Upstairs are two massage rooms and a small waiting area. On the first floor, Well Within offers additional massage and body treatment rooms as well as spa rooms. There are 4 indoor spa rooms – each overlooking a beautiful Japanese garden with waterfall and Koi pond and each equipped with a hot tub with water jets, a shower, and changing area. Some rooms have cedar-lined saunas. There are also outdoor spa enclosures featuring hot tubs on a deck open to the sky, saunas, and indoor shower and changing areas. Towels are provided. These spa rooms can be rented by the hour which is what my husband, daughter, and I did before our spa treatments. The Spa room with sauna rents for $9/person/55 minutes (day rate). We relaxed in the hot tub and sauna, drank herbal tea, listened to relaxing music and prepared ourselves physically and mentally for our massages ($45 for 1 hour per person). When 10 minutes remained of our 55, a signal was given to the room so we could have time to shower off and put on the robes the Well Within provided. This is the best pre-massage preparation I have ever had or seen. I have been at spa resorts that offered a hot tub before a spa treatment, but it was shared with 8-10 other people waiting for their treatments and certainly did not have the view. The privacy of Well Within’s rooms and the beauty of the garden are truly special. After our stay in the spa room, my husband and I headed upstairs to the massage rooms and my daughter went to one on the first floor. Francesca was my therapist and provided a wonderfully relaxing massage – a combination of Swedish and Shiatsu. Two things would have improved the experience for me and my husband: 1) some sort of screen or curtain on the windows - the windows opened to the buildings next door and left us feeling   exposed and 2) a bit of decorating in the massage rooms – they were pretty sterile looking – very bright, clinical white. I prefer soft lights and a more cozy feel. My daughter, however, did not feel the same way after being in the massage room downstairs. She said it was comfortable and private. All in all, Well Within Spa is one of the most enjoyable day spas I’ve been to. While their spa service selection is limited, what they do offer is excellent and a terrific value. I only wish I lived closer!

         
Well Within Spa
417 Cedar Street
Santa Cruz, California 95060
Telephone: 831-458-WELL (9355)