RITUAL Nordic Spa — Attraction in Victoria

Would NOT Recommend.

I did the 2 hour circuit on a Monday afternoon, I found the place to be crowded and noisy. I have been to several Nordic Spas and this is the first one I was let down by. I understand it is in an urban environment but changes need to be made, such as the following.

Caution - Long post below

Relax space - This was the biggest upset for me. The relax room could only hold about 6 people otherwise you had to go outside and sit in hard lawn furniture. There was no heat lamps which is a problem in March. Also there was no covering and the surrounding condos could see everything. There was also loud construction going on which is not relaxing. I would suggest having a fire going for heat and aesthetics along with an awning to provide covering. Having a large enough relaxation space is important as everyone cycles through the hot rooms at different speeds. Having only 2 hot rooms it is possible to have everyone on the relax stage (which happened during my time there). Not having enough space in the salt room I had to sit outside in the cold open space (not relaxing!).

Hot tub - the addition of a hot tub would be wonderful. I found with just the 2 hot rooms (sauna and steam) it was crowded.

Quiet - I would suggest making it a no talking space. Being such a small space noise travels. I have visited other nordic spas which had no talking rules. At first it was a bit weird but it turns out to be very relaxing and meditative. (exactly what the spa should be). I don't need to hear about someones "garlic toast" or their work day when that is the exact reason why I am there to destress from work.

Towels - provide at least 2 towels. One to cover up with when relaxing and one to shower with at the end. Only one towel was provided which was needed to dry off at the end. Robs are additional costs. Luckily I brought towel to wrap myself in when I sat outside in the mild weather in March.

Things I did like: Unlimited small towels to sit on Salt room looks nice.

Like I said, I would not recommend this. Hopefully they can make...

RITUAL Nordic Spa is great if you like small intimate spaces, there are few customers, and you have no desire to immerse yourself in warm water.

Options: Steam room (make sure they’ve replenished the eucalyptus…we had to ask), sauna, rest room (Himalayan salt room), patio (usually in shadow and with no view), frightfully frigid pool (excellent contrast to sauna/steam), or dump a bucket of cold water over your head.

Their price is as expensive as spas and hotels offering swimming pools, warm pools/hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas, and often cold pools, and which include bath robes. Their bath robes cost $12. Their cost on the weekend is $69 for two hours, not including robe.

If you go, ensure there are a limited number of customers, as the steam room and sauna are nicely designed, but tiny and intimate. Also, only two showers in the change room. On the upside, the place was very clean, well-maintained, rooms were set at appropriate temperatures, and it was quiet. The Himalayan salt room was particularly soothing.

Staff were pleasant but did not check on safety of customers, and even in a public pool there would be check-ins. The free flip flops were not offered. Price of robes was not mentioned, there was no check-out, eucalyptus would not have happened if we had not asked.

This was a gift for me, and the company is what made it special. There are so many other options in Victoria. I would not recommend RITUAL to a friend. Their price point should be half of what they charge given their limited offerings. I can see how people might drop in after work if it was conveniently located, and perhaps their private spaces which are offered are more inviting, but I would...

I came here with friends on Wednesday night for the weeknight circuit. We really enjoyed the steam room and the salt room, and appreciated the fact that it was all women on that particular day. Everything also smelled wonderful which was a plus! If it was a warmer day outside the little patio would've also been a lovely place to sit. Most of the other Nordic spas I've been to have featured a regular pool for swimming as a break in between the circuit activities, which would've been nice to have here but I know it's a small space as it's located in downtown.

I was disappointed that they stated there was a healthcare worker discount, yet because I did not have a work ID card, I couldn't receive it. Most healthcare workers who work outside of the hospital (e.g. in doctor's offices, private clinics, retail settings) do not have work badges as we are identifiable by our uniforms and how we present ourselves. I stated what kind of healthcare worker I am and where I work, but the girl working at the front desk was dismissive of this and did not offer any alternatives to presenting ID (e.g. showing a copy of my work contract or the fact that I could say exactly what I do and where I work). She did feel inclined to provide a discount to my friend I came with who is NOT a healthcare worker but had a random ID from her workplace. This honestly left me feeling invalidated and dismissed, and I hope Ritual will do a better job at recognizing and appreciating all healthcare workers whether they have specific ID or not, so they do not leave feel...