Mandara Spa

I booked a Brilliance facial with a paraffin hand treatment. It was nothing fancy but my esthetician did a wonderful job accommodating my requests, and I was very satisfied with the service provided.

I received 2 treatments from Michelle Ngyen during our stay in October 2015. Michelle has excellent intuition, very good strength and a therapeutic technique. It was a pleasant surprise to have such a therapeutic service at a spa. The spa is clean and peaceful but the real value there was the practitioner. I did not plan to have two treatments during our short stay but Michelle was so good that I had to return.

Excellent. The lockers are small, but the staff was careful about the number of people booked so there was plenty of space for everyone. Free use of the sauna and steam room. I arrived about 30 minutes early for my 80 minute deep tissue massage after my runDisney half marathon. I used the sauna, drank some cucumber-​infused water, and then relaxed in the waiting room. Very gorgeous lighting and very quiet. Comfortable soft robes for you to wear while you wait.
My therapist was amazing. The perfect amount of pressure. He was very careful on my legs and hips since they were quite sore from the running. He did an awesome job. Remember to speak up if you want pressure changes, therapists are happy to please you since you’re paying them for the service! Tip was included, 20% and he was worth every penny.

I did a couple’s massage and it was quite nice. I had Adriana who took everything I had issues with and tried to work all the knots and muscle issues out. She’s really great! Overall though, it’s really expensive for what it is. The spa at Glen Ivy Hot Springs and at Aulani are much better. After your appointment there’s really no private area to relax and unwind. The locker rooms are small and not cleaned out or kept on an hourly or constant basis. I had to look in several lockers to find a robe! I had a really great person for my massage but overall it was just OK. They need to update this place.

The spa is outdated. My esthetician was sweet. I just do not believe in the mandatory $ 41 tip. That was pretty ridiculous. Not upscale and anything special for the price. I been to plenty of spas and also tip 20% but the fact that it was a mandatory charge like that… Obviously shows something. Pay your employees!

Impromptu visit here as it was a last minute gift from a friend for a 50 minute massage.
Honestly, I was very skeptical of this place because it was so expensive and I have a very good masseuse that charges less than half this for a full hour but my friend was insistent and I caved when they had an opening.
They showed us back to the locker rooms and I changed into one of the robes. Ladies, these robes are see through. I kept my light blue gray underwear on and you could see them. Another lady was in her robe bent over a locker and I unfortunately saw her unmentionables too. Keep this in mind!
The locker room is unbearably small. The locker area itself is about 5×6 feet total. No stools or benches to change, put your shoes on or relax. A small chair sits outside of this area but there is only one and inconvenient.
Showers were dirty with hair and old shampoo stains on the walls and curtain.
They were out of clean hair brushes, toothbrushes, body lotion and the deodorant spray bottle was so old the push down spray top was completely stuck so you couldn’t spray it on correctly after a shower (I ended up spraying it in my eye when I was trying to push down so hard with my left hand… a disaster). The razors were the cheapest brand they could possibly find and I ended up cutting myself in 2 places on my legs (one of which was bleeding for another 10 minutes and no bandaids to be found).
I did not use the steam room but the sauna was nice and clean.
Massage was supposed to be a deep tissue and I am not exaggerating when I explain that my $ 30 westfield mall massage the day before was firmer than the $ 130 massage I got today. I’m flabbergasted. I absolutely hated the scent of whatever oil they used and upon reading reviews from other people, they were supposed to let me choose a scent.
Thank god they had showers.
The masseuse tried very hard to up sell me into getting the hot stones added because, ‘the deep tissue massage works better with hot stone.’ I think the massage would’ve worked better if my 8 week old kitten was there kneading into my back like she does every night before bed. I should’ve recommended that to her and charged her the extra 30 $!
What a sick joke this place is. My massage place charges 45 $ for 60 minutes and it includes hot stones! And they even listen to what I need…
I not only wrote it on the card at check in but I also very clearly explained that I needed, ‘the area medial to my right scapula but lateral to the spine,’ worked on the most. She looked at me like I was turning into Maleficent and precisely gave me 15 minutes both sides with the exact same pressure and routine… obviously not giving a bum about my request.
My dearest Disney,
Please cut contracts with this spa agency and consider upgrading to any other spa company in the area. If I had paid for this myself, I would have disputed the charges. Shame on you for allowing this company to work under the Disney umbrella.
Not recommended. The 2 stars were for the friendly girls up front and the sauna.
For the price, this place falls drastically short of expectations and amenities when comparing to its equally priced competitors. I’ve gone to many spas (usually once a year) in the last 10 years and I’ve had to pay less while getting much more.
For people who do not know any better, this place will be fine. To those of us who have prior knowledge of what a top notch spa experience should entail, 2 stars is very gracious. Every spa provides shampoo, sauna, steam room, razors, etc… but they also restock and clean throughout the day. This place was dirty and out of most everything when I came in at 4pm. Locker rooms should also be inviting, relaxing and part of the experience… not small, crowded and dirty.

