Signature Experience at The Ritz-Carlton Spa
Overview
A large floral arrangement on the counter set a nice welcoming tone.
Spa: The Ritz-Carlton Spa Vienna
Location: Schubertring 5-7, Vienna, Austria, 1010
Visit: June 2022
Highly Recommend : Signature Experience
The spa is described as “an urban hideaway that combines natural elements with therapeutic and healing expertise, creating an oasis of tranquility and energy in the city center of Vienna.”
This review focuses primarily on the Signature Experience treatment. I skip evaluating the facilities because they’re not dedicated to the spa (i.e., the fitness center, spa and hotel pool share the same changing area and restrooms). This arrangement might reduce any sense of calm you had in the treatment room when you enter the locker room.
Links to articles discussing hydrotherapy and a few tips to help make the most of your visit to the spa are also included. I also note how this visit helped to validate/inform services offered at fibre: A Homespun Spa.
Luxurious Experience
Massage tables and soaking tub in treatment room; the restroom with the shower (not pictured) would be in the left of the photo.
During a stay at The Ritz- Carlton, I scheduled a spa visit to compare their treatments to the one I had received at the Marriott Vienna (see “How a Massage in Vienna Might Compare to a Washington, DC Offering”). It also gave me a chance to consider ways to further enhance the sessions offered at fibre in SIlver Spring, Maryland.
Thinking of the Signature Session offered at fibre, I booked the Signature Experience. It is advertised as a service designed to promote toxin elimination while “re-center[ing] the mind and rebalanc[ing] the body. The 120-minute treatment includes:
Warming foot bath
Full body exfoliation with a Ginger Detox Oil peel followed by a shower
Warm soaking bath with oils
Customized massage for 60 minutes
From reading the description, I thought the Signature Experience would surpass services offered at fibre because:
the session time exceeds the longest service available at fibre, which is 90 minutes on the table.
it includes three separate forms of hydrotherapy (i.e., foot bath, shower to remove the chemical peel and a soaking tub). At fibre, immersion in water happens only during the foot bath. A warm compress may be used to help loosen muscles and a warm cloth is applied to clients’ feet at the end of the session. The warm compresses barely count as forms of hydrotherapy especially when compared to taking a shower or soaking in a tub.
Warm Welcome
The spa is tucked away on the lower floors of the hotel and shares the same reception area used for the fitness center and the lap pool. The massage therapist met me at the reception area and helped make the checking in go very smoothly.
I was the only person in the women’s locker room, which has access to a sauna and a shower. I had a chance to use these amenities before the session.
Signature Experience
The therapist led me away from the fitness area; up a few steps towards another entrance adjacent to the treatment rooms. For me, the walk from the dimly lit fitness/pool area to a more uplifting decor helped create a transition into a more relaxed space.
My session was provided in a large treatment room used for couples massage. The elegantly decorated treatment room came equipped with:
Two large chairs; one had a water filled vessel for the foot bath.
Two massage tables in the center of the room; one held a tray of products needed for the session.
A private restroom with a shower (located behind the tables) and a soaking tub (placed in front of the tables).
The therapist helped me get seated and sink my feet into the warm sudsy water before leaving the room. A few minutes later, the therapist returned to gently wrap each foot in a cloth and wipe them dry. With the water vessel removed, the therapist stepped out of the room while I got on the massage table.
The session continued when the therapist returned and began applying an oil-based chemical peel for the exfoliation. This felt like a gentle Swedish massage. After applying the peel, the therapist gave me instructions for proceeding with the session unassisted for about 20 minutes.
Left alone, I showered then soaked for several minutes in the tub filled with comfortably hot water and a detox oil. I carefully got out of the tub after the therapist gently tapped on the door and signaled it was time to start the massage.
The therapist reentered the room a few minutes later and skillfully provided a relaxing 60-minute Swedish massage.
Warming foot bath - self guided relaxation.
Spa/Fitness Center Locker Room
Other than noticing a few lounge chairs near the treatment rooms, I did not use the spa lounge area after the session.
I went to the locker room to change. I found it filled with friends/family members who were celebrating in the sauna. Their boisterous banter was a stark change to the 120 minutes of peacefulness in the treatment room. I headed back to my room and skipped going to the spa’s lounge area.
Tips for making the most of your visit to The Ritz Carlton Spa
View from the tub - looking out at the first massage table and the two chairs for the foot bath.
1. Consider public transit; the Straßenbahn (the red tram - Karlsplatz) passes in front of the hotel. The Stadtpark U-Bahn stop is a short walk from the hotel.
2. Assess your abilities to manage the slick surface on the bottom of the tub to prevent a slip or fall. When I had my session in 2022, I didn’t see any hand grips for getting in and out of the tub. I also didn’t see any method for summoning assistance in case of an emergency. As stated earlier, the Signature Experience was extremely relaxing - be aware of the need to protect yourself from accidental slips or falls.
3. Visit their rooftop lounge/bar or the hotel cafe/bar for a quiet place to sit after your session. It gives you a nice view of the city.
Reflecting on Services at fibre
Rolled face cloths beside the bath.
Considering the therapist left me alone numerous times, fibre clients receive an equivalent to the 120 minutes offered for the Signature Experience.
A 90-minute session at fibre, plus the intake/foot bath (15 minutes) and time to reflect after the session (15 minutes) adds up to 120 minutes.
At fibre, the 90 minutes starts when the client gets on the table and the therapist enters the treatment room. At the Ritz (and most other spas), the 90 minutes starts at the appointment time.
At fibre, each session includes 15 minutes for the intake and the foot bath plus another 15 minutes to relax alone after the session.
Although we don’t offer soaking baths for clients, we will continue offering warm foot baths and compresses as needed during massage sessions.
We will keep on using raw silk or mesh gloves to provide exfoliation; this eliminates the need to wash off chemical peels.
We mimic their approach to rolling face cloths (previously folded in fourths).
Overall, the experience was amazing. The visit reinforced many of the practices in place at fibre. To thank you for reading this far, here’s a code for a 10% discount at fibre:
FootBath
Code expires 30 July 2023.
*New clients see the online scheduler for a code that never expires.