Ritz Carlton Spa — Local services in Oak Ridge

I recently surprised my mom with a spa day at the Ritz Carlton for her 75th birthday, and it is quite frankly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I knew there were some great spas in the Orlando area, but I took to Reddit to see what locals really thought of the best luxury spa, and the overwhelming response was the Ritz.

Upon calling the spa to schedule the services, I was greeted by Tawana who went above and beyond in helping to address my multitude of questions and helping plan the best day possible for my mom. She was so kind and thorough and really made a difference in making my mom’s dad truly special.

When we arrived at the spa, we were given our private lockers and Nicoleta, one of the attendants, was such a kind person in helping us understand how to use them. We ran into her throughout the day, and she always had such a genuine smile on her face. While I was in the restroom, my mom was lounging in the sitting area and heard Nicoleta singing; it was such a treat and so charming!

I had scheduled services for the day, and first were the massages. I had Myriam who was very attentive and thorough! She asked questions to make sure she could address my concerns and it resulted in the best massage I ever had! My mom had Paul, and she said that his massage was the best she’d had and that he was a very kind person, which made it even better. I also had a facial with Jamie who was a true gem! She helped me to better understand my problem areas and how to address them in a way that was most effective (even cost-wise) for me. I will definitely be back! My mom had Gaila for her facial, and she said that Gaila was fantastic as well, and addressed her concerns and helped her skin feel truly rejuvenated!

All in all, we had a phenomenal day and my mom still raves that it was one of the best days. We will...

I will personally never go to this spa ever again. I canceled a couples massage at the Grand Floridian because the Ritz had much more favorable reviews as well as its reputation. I booked the 80 minute couples zen retreat for my boyfriends birthday. The gentleman who booked my reservation when I called had exceptional service and manners and that was the highlight of my entire experience. When we arrived, we were told to go upstairs to the locker rooms. We went in respective locker rooms. I found out that while my boyfriend was shown everything in the locker rooms, while I made it all the way to my locker which was 20 feet from the front desk of the locker room. That was the extent of my "tour". Going up to the shared lounge - there was trash, empty cups and glasses, and old food sitting out on all the tables. The massage was standard, and I don't have any comments out of the ordinary on that. We decided after to use the pool since it was included. We were told to wait for the towel attendant so we did.......for quite a bit. Meanwhile, there was a group of adults, clearly heavily inebriated, ordering tequila shots and yelling profanities. I was incredibly blown away spending over $1,000 and I could have had a better environment and experience at a spa 10 minutes down the road from me for about 1/5 of what it cost here. I am a proponent of "you get what you pay for", and this is entirely overpriced and not the luxury experience I paid for - it wasn't even close to "Zen". I personally regret going here. ...

The spa services are absolutely amazing! It's true physical therapy for me. The spa pool is so relaxing and a wonderful place to spend time before and after your service. It can fill up and can be challenging to get a chaise so be sure to get there early, especially if it's a nice day outside. It would be nice if the spa didn't overbook reservations so that everyone can enjoy time at the pool, comfortably. Same for inside the locker rooms. Sometimes there is no where to sit in the waiting areas.

The ladies' locker room and the reason for my 3-star review:

It can feel very overcrowded and loud. The hydro therapy areas can be too full to really enjoy relaxation. The last 2 visits I had to ask multiple times for items and was given an attitude. The last visit, there were no towels or washcloths and when I asked for one the attendant never came back. When I went to look for another attendant 2 were hiding and on their phones. The one I originally asked rolled her eyes and sighed. I was taken aback by this and it soured the entire experience. We pay a premium to come to this spa and the level of service that is expected at a place like this, should be given. Period! We are never rude to staff and are very generous, when deserved. The last visit was such a a turn off for me that I actually pulled the Spa manager aside at checkout to share my experience. Although she apologized, it felt insincere. We...