They are nice. I’m very tense so Christy tried. There locker room is small and their steam room& sauna is pretty good. No Jacuzzi. I went to Burke Williams a couple weeks ago and there spa is nicer. But for the price I was happy with what I got. Maybe next time Ill have a man cause like I said I’m very tense but just going there super tense and leaving relaxed was just what I needed.

I’ve had three services here and all have been spectacular.
Yes, the facilities are small, but what you’re really paying for is the service… which is divine. After a massage I feel like I’m a princess and it’s that little extra that they do that sets them apart from other places.
Highly recommend if you’re a passholder or just visiting from out of town.

Pay the price and they’ll rub you up real nice.
I feel like the average ratings for Mandara Spa aren’t truly reflective of the above-​average experience they provide. Seems like plenty of people are going in with the wrong expectations. Is there anything really special about this spa? As nice as it is, other than the fact that it’s in Disney, no. You can’t really complain about the price when you go to Disney. You know what you’re getting yourself into. Everything is expensive, but you get what you pay for. Want a bargain? Go to Walmart. But don’t expect to receive the Disney experience for the same prices.
Staff, facilities, and experience were all top notch. The locker room was a lot nicer than I had expected and was full of wonderful amenities. The spa itself is nice and the masseuses were much better than what I’ve experienced during other massages in the past. I did notice some reviewers comment on how their masseuse lacked any real pressure during their session. Mine did the same at first, then I spoke up. All it took was letting them know. Imagine that. If you’re shelling out the cash, don’t be afraid to let them know how you want your massage. It will get you session much more to your liking than you would by just saying nothing, only to complain to the internet about it later.
With the wrong expectations and a lack of communication skills, you will probably hate this place and regret forking over the bill. With the right expectations and the proper communication skills, you can have yourself one hell of a massage and a magical experience that is worth every penny.

Don’t get me wrong, this place is very nice. But for the money, it’s not worth it. I am a cast member at California adventure, and I really love this hotel. But coming here was very expensive, and I feel like I didn’t get my moneys worth. The person who did my nails was very nice, but this definitely wasn’t worth getting my nails done here again. But I’ve never had a massage here, and I’m sure that those are wonderful. I would deathly recommend a cheaper nail salon instead of this.

My brother and I wanted to do something nice for my mom while on a family vacation in Disneyland this year so we opted for the spa at the CA Grand Hotel. I decided last minute to try a pedicure only since my feet were a little rough from all the walking.
Upon arrival we were greeted and taken back to the women’s locker room. The locker room was nothing fancy at all and lacked character given the price of the services. Small SMALL SMALL locker room. Did I mention small? As we were putting our robes on we kept bumping into the woman next to us basically.
The pedicure itself was nothing spectacular. The girl did a little bit of reflexology but I had to ask her to clean up my toes a bit better. Definitely NOT worth the $ 75, make it $ 75 plus with the added gratuity that is automatically added on without your say. I fully believe in tiling 20% and beyond for a job well done. In this case, not so much. Just kind of «meh.» Maybe worth $ 25.
My mom said her Swedish massage was mediocre if anything as well. She had fibromyalgia and lupus so she hurts and really needed a good job done on her. She never treats herself, so it broke my heart when my we heard the masseuse «pulled» on her scalp often throughout the massage to get the «blood flowing.» Apparently that was the majority of the massage. The masseuse threw in some massage technique here and there, but she was mainly uncomfortable the whole time.
I’m not one to complain, and neither is my mom. But I feel horrible her experience wasn’t great when she really needed a little TLC. Alternatively, it could have also been much worse, but I strongly urge anyone to reconsider services here. My review does not seem to be the one heeding warning. I hope this prevents someone else from spending the money when you can get something much better and nicer somewhere else.

