Bliss? Sort of.

I recently had a birthday. Hurray! That means presents. One of my favorite gifts to get, is a spa day! And this year my husband did not disappoint. He gave me a gift certificate to Bliss at the W in Hollywood. Schmancy! I was feeling very well-to-do when I made my appointment. I picked a Saturday morning thinking it wouldn't be too busy. And I was right.

The spa is inside the W hotel in Hollywood. $7 to valet park, or street parking for only an hour. The entrance looks like a store front. And it is a store, but it's not the spa. You have to check in there, then they walk to you to the hotel elevator to go upstairs to the actual spa.

When I walked in, I was expecting a bustling spa given the reputation and popularity of Bliss. But it was empty! I was the only person in the entire place when I went in for my treatment, and the only person when I came out. Huh.  Kind of strange for such an expensive spa in a nice hotel. The ladies waiting area was nice (there was cheese and brownies!). Very clean, a few steam rooms, and a dry sauna. All of which I enjoyed, utterly alone. Nice!

My massage on the other hand, not so nice.  It was just okay. But for the $115 price tag, I feel like I should have been floating on a cloud when I left. The massage oil was ice cold, the therapist seemed in a hurry to get done, and the room was sad.  I say sad because it had absolutely no decoration. It looked like a medical exam room. In fact the entire spa kind of felt a little medical.  No warmth, no relaxing features that I'm used to. And especially, no soothing music.  I remember laying on the tabling thinking, is this Jet? Mumford and Sons? Coldplay? All of which are great to listen to, but not while you're trying to tune everything out and enjoy a massage.  It just seemed disjointed and not very relaxing.  My therapist was nice and polite. Recommended a ton of products for my skin needs. Then I went back to the ladies room, got dressed and left.  And in all honestly, probably never to return. I've had massages at far less fancy places, that melted me to the floor. The ambiance is important, but if the massage isn't great, it doesn't matter what the place looks like.

This was my experience at this particular Bliss. They have several locations around the world and your experience may be completely different. So if you'd like to experience Bliss for yourself, check out their info below.

Bliss Spa

At W Hollywood Hotel and Residences
6250 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood,CA 90028

hours:
9am-9pm 7 days a week

appointments:
877 TO BLISS (877 862 5477)
We require 24 hours notice to cancel any appointment.

Happy Tradventuring!

Heather