Canyon Ranch Woodside

This was my second trip to CR Woodside and unfortunately I was deeply disappointed. The daily schedule has been significantly pared down so there is not a lot to do if you don’t join one of the hikes. Quality of food was also hit or miss. Some dishes were excellent and others quite terrible (eggs, roast chicken legs and duck). The spa is tiny and has limited daily offerings; I note the theme of my retreat was “Spa Renewal” though there were only a handful of services to choose from. I had an excellent massage with Maya and a very poor massage with another provider. Seems that quality and management has gone down significantly since my first trip in 2021. I love CR Tucson and will be sticking to that location from now on.

The experience in the Redwoods was magical and it exceeded expectations. The room, bed, linens were so comfortable. I slept great. The surrounding area is a highlight of the experience, we hiked around the property and it was so beautiful. Finally, the staff is so genuine and genuinely interested in creating a special experience. Doug is a STAR. His service mindset and love of the showing off the surrounding nature is really special. I can’t wait to go back.

My wife surprised me with a weekend at the world famous Canyon Ranch. She had previously ordered a bottle of wine that was supposed to be in my room when I arrived on Saturday. I arrived, checked in and went to my room. No wine. I went to a fireside chat as it was raining the day I arrived ruling out any outdoor activities. The discussion was led by the wellness director for the spa who started off by giving us her background and the fact that she has an eating disorder and she has to learn compassion in order to deal with her disorder and the related trauma (why would a teacher share this?) I was the only male in the discussion and hears about other traumas and how one of the women in the class is having trouble with her husband not supporting her. One woman left because she was uncomfortable. Welcome to the class sir - we want you to leave. When I got back from the class I was taking a shower and a knock on the door which I answered with “can’t come to the door right now”. Went to dinner a little late - fish, duck, or mushrooms - I don’t eat duck or mystery fish so I tried the rubbery mushrooms and decided I would be better off NOt eating. No one offered a drink other than water even though I heard about their wine program. Back to the room - ate a cliff bar and went to bed early. The next morning I had a massage and the spa was a ghost town. Since I was apparently unwelcome in the fireside chats I thought I’d add a facial to my massage. “We’re sorry our esthetician is off today”. What? You’re open 4 days per week and one of them you have no staff? So I had a nice massage, looked at the lunch menu - no thanks - had a bar and took a nap. A while later I went for a walk and came back to a bottle of wine and a lovely note from my wife - more than a day after it was supposed to be there. Was going to walk the labyrinth as the mentioned it online - only to learn that it is just bricks in the driveway that look like a labyrinth. And there were people working out there. Back to the room. Dinner that night was again - fish - another Clif bar and thought I’d crack open the wine. It was bad - bad as in disgusting vinegar - so two sips and no thanks. The next morning I went to breakfast and orders over medium eggs that came out hard and broken and basically inedible. Another bar then to the front desk to complain and call an Uber to end this awful experience. They called me a car that cost more than 2x the cost of an Uber. As o was walking out to the car the GM Alex came out to talk about my experience and he didn’t not at all seem surprised and credited me one night. The bottom line - 2 nights in an average room (my wife splurged on the treehouse room which was outdated and dirty) cost $3000 less the $1100 credit. $1900 for a room to sleep in - crappy cold food and a closed spa. I could have stayed at the Ritz for $500/night and had actual good service. My advice - if you want to go to Canyon Ranch - go to Tucson or one of the others. Woodside is actually not very nice (other than being in the woods) and the staff, although nice - could care less about your stay. Plus - my wife has been trying to reach Alex (I’m pretty sure that’s his name) about the lack of wine delivery and our overall dissatisfaction - nope - I guess he’s moved on to caring for the wealthy older women who visit this so called spa.

I have been trying a few retreats in N. Cal. This place by far is the best. Here we go: - Tree house. You have to try the tree house. It is simply magical. View is awesome. Rooms are clean and well kept. Tubs are deep. Have a coffee at your private deck or simply sit and read a book on the couch, surrounded by the forest. This is one retreat that I don't mind staying in the room all day. - Service. EVERYONE here is great. Unbeatable service. They are very good at attracting the right talent to do the right job. Wow! - Food. Food is fresh and amazing. They use different material daily. My first dinner here was a bit unexpected. My protein was slightly overcooked (chicken and a white fish). But no issues for the rest of my meals here. All perfectly executed and super fresh. Portion here is a bit small.... well... I also eat a lot.. so I could be biased. Except for breakfast (not a big breakfast fan), I normally order everything off the menu and was able to finish them all plus reordering some dishes.... For those of you stayed here before.... you might understand that I do eat a lot. lol - Classes. The all-inclusive classes are great! The guided hiking tours are a must. All other fitness classes are awesome. They also offer different classes around the same time frame, giving you options. Out of all retreats that I stayed, this place has the best classes offered, in terms of variety and inclusiveness. - Peers. People visiting here are also great. I ran into some pretty awesome people along the way. - Facility. The overall facility here is really well kept. There are a good amount of walking trails on site also. I also tried the swimming pool. I am a lap swimmer. To be honest, the pool is a little too small for me. But no one was at the pool when I used it. So I was able to swim laps. I am not a big hot tub fan and did have my legs scratched in the hot tub (well... after lap swims of 40 min... you get tired a little). - Massage. I really love the massage here. I don't know what is the trick behind their signature massage. I was out in 5 minutes and felt amazing after... Hopefully... I didn't snore too much. lol I also want to comment that I can't recall what they used in the room. It creates some type of white noise and put you into a really deep sleep. It is very easy to oversleep here... Because of the location, this retreat is a little limited by size. They offer a small dinning area. So if you prefer to sit outside and enjoy the view, you really need to get in early during the dining hours. I would like to come back again. :) Tree house here is really amazing.

I cannot say enough good things about Canyon Ranch Woodside. I attended the first retreat in August and every element of my stay: location, room, grounds, spa, gym and food were excellent! The staff work incredibly hard to provide a seamless experience and to treat every guest with respect and kindness. In my book the superstar of Woodside is Laurel Kidd, the spa’s spiritual wellness practitioner. She shows up to every appointment and service with a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that is to be commended. I look forward to returning in the spring. At the spa, I highly recommend the ode to nature facial, the deep tissue massages and the forest to ocean body treatment. I received the best massage of my life from Venita (if I recall her name correctly).