I was severely disappointed with my massage experience. The facilities are nice for what it is. I didn’t expect too much since this spa is at a resort like Disneyland. People don’t really come here for the massage experience so much for the theme parks. My boyfriend wanted to do something sweet and different for us so since we both love Disneyland and massages he ordered us a couples massage at Mandara. We opted for the Bamboo upgrade because it was something new and unique that neither of us had tried before.
The facilities are small but nice. Someone greets you and checks you in when you walk through the door and then they give you a quick rundown of how the bathroom and sauna facilities work. You get to pick a locker with a key in it and your bath robe is supposed to be inside. I think either they didn’t restock thoroughly throughout the day or there were some greedy patrons because my locker and a few of the lockers next to me didn’t have robes in them. But it was fine because I told a worker and she refilled them.
The bathroom comes with a number of facilities including actual bathroom stalls, showers, and two saunas – one steam and one dry. The dry sauna was really nice for me but for my boyfriend it was verging on the edge of too hot. We both agreed that the steam sauna was lacking in both steam and heat. The bathrooms/​saunas are separated by sex so we weren’t in them together, we just touched base about them afterwards.
After I stripped down and put on my robe I met him out in the waiting area which came equipped with peach-​ginger ice-​tea and cucumber water, fruits and mints. I felt like we were waiting for a while considering they really emphasized showing up on time because if we were late then they would cut our session short to accommodate for the following customers.
The masseuses were not bad. Mine was actually very nice… but where my 2 stars review comes in is because I feel like I didn’t get a massage so much as I got a 50 minute rub down. I feel like she didn’t use any pressure or force and didn’t really work out my knots. The whole time I kept wondering to myself when she would be done applying oil and start massaging me. It wasn’t a thorough full-​body massage either. They don’t really pay much attention to the extremities. The bamboo part was kinda cool I guess… they’re heated pieces of bamboo that are dipped in oil and the use to help roll over your back. But honestly, overall when the $ 350 bill was rang up I almost choked because it was the most not worth it experience I have ever had. Thoroughly disappointed and would not come back.

Friendly staff and nice environment however there are several items that were more than underwhelming.
1. We booked for the regular couples massage however were upsold to the hot stone massage in the room. The massage had no pressure and way too much oil. The hot stones were definitely hot but really It wasn’t worth the extra money.
2. The locker rooms had good amenities however the showers had mold and water was only extremely hot water or lukewarm. The shower drains and floors of the locker room had visible hair from previous spa goers
3. The steam room in the locker room was so smelly that I couldn’t enter the room. I opted for the sauna instead.
Would not recommend this experience for the price we paid.

I would probably give this place less than 2 stars but the people were at least nice.
I first came here with a travel zoo discount I purchased. I got a Swedish massage. Basically no matter how many times I asked her for more pressure she just rubbed lotion on me. There was no massage.
I gave the place another chance. But I decided today to only get a pedicure. It was nice but nothing special. I didn’t bother really looking at my toes. When I got back to my room I noticed that I have red nail polish all around my nail beds. It looks like a 2 year old painted my toes. This was a $ 75 pedicure and you are automatically charged 20% tip.
I guess it was my own fault for giving them a second chance. I will never be back now.

