Spa Rio at Hotel Rio is well managed, clean, but fails to wow visitors. Spa Rio is located about 500 ft off of the Casino floor towards the Starbucks and a hotel café. The night earlier I called from my room and scheduled a 1:00 pm spa appointment for a deep tissue massage. The spa receptionist explained to me that there were three different types of massages (Swedish, medium, and deep). I have a bad back and decided to get the deep tissue massage for $155. I arrived for my 1:00 pm appointment and was greeted by three beautiful-smiling faces behind the reception desk. I signed in and paid for the session with my Visa credit card. I was told to go through the men’s spa entrance behind me and to enjoy my stay.

I walked into the Spa and was greeted by a well dressed young Mexican or dark skinned south East Asian man. I was asked what size sandal I wore and what I would like to drink. I requested an orange juice and a V8. Both drinks were served in a large plastic cup with ice. I changed out of my clothing and put on my bath robe and sandals. I was able to finish the orange juice but couldn’t quite down all the V8.

I made my way to the steam room and was asked if I would like an ice bucket, wash rag, and a bottle of water. It is quite rare to be offered an ice bucket prior to entering a steam room – I gladly accepted. I slipped off my robe and wrapped my waste in a towel and tossed a towel over my right shoulder. I entered the steam room to find a pleasant thick steam that immediately entered my pours. With the amount of drinking I did the night prior, I think it may have reactivated some of the alcohol molecules still residing in my body. It took a minute or two for a new blast of steam to fill the room. I was disappointed that I didn’t smell any fragrance or eucalyptus in the air. There was a eucalyptus spray bottle (I believe) outside the steam room on a shelf. I was too lazy and already relaxed to get up and give the room a spray. Besides, this is the attendants job, not mine. I took the bottle of water out of the metal bucket and drank half and poured the other half over my face. After a few minutes I began to overheat again, so I took the wash rag out of the ice bucket and squeezed the ice-cold water all over my face and chest. Damn that was cold – a little too cold. I put the wash rag back into the bucket and let it absorb more water. This time I squeezed the ice water back into the bucket and wiped my body down with the wash rag.

I exited the steam room feeling like a newly cleaned man. I put my bath robe back on and made my way into the small and rather dingy looking hot tub room. There are two whirl pools, both smaller then my hot tub in my backyard. They were both rather dismal looking and almost like a therapy tub in a hospital. Regardless, I turned the dial and powered up the hot tub on the left. I entered the tub and it wasn’t nearly hot enough for my liking. The jets produced no intensity and there was a fat bald man sitting about half a foot behind my head watching a college football game on the small LCD flat screen on the wall. After being uncomfortable for 5 minutes I got back out of the hot tub and put my bath robe back on.

At this point there were only 15 more minutes till my massage so I decided to wait in the waiting room. I was rather hungry and still hung over from the night before so I sampled the limited food assortment they displayed. There was a gumball type machine that dispensed trail mix and a water filtration unit to the right. There were no cups and trail mix was littered around the table from sloppy patrons. I managed to find a small plastic cup and filled it with trail mix. Spas that feature numerous snack treats such as: apples, pears, oranges, bananas, etc… truly embrace spa treatment. Rio certainly did not embrace the overall spa treatment. The attendants however, did an excellent job with their limited resources and saw to it that every request I made was immediately and completely carried out.

I was greeted by Robert (not sure anymore if that is his name) a few minutes past my scheduled 1:00 pm appointment. Robert was a mild mannered masseuse with fantastic hair and great personal appearance. I typically request men as masseuses as I enjoy a deeper tissue massage (although I am beginning to find that female masseuses are often able to provide just as strong as an experience). Robert walked me to the massage room and made small chat with me (where are you from, business or pleasure, how was your night last night). I was told to lay underneath the sheet face down and he would return in a few minutes. I climbed onto the table and got underneath the sheet. The face rest was uncomfortable the entire massage. Two small hand towels were placed over the face rest. The face towels were coarse and kept slipping off during the entire massage. Robert was an average masseuse with excellent hands, but no signature moves. He explained to me that this was his weekend job and his full time job is doing graphic design for signs that construction companies use. I have two herniated discs in my lower right back and explained to him that I am very sensitive in that area. Not sure if he understood my request entirely, but he managed to avoid putting any serious pressure in that area. Come to think of it, he did have one excellent signature move. He started with his pointer and middle finder at the base of my chicken or wing bone and ran his entire arm up my back till his elbow was at tip of my shoulder. He then immediately ran his middle and pointer finger back down the same line. This was done with extreme pressure and I actually cringed during every single run – it was an excellent deep tissue move.

After an hour massage with Robert I was provided with a bill ($155 + $20 tip) and was walked back to the waiting room. I decided to take another steam bath and requested another ice bucket with three bottles of water. In each ice bucket there were two oranges in a plastic zip lock bag (I ate them each time, but I think some of the ice water may have come in contact with the oranges – not sanitary). The next time you take a steam bath be certain to bring a handful of bottled water with you. While sitting in the steam bath stay hydrated by drinking as much as you can and dump the water all over your chest and face. You will hydrate your body to a level you rarely experience. The pours on your face will be completely purified and you will see the difference in the mirror afterwards. Ask your spa attendant if they have access to micro dermabrasion clothes – It might be a good idea to come with one. Microdermabrasion clothes provide an amazing spa experience and literally take off 1 or 2 layers of your skin. It is a very cost effective product in comparison with expensive spa treatments that provide the same effect. Prior to leaving the steam room for a second time, I wiped myself down with the cold wash rag a few more times. I left the steam room and took a shower (I would consider this optional as the steam bath already provides you with shower – just no soap). I tipped the attendants $10 dollars and thanked them for their excellent service. I departed the spa and was thanked for coming in from the three beautiful smiling faces behind the reception desk.

Overall, I was not impressed with the Spa at Rio Hotel. There are numerous things that Rio hotel can do to enhance their spa program and provide guests with an exceptional spa experience. For starters, shoe shine service should be offered to male guests. An assortment of snacks and fruits should be offered. A total remodeling of the hot tub room. Remove the geriatric therapy tubs and re-do all of the tile and molding. Repair the broken showers, vacuum the carpet in the waiting room, and clean up the trail mix that was so sloppily spread around. I spent nearly $200 dollars for what I would consider a $60 dollar spa experience. If you are looking for an exceptional spa experience in Las Vegas I encourage you to read some of our other Las Vegas Spa experience reviews.