Relâche Spa & Salon at Gaylord National Harbor — Local services in Oxon Hill

Horrible experience from booking to the morning after my visit (as in today, 5/24/2024). My regular spa is undergoing renovations, so I returned to an old “faithful”, Relache Spa since I had good experiences pre-COVID with Dan and Lucinda (the best). Had I known at the time of booking that Marriott contracted out the spa thus employees are not Marriott employees, I would have booked elsewhere. I booked my service online well in advance; massage services at 11am on a Thursday, 5/23/2024 and mani and pedi at 1pm the following day, 5/24/2024. Two days before my appointment the spa called me to confirm, and at that time an employee told me that I could reschedule to have my mani and pedi immediately following my massage services. Of course I was excited, and I also explained to the employee that the online platform would not allow me to book all of my desired services on the same day. The employee assured me that I could in fact have my mani and pedi done on Thursday immediately following my massages. The following day, one day before my appointment, I received a call from the spa stating that the nail tech was not available on Thursday so I would have to wait until June for my mani and pedi. I was not happy. The employee also asked if my body appointment could be moved from 11:00am to 10:15am since, (1) the website did not do a good job detailing the services, and (2) as such, some adjustments were made to the type of body services. I was placed on hold, the employee returned, and stated that I could get my nail services as I originally scheduled on Friday starting at 1pm. So, my body services were confirmed for Thursday starting at 10:15am and my nail services were confirmed for Friday starting at 1pm. Thursday (yesterday) morning at 9:58am as I am walking into the hotel 17 minutes before my start time, I received a call from the spa asking if my appointment could be moved back to 11:00am. UNBELIEVABLE and UNACCEPTABLE. I could have gotten an extra hour of sleep! I checked in at the spa, there's no drinking water readily available for clients, I settle in to my locker, and go to shower. The showers smelled as if they had not been properly cleaned, if cleaned at all. They wreaked of urine and other odors. I asked an employee who was walking by if they had the shower spray that they had pre-COVID. She stated that the would check, and she returned shortly with eucalyptus spray. She began to spray everything, showers, bathroom, locker area, as she stated, "Now it smells much better in here." I enter the shower and the pump on the shower gel was broken, so me and my wet body had to exit the shower, walk across to the other shower stall to get shower gel. I returned to my shower stall and noticed...A LARGE CLUMP OF HAIR IN THE SHOWER! Yuck!!! I notified another employee who happened to be walking by in the hallway. She was not immediately friendly, and she never once apologized for the unsanitary conditions. I settled in to wait for my therapist...and I waited...and I waited. 11:00am came and went. No therapist. No apology. No nothing. My therapist arrived and she was pleasant. I felt rushed. I explicitly stated to staff prior to my services that I do not want hot stones, yet, hot stones were applied and burned my back. The stressful lead-up to my day of self-care and the unsanitary conditions of the spa facility did not allow me to fully enjoy my experience. AND I woke up today, 5/24/2024 with significant back pain and bruising on my body! Never in my 20+ years of spa experiences have I been burned and bruised. So today, 5/24/2024 my mani and pedi were scheduled starting at 1:00pm. At 10:19am I received a call from the spa asking if I could come in earlier. Ya'll....when I tell you I was so tired of this spa at that point! AND today I saw a dead mosquito in the salon bathroom. A visit to the spa should a time of peace, relaxation, tranquility, bliss. Not at this unsanitary, unsavory place. Two days after my massage and I am still in pain. ...

Absolutely disappointing experience for the amount of money paid.

My wife and I typically go to resorts and get massages through the year. Whether somewhere tropical or not, a massage is something that we’re used to. That said, we know the difference between a good massage and a bad one. This one was definitely the worst experience thus far.

We are celebrating our anniversary and decided to do a staycation this weekend at the Gaylord at the National Harbor. I Figured we’d finish the experience with something nice for the both of us so massages were on the menu. The facility was nice. Dry and wet saunas and a whirlpool were available but we didn’t bring bathing suits so we decided not to use either. Excited for the massage but afterwards, it left us both asking did we get robbed?

I paid for full body massages for both of us but when I asked my wife how was it, she said she just barely massage my back and arms. Didn’t touch my legs, calves or feet. She exposed them but didn’t touch them.

I told her about my experience and she was like “Nope. Nothing like that. It wasn’t even as good as the massages in the middle of the mall.”

Obviously the folks that walked us back to the dressing rooms knew something was up because when I walked out, they asked how was it. I explained it wasn’t good and they both said, “we heard.” Maybe they were listening when my wife and I were talking about it afterwards or maybe the masseuse were talking about it but they both suggested we tell the folks in the front.

I waited for my wife to come out and relay her experience and she was told, “oh, well maybe she (Valessa the “masseuse”) was having an off day”, then processed to shove the receipt in our face.

I’ve paid a fifth of the price I spent here and got better results. Note, I wasn’t expecting the best, but I definitely didn’t expect the worse. Complete let down to end our anniversary weekend and the neglect from the front desk associate felt both dismissive and disrespectful.

I would definitely suggest getting a massage somewhere else. Save your money, and get better service from...

Edit: Management reached out to my husband after seeing his review on trip advisor. My husband responded back and then got ghosted.

Gaylord should really be ashamed for hosting such a subpar facility.

My husband and I came to Relâche Spa for anniversary massages, and unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing experiences we’ve ever had, especially for what we paid.

There were signs posted everywhere listing a variety of amenities available by request, but several of the items we asked for weren’t even available.

Before my massage, my therapist asked if I had any problem areas. I mentioned my shoulders and quads, not realizing that meant the rest of my body would be completely ignored. No attention was given to my hamstrings, calves, glutes, or feet—just my arms, quads, and shoulders. I knew something was off when I was asked to flip over before my lower body was even touched.

To make matters worse, the front desk attendant showed zero interest in our feedback. As my husband began speaking, she interrupted by handing us a receipt for nearly $500 before I could even explain my concerns. When I did share, she just looked puzzled and said, “Oh, I’ll let them know.” Based on the other reviews I’ve since read, that seems to be the standard response here.

Honestly, I was livid. My husband planned a thoughtful surprise, and the experience was completely underwhelming. For the price we paid, we could have had a far better experience at...