Lesley Goddin

Review of Ten Thousand Waves

My sweetie and I visited Ten Thousand Waves for th...

My sweetie and I visited Ten Thousand Waves for the first time May 21, 2016. It is a beautiful Japanese-themed oasis with a tranquil setting to relax and just "be." The tub settings are lovely, with views to the sky and outdoors, and the meditation room is a quiet place of indoor repose.
However, it is NOT a place for the handicapped - and this needs to be made VERY clear to first-time visitors. There was no mention of the 91 steps from the lower parking lot to the main building. Though there was a call box for a ride to the main building, it was out of order, and it wasn't clear that a handicapped placard was not necessary to park in the upper level. My sweetie had injured his back the day before we went to the spa (and 2 weeks after making our reservation), so the 91 steps to the main building were literally a living hell for him.
But that wasn't all. Once we reached the building, there were another steep flight of steps to reach the front desk and lower level tubs. No elevator. The fellow who was assisting us then explained that the men's changing area was up ANOTHER flight of steps which my sweetie would have to ascend -- and then come down again to go up yet ANOTHER flight of stairs to our assigned tub.
We were on the verge of cancelling, when the attendant allowed him to change in the main level restroom, but we still had to walk up to our tub. By then we were both super stressed out, so the first 40 minutes of the soak were spent just to try to unwind from arriving at the place.
Also, when TTW called to confirm our reservation, they told us we needed to bring nothing to the soaking experience. But when we arrived, we were asked if we brought our water bottles. Yeah, 91 steps down at our car! They kindly provided us with pitchers of water and cups for our soak, but that should have been make clear during the reservation process.
So, my suggestion to TTW is when people call for a reservation, ask them if it's their first time. If it is, explain the upper level parking accommodations, but also that there are still ample staircases that need to be navigated to get to the main desk and to the tubs. And remind people to bring a water bottle.
Not sure if we'll return, but if so, it will only be when we are both able-bodied for the multiple climbs to the facilities.