Sanctuary Spa Onyx — Local services in City Centre

Sanctuary Spa Onyx – A Disappointing Experience Despite High Hopes

We visited the Sanctuary Spa Onyx on Friday, 23 May 2025, having booked a comprehensive treatment package for two people. The experience, scheduled to last nearly four hours and costing close to R8,000, was meant to be a relaxing indulgence. Our booking, which included a request for 15 minutes in the steam room, was confirmed via email, and a 50% deposit was paid in advance.

Positive Aspects The therapists were friendly.

The treatment room was clean and well-maintained.

Areas of Concern Difficult Access: Finding the entrance to the spa was challenging due to nearby construction and poor signage. Fortunately, we had arrived 20 minutes early for our 13:00 appointment.

Reception and Delay: At 12:45, we were taken to the balcony to complete intake forms, which we did in full. However, treatments only began at 13:10—starting 10 minutes late despite our early arrival.

Inadequate Changing Facilities: We were given access to a single-person changing room, which felt cramped and insufficient for two guests, especially as we were the only clients present at the time.

Treatment Flow and Comfort: All treatments were delivered back-to-back with no breaks, and at no point were we offered water or tea during the nearly three-hour session.

Lack of Therapist Preparation: Despite completing detailed intake forms, the therapists asked about our massage preferences and problem areas during the session, suggesting the forms were not reviewed beforehand.

Shortened Treatment Duration: Although the package included 3.5 hours of treatments and steam room use (75-minute body wrap, 90-minute massage, 50-minute facial, and 15-minute steam session), the entire experience concluded in under three hours. When we asked about the steam room, the receptionist was unavailable.

Unsolicited Facial Procedure: During the facial, the therapist began facial cupping without prior discussion or consent. I asked her to stop, which she did, but the cupping left my cheeks visibly red, inflamed and irritated.

Subpar Treatment Quality: Regrettably, the overall quality of the treatments fell short of expectations, particularly when compared to other wellness venues we frequent, such as Stellenbosch Hydro, Mukdah Thai Spa, and several spas in the Overberg.

Ambient Noise Issues: The spa's location next to a rooftop bar compromised the peaceful environment, with loud noise from a nearby group disrupting the latter part of our session.

We were genuinely looking forward to a relaxing and rejuvenating experience at the Sanctuary Spa. Unfortunately, given the number of issues encountered, we cannot recommend it based...

Chilling in the heart of Cape Town City Centre, Onyx Sanctuary Spa is like finding a cool oasis in the desert. My recent trip there totally blew me away, mainly because of how awesome Lee-Cay Baatjes and Percy at the front desk were.

As soon as I walked in, Lee-Cay greeted me with a big smile, setting the vibe for a rad time ahead. She was super pro and made sure everything ran smooth as butter during my spa sesh.

And can we talk about Percy? Dude's not just your regular receptionist; he's like the ninja of customer service. Even though he's usually manning the front desk, he was all over the place making sure everyone was good, including me.

While Percy was busy doing his thing, Abby, the massage guru, was working her magic. Seriously, her hands were like wizards, finding all my stress spots and making them disappear. After her session, I was so relaxdd and tension free, I felt like I could take on anything.

Onyx Sanctuary Spa isn't just a spot for a massage; it's like a little slice of paradise where you can forget all your worries. I'd totally recommend it to anyone needing a break from the daily grind. Trust me, you'll leave feeling like a whole new person, ready to tackle whatever life...

My husband and I had an absolutely amazing experience at Sanctuary Spa!

To start, Koekie welcomed us at the front desk with a huge smile and a calming presence. She got right to work making sure we were checked in quickly and made as comfortable as possible right away, but managed to do it without us feeling rushed.

Before we knew it, we were relaxed and welcomed into our massage room by Bel and Khundai. These women are clearly talented and hard working massage therapists. They made sure we were cozy and worked out 2 weeks of travel soreness with smooth ease. We both felt safe and welcomed the whole time.

The aromatherapy was WONDERFUL the whole time. We got a couples massage with an extra scalp massage. Then we finished off our treatment with a steam room with more aromatherapy that seems to have cured my travel allergies. Oh! And we got a complimentary glass of bubbly that was the perfect finish to our spa treatment.

Thank you so much ladies for taking such amazing care of us! We will be back next time we are in Cape Town! 🩵 much love...