Kilolani Spa at Grand Wailea — Local services in Maui

My wife and I’d heard so many great things about the Grand Wailea that we added a couple days to our preplanned itinerary to try the pools, slides, dining and spas. Boy are we glad we did!

When we arrived, we were impressed by the fresh, new remodeling, especially the sculptures. You’ll easily find Boteros in the lobby, but other beautiful island treasures are encountered around anlmost every corner.

After enjoying a glass of champagne in our stunning ocean view room, we enjoyed whole lobster and crab cake at Huna, where our server Lauren took good care of us. The Grand and Pig Nose Punch were excellent signature cocktails, and the Mud Pie dessert was yummy and unusual, crowned with its crunchy, candied macadamia topping. The food was fantastic, but the vistas were extraordinary, and the incredible view of the ocean and lagoon from our dining table seemed to transform hourly as the sun set. We walked off dinner by the beach and the surprisingly expansive pool areas before one last leisurely lounge on our generous balcony.

We couldn’t go as crazy as we’d have liked at the impressive breakfast buffet in ‘Ikena because we didn’t want to stuff ourselves before our massages at the freshly remodeled Kilolani Spa.

The spa was definitely the highlight of our stay, with a welcoming staff, and excellent service provided by Tommy and Ricky in the extraordinary water therapy area. Since entry to the spa is limited to one hour prior to service, my wife and I were able to enjoy all too briefly a wonderful common area that included a generous and aromatic steam room and saltwater pool.

Hawaii is one of those places that has uncommon offerings steeped in spirituality, tradition and aloha, and this gorgeous spa provides services distinctly unique to this location. I chose the Jet Lag Recovery massage, which makes the following claims: “Recalibrate the body's natural circadian rhythm and recenter after a long journey. A heated quartz sand table envelops and grounds the body. Specialized oil blends and concentrates, formulated to increase circulation and reduce inflammation, alleviate muscle tension and promote healing.” This is the most unique treatment I’ve ever experienced, and not what I’m into as a rule.

For me, you can just dig in and get to work deep into my tissue, but this took me by surprise, and mostly because of the extraordinary skill, talent and dare I say mysticism of my massage therapist Michael. More like massage guru. Michael takes his craft seriously yet spiritually, so if you’re willing to go along for the ride, you’ll get all the Tibetan bells and whistles, along with an expert touch precisely calibrated to your tolerance.

Access to the spa facility is limited to one hour, and like every visit to Hawaii, we had to leave the spa well before we wanted. You can bet...

TLDR- unlabeled food caused allergic reaction, no resolution.

My wife had an allergy attack at this spa from one of the unlabeled energy bars containing peanut butter in the Reflection Lounge prior to our 90-minute massage. When I found a staff member, he confirmed there was peanut butter in the bars and immediately ran an ingredient list back up to the lounge for display by the bars. There was no offer to help my wife in any way, which I found incredibly disappointing. Their main concern seemed to be fixing an oversight rather than addressing my wife’s medical condition. When I got to the front desk, they confirmed that they do keep Benadryl behind the desk but refused to provide any to solve the issue they were responsible for due to “liability issues,” which I found incredibly ironic. Instead, they advised me to run to the Makana gift shop on the 4th floor if I wanted to get her medications, which I immediately did.

Further issues: No invitation to reschedule or refund our massages. My wife threw up multiple times during the massage, which obviously made it incredibly difficult for her to enjoy. I asked our massage therapists to step outside and speak to their manager. They came back in with no resolution. My wife spent the rest of the day and evening throwing up intermittently and we ended up having to cancel all our plans for the evening. I called the spa manager right after the massage to express my concern over the health risks they have and was told I was incorrect, that the ingredient list was already out prior to our arrival and they have no issues. Not only do I have a photo of the Reflection Lounge without the ingredient list, but I watched the man I spoke to run said list up and put it on the table as we were leaving for our massages. This managers response also concerns me because, despite being rude to a customer with a legitimate concern, no corrective action is being taken on their end. I spoke with another manager at Grand Wailea expressing my concern with the poor management and health risks in the spa and asked that someone follow up with me. I have since called Hilton multiple times without response since this happened in late September of 2024. I hate writing these types of reviews but for the amount of money we spend to enjoy this experience, allergic reactions should be the last thing we have to worry about. Please be aware and cautious when trying unlabeled food or beverages in this establishment, as they do not take into account common allergies and I would hate for this to continue...

Our experience here was nothing short of incredible! We absolutely loved our time here from the staff, to the massages, to the hydrotherapy gardens, to the locker rooms. It was mine and my husband’s first time in a spa and they provided exquisite, top notch service from the moment we walked in. There was a small hiccup, but Kimberly took amazing care of us. Thank you so much, Kimberly! We appreciate your time, attention and care so much!!

Although the hydrotherapy garden experience was incredibly relaxing, the couples massage experience was our favorite. My therapist, Gigi, was exceptional. I cannot say enough amazing things about her. She made my massage experience super comfortable, as it has never been easy for me to get comfortable on a massage table. She made sure the pressure was just right and made adjustments where needed. Thank you again so much, Gigi! When we come back, I’m definitely going to request her as a therapist again (if possible)! My husband’s therapist, Ron, was also great! He got the deep tissue massage and also had a wonderful experience. Both Gigi and Ron provided great service and have such friendly personalities!

During the hydrotherapy garden experience, we want to also point out that Tommy Dean made our day and experience much greater! This was our first spa experience, so we didn’t know what to expect. He helped out on the men’s side (and the co ed are) and he walked my husband through what hydrotherapy is and how it is beneficial to our bodies. He took hood time in explaining everything in amazing detail, which was super appreciated. He is super accommodating and had amazing service. It can get busy as times, but he makes sure that you get the individualized attention and service that you deserve! Thank you so much, Tommy Dean!

We also wanted to give a shout out to Gretz (we are so sorry if we misspelled your name!). But he was also wonderful because he took our picture (it was my husband’s birthday!) after our massage in the relaxation lounge with his own phone and made sure we received it before we left. We had left our phones in the locker room and he went out of his way to make sure we didn’t leave without the picture. Thank you so much, Gretz!

Thank you so much to the whole Kilolani Spa team for making our first experience so wonderful! We cannot wait...