My friend’s bachelorette party started with a day at the Mandara Spa. As far as spas go, I wasn’t too impressed by the facilities which are on the small side considering Glen Ivy and Burke Williams which are also located in OC. The appointments were a breeze to book in advance. As part of the bridal party, we researched in advance looking for Groupons and gift card deals. When we saw a Groupon for Spa Wish cards (30% off), we jumped on that. They also have Spa Wish cards at Costco for 20% off. Basically we either paid $ 70 or $ 80 for $ 100 in gift cards to be used at Mandara. Not a bad discount. We bought a few cards for ourselves and the bride so we were all set when we needed to settle up. They also take the AP passholder discount too. 10% off for Saturdays.
They offer 5 hours of complimentary valet at Mandara so check in was a breeze. They ask you the normal questions at the beginning and have you change out of your street clothes into a spa robe. While in the waiting area, they have fruit, cucumber water, and unsweetened tea. The music is instrumental spa music that is piped throughout. While waiting I was bored because I didn’t have my phone on me. I wasn’t allowed to bring it into the waiting area because it would be a distraction. I guess being 20 minutes early was overkill. I did run into a few of the bridal party while waiting. Unfortunately, they do not have a jacuzzi area for relaxing. They do have a steam room and a sauna both of which were not my cup of tea on a hot day in August.
My therapist finally came out to greet me at noon. I was having a Frangipani body wrap with back massage. When I told her I was a runner, she told me she’d work on my legs as well. How nice! The wrap involved her rubbing Frangipani oils and coconut oils into my skin and wrapping me in foil for a set amount of time so that the oil has time to absorb into my skin. The massage was great and my skin was baby soft afterwards. I was given the option of rinsing off in the shower but I had also booked a Fire and Ice pedicure along with my body wrap so I decided to stay in my robe during my pedicure. The pedicure was great along with the accompanying fire & ice massage. After all the services, we paid. I knew that my spa gift cards wouldn’t cover the entire amount so used my credit card for the remainder. They do tack on 20% gratuity in the receipt so you don’t have to calculate that afterwards. Considering that parking is a premium in Anaheim, I didn’t mind the extra gratuity, I just hope that the valet staff gets compensated well too.
However, I wasn’t pleased that I couldn’t alter that percentage because I wasn’t happy that my therapist put oil in my hair during the scalp massage portion. Afterwards my hair looked like I had stepped into the shower and looked like that for most of the day. I had to use dry shampoo to alleviate the greasy look of my hair later in the evening because I couldn’t wash it. Clean hair doesn’t curl very well, you see. I’d opt out of the oil in the hair if you don’t use it. I don’t use it on my roots at all and for good reason. Otherwise the services were pretty good and the bride had a great time.

Came here for the Hot Stone Massage, didn’t get it :(Also, the tip included in my voucher, but they charged me anyways. I do not recommend this place
*trying to keep my reviews short and to the point… But Unilocal wants them longer so I will be attaching this paragraph to all of my reviews. So if you’re reading this, there really is no point, you might as well just stop and get on with livin’ the good life: p

This is not the happiest place on earth… Disney should find another company to partner with. Here are a few things about my experience that would be helpful:
They charge 20 percent gratuity refused less of if services were good or not.
The environment was not relaxing considering it’s a spa at Disney. The chairs that you sit for the manicure are really uncomfortable.
There is a fitness center inside the spa. Inside the fitness center they played techno music and you could hear it inside the spa. The spa tried to play instrumental but I could hear the techno.
The staff was not friendly.
I could hear everything because the nail station isn’t sectioned off. Every person who came in and anyone paying. That’s not how a spa should be set up!!!
I’m from Chicago where they have spa resorts. The prices are way to high here. It was 90.00 total for the no chip manicure. I don’t even feel like I got 90 dollars worth of good service.
I will not be returning and do not recommend. Just wish I read reviews before going.

Mandara Spa at the Grand Californian is a great spa. It’s attached to a theme park people. Let’s keep it real.
Carlos was amazing. Request him.
I had a 50 minute massage with the hot stone treatment and the foot treatment.
Amazing!
I ended up buying all the products they used during my massage. The Arnica gel, the Plumeria oil and the massage oil. Just amazing. They also have a great selection of Bliss products and I got Glamour Gloves, Body butter, the Love Handler, the Fat Girl Slim set and the Signature Facial kit.
They do not have a liquor license so finish your drinks in the lobby!
Great spa. Great service. Just charge it all to the room ladies! (;

I like to spa. I like a spa that has good water pressure, great service and people who are happy working in their environment. We like the Grand Californian. We stay here when we can. I have used this spa before and convince myself that it would be better this time.
I will just say that for the happiest place on earth, this is one sad spa. The water pressure sucks (actually, this is a problem in the entire hotel), the experience I had was just okay this time and I will hopefully remember for next time to spend my money at the bar for a different kind of relaxation.

First, it’s not Burke Williams or a fancy day spa, but they do have showers, saunas, a tiny locker area, one hair dryer and other toiletries to get ready.
I am glad I used my travel zoo coupon. The services were excellent but the spa itself lacked something… Size? Organization? The spa feeling? I expected more.
Check in was not good. Two people ahead of me, and my treatment was in 10 minutes, and 3 girls behind the counter. Two were helping guests, not sure what the third was doing. Ultimately I was given a questionnaire and then escorted to the back, told to pick a locker and meet in the quiet area for my 2:00 service, even though it was 2:07 when she instructed us.
Carlos did my 80 minute Swedish and Deanna did my boyfriend. Excellent service which is why this place got 4 stars.
The ladies shower is small and could use more space to get ready.
Not sure if I will return, unless I have another groupon offer. They slap 20% tip automatically btw