Cavallo Point Healing Arts Center & Spa — Attraction in Sausalito

I came here with some girlfriends for a spa afternoon about a week ago. For the prices we paid for our services, I was extremely underwhelmed with the overall experience. I booked a "head and sole" 60-min massage, and the "massage" felt more like rubbing than an actual massage. I had to ask my masseuse for more pressure 2-3 times before she increased it. But even then, it still felt like a glorified rubbing session. The service was not particularly warm or friendly. They try to shame you into a 22 percent gratuity and say this out loud every time anyone checks out, so if you want to tell them to reduce it, you have to do it in front of everyone else around you instead of the usual privacy of a tap screen or paper receipt -- not a particularly subtle or classy experience.

The amenities of the spa are pretty paltry. For snacks/refreshments, we had a choice of hot mint tea, iced lemon water, or... apples. If you wanted anything else, it had to be ordered via their menu, with a mandatory minimum of 20% gratuity automatically tacked on. Despite the large space, they only made space for two showers in the women's room, plus one outdoor shower (which is annoying because this area isn't very warm all year round!). The locker room area is really tiny given the max capacity of the space, so a lot of people feel on top of each other or like they cannot dress comfortably at the same time. They have one outdoor hot tub that accommodates only 2-3 people at a time. The meditation pool (outside) is much larger and nicer, but while it is heated, it's not pleasant enough to use year-round.

The outdoor seating areas are tranquil and nice, but that's really all this place has going for it. All the massage and facial treatments start at $225 (before tax + 22% gratuity), so it's a steep price to pay given the amenities are pretty mediocre. I definitely would not...

Yikes. Just yikes. Avoid if you value your health. This is a profit-over-people money factory that has no regard for wellness (read the reviews - the one where they charged a woman for a missed appointment because she almost lost her baby - and possibly life - to preeclampsia and had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency c-section is particularly remarkable). Blech. Don’t give these people your money.

My less dramatic story is that after falling ill and giving the spa 8 hours notice that I had a cough and fever and needed to cancel an appointment that afternoon, I was called five hours later by the spa and told I would have to pay for the appointment due to their 24 hour cancellation policy. When I asked to reschedule I was told that would not be possible. When I asked the manager, Kaitlin, if I should come with a fever and cough to avoid being charged for a service I didn’t receive she said that that was my “choice.” When I asked her to explicitly clarify that she was saying I could come in with a cough and fever and expose her staff and clients to this she said that was my “choice.”

So, bottom line, this “healing arts center” seems to have a very lax attitude towards protecting their practitioners’ and clients’ health. And takes a fairly unreasonable position in terms of accommodating schedule changes caused by illness (or possibly losing a baby). Neither of these fall into anything I’d look for in a wellness center and my strong advice would be to avoid what appears to be little more than a tourist bait and profit driven resort spa. We have so so SO many better options in San Francisco and I’d strongly recommend supporting one of those...

Really wanted to like this place! I've been to a lot of spas, but was super excited to try this one. There are some really good points, but the negatives are too much for me to return. Overall it felt like a high volume place, where people cycle in and out on que.

Pros: Staff is very friend, massage was good and masseuse very communicative. Overall location is great and the seating area is very large and open. As per all spas, they serve flavored water and hot tea. The steam room was good, but again, small - maybe 4 people could fit without being crowded - see below.......

Cons: Crowded!!! All the massages begin/end at the same time, so the locker room is filled with the next group, or those that just finished. And it's a small locker room, so about 8 ladies are all changing next to each other. Only 2 showers. Outdoor jacuzzi is small and can only hold 4 people comfortably. The outdoor pool is also small with a lot of loungers surrounding the pool. Maybe 6 people could be there; 8 would be crowded. No reading material in the seating area - very odd for a spa.

At the end of your massage, you exit your room, where all the masseuses are outside their room, waiting with a glass of water in their hand for their client to exit.

This felt too commercial, high volume and not relaxing. The area is beautiful, but too...