Holtz Spa

Ok! Holtz Spa you have redeemed yourself.
I called yesterday and told the lady on the phone about my issue with the hair colour and cut. I was informed that I could come in tomorrow and she’d take a look at it. I wasn’t sure what that meant, whether or not they’d give me a discount on my next visit, not do anything, etc.
I went in, the stylist I had last time and the manager spent a good 20 minutes deciding which colour would go best with my hair, they wanted to make sure it matched my extensions perfectly without fading this time. Despite the fact it was a complaint I was coming in over, they were extremely polite and I didn’t feel any bad vibes from them. In fact my stylist, when she washed my hair, this time she gave me a head massage. Woohoo! There ya go.
The hair turned out AMAZING. It is absolutely perfect this time, you can’t tell what is my hair from what is extension, exactly what I wanted. I mean, it sucks it happened the first time but they were extremely happy to help, good management here.
Thanks Holtz Spa!

I’ve been going to holtz for a long time and i keep going for a reason. They are always very professional and accommodating and they offer top notch spa services. Buki has always given me great facials — you can see she really enjoys what she does and loves connecting with her clients. I’ve also had many massages there from swedish to the table Thai (an unforgettable experience and the first time ive ever been walked on! LOL) and most recently i had a full body lympatic massage mixed with a little reiki which was just what i needed. I would never have requested reiki on my own so i’m thankful the masseuse tried a little on me as the massage put me into a state of total balance and harmony — i will definitely be back for that! I wish i could remember the masseuse’s name but if anyone is looking for her just ask for a reiki specialist and im sure you will get her.
I also like the products they sell at holtz like jane iredale, dr hauschka and moroccon oil.
some may think services are pricey, but you get what you pay for and in this case i happily pay for trusted quality service.
edit: the masseuse’s name is Karen. and I also recommend Carmen for an excellent hot stone massage and you can request to wait and have a cup of tea in the gorgeous «orchid lounge»!!

I visited the Holtz Spa (Ottawa) this past weekend while visiting Ottawa briefly.
My mother agreed to watch my little boy for two precious hours, so I made the most of it by nearly falling asleep during two separate spa treatments. :)
The Holtz Spa is a bit difficult to find, but one you do, you’re definitely in a spa and forget you’re sort of right in the epicentre of downtown Ottawa activity.
Check in was easy, but making the reservation online beforehand was really tedious and required two follow-​up phone calls to make it work. No point in saying you can book things online if it really requires a phone call to seal the deal.
I had a facial and a Thai aromatherapy massage. I’ve had a Thai Yoga massage before, where you wear loose fitting clothing and the therapist manipulates you into various postures and stretches, great for an active person with lots of muscle stress. The Thai aromatherapy massage was completely not what I was expecting. I was asked to lie face down on the table, which seemed odd. I thought maybe they had the type of massage I had booked wrong. So imagine my surprise when a Thai woman comes in, pulls my limbs in weird directions and then proceeds to stand on various parts of my body, holding the ceiling with her hands for support. Now, I’m not saying this was bad, but I was a bit taken aback and I thought it could have been better explained on booking. Not the type of massage I’d get again. I’m a bit of a hyper-​hypo and I actually thought I was going to get injured and spent most of the 50 minutes keyed-​up and not relaxed at all.
The facial was good, but short, and resulted in me having some kind of rash on my neck and décolletage for… well, I still have it today, so 4 days (???). I was obviously sensitive to something in whatever products they used which isn’t technically their fault, but which has never happened to me before in my long-​standing history of a pretty immaculate skin care régime, which includes a facial at least every 8 weeks.
Then it cost around $ 300, I got the regular push to buy their skin care products which I always find has the opposite effect of relaxing on me. It’s such a sales pitch and you feel trapped. This time I didn’t give in, but I have done so many times in the past. I was worried about getting back to my kid on time, so I paid and rushed out.
Holtz Spa was also really busy on this particular day, which didn’t help the relaxation factor. I think the only reason I fell asleep during the facial is because the therapist left the room for 10 minutes after applying one of the masques (maybe the one that gave me a rash) and it was dark and spa-​esque and there was a lot of steam lingering in the room from that part of the treatment. Who wouldn’t fall asleep?
I’m not sure I will visit again based on this experience. It’s much too expensive as compared to the value for your dollar and not relaxing enough for that price, either.

I had a great experience here at the Holtz Spa. A friend bought me a massage for my birthday here.
The massage therapist that I had was really friendly and bubbly. She definitely made my experience great! I guess a lot of the staff have multiple functions in this spa, so I would definitely go back if I knew I could have her for a manicure or pedicure.
The atmosphere was very relaxing, nice music, good scents and an overall feeling of calm. You can head next door after to have a nice healthy lunch too.
Ask for Julie, she gives a great massage and has you feeling relaxed and positive by the time you leave!

While this is certainly an elegant place, and definitely does provide ‘a quiet sanctuary to relax and rejuvenate’ as it advertises, the price does not match the experience.
Located in the heart of the byward market, apparently this is a favourate for the city’s elite. The prices are certainly fit for the elite!
I was willing to let this pass and was ready to experience a high-​class massage. Unfortunately they mixed up my request/​order and gave me a pedicure instead of a massage! When this was corrected, the massage was given half-​heartedly. All in all, this was not a good experience.