday to enjoy the night vibe of the spa but I’ll just have to go back!

There were some groups there and the hot tub was full most of the time with small windows to get in when people switch. And it not a quiet spa or has a quiet area like others just to point out if you’re going for quietness. It depends on who’s there as well. It was busy but not packed. There were a mixture of men and women!

Overall, a great experience and do plan to return soon - and to catch the evening vibes. It is nice for this style of spa, to be local. This spa is also near the Elmhurst Inn, in Ingersoll.

Have a...

I booked a day at Wave as a post-holiday celebration for my staff. I also own a spa, and the attendees were all estheticians looking forward to being treated to a day of relaxation. Overall we had a good time, the space is nice although it did feel a bit bare and sparse in some areas. However, it was the logistics of getting it all booked that nwere quite rocky and frankly fell short of my expectations for an elevated spa experience. I initially emailed about a corporate booking, no reply. I called one day, spoke to someone who had no clue how to deal with what I was requesting, said a manager would call me back to answer questions and book, no one ever did. called again a few days later, left a message, not returned. Finally called again, got ahold of the owner, who booked the group in, and was supposed to also book our lunch reservation in. On the day of, the restaurant did not have our lunch reservation - luckily it was a quiet day and they were able to accomodate us. But how terrible would it have been as a large corporate group to get there and not be able to get into the restaurant for lunch?! Nevertheless, the food was delicious and service by I believe it was Bridgette was great!

Additionally, during initial discussions I advised that the majority of the attendees would want to book massages, and was assured that would be no problem, but when we attempted to book said massages, there was no availability at all, even weeks ahead of going. so that was a significant disappointment, that there was not sufficient staff scheduled or added on after a larger group was booked in, to ensure the services we wanted would be available.

and as an aside, whatever chemicals they have in the water completely stripped a fairly new bathing suit of its colour and totally ruined it :\ .

as stated above, overall we had a lovely day and it was a nice spot, but it wasn't quite as good or the service as fine-tuned as I had expected - with a larger corporate group event, usually there is some point person who makes sure everything goes smoothly, and it kind of felt like no one knew what was going on. they could use some training on closing the loop and providing better service for corporate clients who are spending thousands of dollars for...