Mountain Whisper Spa — Local services in Banff

UPDATE: We were never offered another pool facility. That is a lie. We literally were left outside of the pool facility with the offer of a discount on our next massage next time we came in. It wasn't until I contacted the spa that they gave me a $60 refund which covered the tip I left on the massages before we realized that the pool facility was closed. I had asked for an additional $60 refund and never got a response. I just feel very deceived and conned with this whole experience and now you are lying. I am in disbelief. Just save the head ache and avoid this “spa” at all costs.

I had planned a Spa Day trip for a friend’s birthday. After researching and reading reviews I decided to try the Mountain Whisper Spa which had 18 reviews and was rated 5 stars. It’s located in the Banff Park Lounge which is one of my favorite places to stay in Banff so I thought I would give them a shot. After driving an hour and half from Calgary and paying the park fee, I was extremely disappointed with Mountain Whisper “Spa”. When you arrive it’s a tiny waiting area with 2 chairs: no change rooms or bathrooms. The bathrooms the Spa uses are the hotel restaurant’s bathroom down the public hallway. The waiting area offered no amenities and was very tiny. Strangely the Spa never made us even fill out a massage waiver or disclose preexisting conditions before the massage. My massage was meteoric with the therapist doing stretches to one side of my body but then not completing it on the other side. After the massage one of the staff members walked us to the pool area only to find the pool empty and we were told we had to leave by the hotel staff as they were performing the annual maintenance. I was stunned. The Spa employee said they didn’t know that the hotel was performing the annual maintenance that day and the spa would give us a discount next time we came. My friend and I than had to drive home after paying $160 each for a massage covered in oil. I went home and messaged them directly and asked for a partial refund. If you are paying top dollar for a Spa massage you expect to have a Spa experience with amenities such as a changing room or a lounge to relax in. Looking back, the spa’s website posted strategically placed photos which were very deceiving. The reviews must have been family and friends. I would not consider this business a spa, it’s a massage studio with accesses to the...

ADDITION: The fact that this company is now lying in response to this, has made this worse. This is customer service 101. NOBODY offered to find and pay for a replacement pool option. They were shocked to learn the pools were closed, fine, but that isn't our fault. We were offered "we will offer you a discount next time", which was silly because we would never be back. The entire interaction lasted about 2 minutes. No solutions were offered. Do not lie to get out of a bad review. Because you lied, I will now make it my business to warn people not to come here.

I can only assume these 5-star reviews are paid for, because this place could never be considered a spa. Honestly, it's very misleading and the advertising is borderline fraudulent. This is NOT a spa. The entire space was tight for a mere 3 people to be inside. The entire "spa" is two rooms, which seemingly used to be closets. It is impossible to relax during a treatment, because the walls are so paper thin you can hear every movement made in the room next to you. The "waiting area" is just two chairs, which are cramped because even the coat rack is too big for the space. Serving lemon water in a coffee mug, small thing, but still weird. I assumed when we walked in that this was a temporary space while they were renovating, but I was told this spa was brand new. I was shocked. Even worse, the entire promotion on the website is about the steam room and pools, which were CLOSED for the week when we arrived. This is the only thing that could have potentially salvaged our poor experience, and the person helping us did nothing to remedy this. You cannot charge spa prices for an experience that I could have had in any seedy massage parlor in any city in the world. Banff is a destination, and to call yourself a 5-star spa alongside the likes of places like the Fairmont, is grossly...

We called them on our drive from Calgary. We were a group of 5 girls and they were able to accommodate us with our luggages and all! We each did the 90 mins massage with two sets in a couples room and one in a single. The whole place is small, intimate, and cute. They offer water in these cute little mugs.

After our massage we changed in our massage room to our bathing suits. They were so accommodating and wonderful. I enjoyed the 3 pools (normal, hot, and jaccuzzi), shower, and sauna. It is at the connecting hotel. So I would probably have brought my stuff to the pool with me but we literally came from the airport.

Now on to my massage. I had Ryzen and I would say it was fine. Good pressure on my shoulder and zero everywhere else. I should have been more clear, I know and I wasn’t. If I had to guess I would think he’s new to the profession. I get a TON of massages so I felt like there was no fluidity to the movements again I really should have been clear in more pressure (which I noted in the beginning of the service as being “hard”). It’s a bummer that I wasn’t satisfied with my massage considering the cost but the amenities/ overall service and hanging with my friends put the...