Mandara Spa Review

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by Elizabeth Brown
AllEars.Net Guest Blogger

I visited the Mandara Spa at the Walt Disney World Dolphin on Wednesday, May 16. I called in advance to book the appointment, and I advised them that I would be redeeming a Groupon certificate for a hot stone massage and facial with an upgrade of paraffin hand and foot treatment and scalp massage.

I arrived about 15 minutes prior to my appointment to check in. I was greeted at the desk and given a form to fill out to let the technicians know of any specific concerns. I gave the receptionist my Groupon certificate and she confirmed the services I had scheduled. From there I was escorted to the locker room and given a robe and sandals to change into. The lockers are standard size and each has a programmable digital lock so you don’t need to keep track of a key. A separate area has restrooms and showers. There are plenty of toiletries for guests to use including deodorant, hairspray, toothbrushes, shower caps, lotion, etc.

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The relaxation room has cushioned benches with magazines to read. Refreshments consisted of apples, hot tea, and ice water. The treatment rooms are around the perimeter. A second, larger area with more comfortable chairs overlooking the pool area is down a short side hallway. I was unaware of the second area during my first visit last year, so I was pleased to learn about it this time.

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My massage was wonderful and relaxing, with the hot stones and paraffin upgrades enhancing the experience. My facial was also terrific! They use a special instrument for extracting congestion from pores that I found more comfortable than the manual extractions performed at many facials. They do have the facial products for sale at the spa, but there was no pressure to purchase them.

At the conclusion of my services I returned to the desk and paid the gratuity (a 20% charge calculated on the full price of the services).

Mandara Spa offers discounts for DVC members, and sporadically offers deals on Groupon and TravelZoo. Call to schedule appointments in advance.





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One Reply to “Mandara Spa Review”

  1. My husband and I visited the spa in January 2016. The spa is located at a convention hotel and the parking lot was very full making parking a challenge. At the time signage to the spa was not clear in the hotel and due to the massive crowd in hotel lobby we were not able to quickly ask staff to direct us. These three things delayed us by getting to our appointment. So instead of being 15 minutes early as we had planned, we were 15 minutes late.

    Upon arrival, we had to complete paperwork etc so our hour services were reduced to 30 minutes, but we were charged for the full hour service. As this a birthday surprise for me from my husband, it was crushing for him. The manager on site for the spa told us there was nothing she could do and the hotel manager never responded to our two phone calls. My advice is to plan to arrive 30 minutes ahead of time, not 15. Signage may have been changed since we visited as that was the issue we pointed out to to the spa and hotel – signs at that time directed to the wrong area of the lobby making us run around like keystone cops.