Tenaya Stone Spa
One of my favorite places to unwind and decompress is at Tenaya Stone Spa. This petite spa is tucked away near the pool area at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. You’d almost miss it if you weren’t looking.
Overall, the spa offers a wide variety of services, not only massages, hair and nail treatments, facial and body treatments, fitness classes, but they also recently added makeovers as well. I’m very sensitive when it comes to cosmetics, so that is a service I don’t ever plan on using. But I have used the following services here:
Massages
Massages last between 50 to 80 minutes. Your background music choices are 1) Disney songs in piano 2) classic guitar songs and 3) nature sounds combined with songs in Native American dialect. I’ve listened to all three and prefer Disney songs…but I will say it can occasionally get repetitive.
The spa offers add-ons such as aromatherapy, hot stone and deep tissue.
I have noticed a few things that are different compared to other spas I’ve been to:
- After a back massage, they wipe away the oil from your back, and place a blanket over you and a warm heating pad.
- They usually massage your feet at the very end.
- The massage beds are adjustable via remote control. The foot or head of the massage bed can be lifted depending on the position you are in. No pillows under your ankles and knees are needed.
- Their stone massage is one of the best I’ve ever had – the stones are used all over the body during the treatment, not just on the large muscles.
One thing I will say is that it can be challenging to get the same massage therapist. You can request that same therapist but they may not be scheduled for that time slot until much closer to your day. The spa encourages requests but they can’t guarantee.
Salon
Pedicure
I have had my nails done here and have enjoyed that process. The pedicure is very relaxing – they soak your feet in a warm water tub that is connected to a massage chair. You have several choices to choose from, from a basic service to full service that include paraffin treatments. During the pedicure, you are offered a warm blanket for your lap and a warm neck towel to help you relax.
Hair
I have had a haircut here and I will say that the stylist I’ve been fortunate to have does a very thorough job. The cut comes with wash/shampoo along with blow dry. The stylist does a wet cut, blow dries the hair with a roll brush to compare how the hair lays wet versus dry and will finish up in case there is anything that doesn’t look right. Again, very thorough. I’m at the point now where I go to this hair salon regularly and always make an appointment based on her schedule.
Note: Fitness classes start at $25. Most are only offered to hotel guests, but the yoga class is available if you have booked a treatment first thing upon the spa opening. Yoga is offered later in the morning and closer to spa operating hours compared to power walk, bootcamp and paddleboarding.
Gift Shop
The gift shop has a wide variety of merchandise ranging from soaps, skin care, jewelry and clothing. The body care products are made of more natural materials, some brands they sell are cruelty-free and have a higher price point, similar to products you can find at Sephora. The jewelry sold consists of hypoallergenic metals and stone materials that are believed to assist with different wellness issues – balance, self-love, getting rid of negative emotions, etc.
Parking
Valet parking is provided free of charge for any service at $125 or above. Downtown Disney parking is $10 for the first hour and $7 each half hour after. But if you purchase anything in Downtown Disney, whether it’s at a shop or at a restaurant, you can get validation for 3-5 hours. If you choose to get a service done that is under $125, I recommend parking in the Downtown Disney lot closer to the Pixar Hotel. It’s faster to walk next to the Pixar Hotel on Disneyland Drive and enter the Grand Californian Hotel from its front gate.
Ambiance
The spa was remodeled in September 2016 – the same creative mind who designed Laniwai at Aulani was the person responsible for the remodel into Tenaya Stone Spa. In fact, during my trip to Aulani, a few of the cast members at Laniwai referred to Tenaya Stone Spa as Laniwai’s little sister due to the similarities. Tenaya Stone Spa has a Native American theme – specifically with the nature of Yosemite Valley. You can see the influence in the natural colors and decor.
Prior to your guide taking you through the double doors which lead into the spa, you are asked to pick a stone to help you focus on your journey (hair/nail salon services do not apply). The four stones are white magnesite, red pumice, black obsidian, and gold pyrite – all which have different properties. By the way, they don’t tell you what the stone’s characteristics are until you select one, so let the universe guide you!
When your guide takes you through the double doors, you immediately step into a serene environment in rich earth tones. A large stone serves as the center of the spa. This is the Tenaya stone, gifted to the spa by the Tenaya people from Yosemite Valley. Seriously, the stone actually came from there! Disney did their magic, worked with the people and were able to incorporate that as part of the spa. Talk about a great storytelling element.
Anyway, your guide encourages you to briefly meditate and reflect on the purpose of your visit before placing the stone you chose earlier next to the Tenaya stone. They will give you a tour of the waiting area and the showers before taking you to your locker.
Facilities/Amenities
The waiting room is a very peaceful retreat with various seating areas. One side of the waiting room has a fountain. You can enjoy unlimited amounts of small pastries along with fruit infused water. You will wait here for your massage therapist or can relax here after your services (I brought a book once to read before and after).
Bathrooms are equipped with rain showers and all the essentials needed such as shampoo, soap, hair dryer, makeup remover, towels and hair brushes. Lockers contain a robe and slippers, are easy to use and large enough to store all of your belongings. The showers are roomy enough so that you can also use it as a changing room if you don’t want to change near the lockers.
The bathrooms also have a steam room. They recommend using it after massages to enhance the treatment but I’ve also used the steam room beforehand to help relax the muscles. The steam room is very clean and due to the eucalyptus laced steam that blasts into the room, it doesn’t have that musky gym odor. The steam room can easily fit 4 or more sitting, and when the steam fills the room, it is literally blasting into the room which makes a very loud noise. I use it to time how long I’ve been in the steam room – 3 cycles is about 12 minutes.
One thing I have to mention is that the spa is very considerate to people with smell sensitivities. The salon doesn’t have that chemical smell (because they don’t do gel or acrylic manicures) and the massage rooms also have unscented massage oil). Personally, I love that.
Guest Service
If you’ve been to enough Disney properties, you immediately notice the top notch guest experience. The cast members at Tenaya Stone Spa are no different.
Upon check-in, the front desk will formally address you by ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ and your last name – not only are they confirming the pronunciation of your name, but I have a sneaking suspicion they are asking indirectly how you’d like to be addressed. Once they’ve confirmed what to call you, that information is shared to your therapist/salon service provider.
The cast member service here is awesome. Someone is always in the bathroom tidying up. Cleaning out the used towels, slippers…adding bottled water to the vanity area, straightening the tools in the vanity area, wiping the sink…overall someone is there making sure that it looks clean and ready for the next person to use.
Your service provider always engages with you and encourages feedback. It doesn’t matter if it’s a massage therapist or a nail technician. They will check in with you regularly to make sure you are comfortable with the service they are providing.
Depending on how busy the spa is overall, during salon services, I have been offered hot tea/water and snacks. It really depends on who is working around the salon and how busy it is, but nearly every time I’ve gotten a haircut or a pedicure, I’ve had anything from hot tea with honey, crudite and hummus or chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
Tenaya Stone Spa is a great way to treat yourself. It’s a relaxing experience, regardless if you’re a guest staying at the hotel or a local. If you have the chance to pamper yourself here, I recommend it. At the time of writing this article, it’s my favorite spa on Disney property.
