Two Bunch Palms

the worst spa experience ever! no electricity? not told this until after we checked in. grotto smelly and filthy. run by hollywood phonies wrapped in new-​age nonsense. spa employees range from pleasantly incompetent to complete jerks.
difficult to navigate. wandered around completely lost for most of the day. staff doesn’t even know where the parking lot is. pool is postage stamp size. a total nightmare. management will not respond to repeated calls to discuss the situation. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY HERE!

The hot springs are magical. The hotel is solid, nothing too fancy, but the hot springs at night are unreal. Worth the trip from LA just for that.

I have heard about this resort for years and was excited to finally make it there. I think the staff handles themselves very professionally for what they have to work with as the grounds and rooms are in bad need of an update. I am sure this causes many complaints from guests that are expecting more posh accommodations. The property has a lot of potential and we were able to enjoy ourselves once we got past the squeaky bed, the bathrooms that have not been updated since the 40’s and the spa showers that only spew hot water. The restaurant I believe has been updated? The wait staff was very nice, the food is okay. We loved the yoga class offered on the site and enjoyed feeding the duck, turtles and fish in the pond. This is definitely a place where I suggest having a room with a kitchen and bringing your own food. There are great little patios for each room and so much nicer to have your own meal there. I would be interested in going back and staying in an updated room.

Do not leave town without checking your credit card. We have been double billed!!! The pleasure of the massage has been erased with the stress of dealing with their recorded message billing system. It’s now 6 days later and after emails to Unilocal and Two Bunch Palms I can now say the issue has been resolved. I must admit the mineral spring and massage was excellent. I change my stars to

I booked the Casa Blanca Desert Healing package. It includes a $ 200 spa credit for each day. However, there were no available spa services for ANY of the days we stayed and they refused to refund any of that money. So basically the $ 625/​night Desert Healing package was completely worthless.
This place is really just lacking in almost every way. Wait until you try ‘Essence’, you will understand instantly. Bland and boring, just like the rest of the hotel. No way we are coming back. Go to the Parker or Korakia.

This is a tough review because the resort is great, but the location is ghetto.
Before arriving to the resort be pit stopped at Vons which is down the street to pickup some bottled water. Checking into the resort was easy, but being unfamiliar with grounds and it being dark (checked in after 11pm) it was difficult finding the villa room even with a handy flashlight attached to the keys because there are no room numbers visible unless you open each screen door.
The room was nice, antique like furniture that is there for display only not usage. It was clean and had the basic necessities and my fave an espresso machine. The pillows and bed were so so comfortable; almost didn’t want to leave the bed. The air conditioning system/​heater were kinda hard to work though; practice and patience. The only thing that is kinda creepy is that the front door (entry door) a small portion of the blinds are cut so that anyone from the outside can peep inside.
I purchased their indulgence package which included three square meals a day for two people and two spa treatments per day; tipping not included. I definitely recommend it, but check you bill upon checkout; I notice they didn’t deduct all the meals and treatments until I mentioned it. I did hear many people booked their stay thru third party websites; they may have gotten a better price than booking directly like me, so I would definitely compare the prices.
The grotto is nice and warm and secluded because of a high fence and palm trees surrounding the spa. We stayed in room 1; which is directly in front and the recently renovated rooms near the Al Capone suite. We didn’t spend too much time in the grotto because on our first night in jumped in and saw only two couples in the grotto waters. The young couple disappeared in the corner for you know what in the water and the elderly couple were on the spa side (warmer waters); we were soaking by the mini waterfall area before moving the the spa side, but quickly got out because it smelled like urine… Like bad. We got out and showered right away. They clean the grotto each day from 6a-​8am; I suggest going in after cleaning.
Despite that, I would definitely return.

There truly is something healing in the water here…
If you want to get away from it all, and enjoy some peace & quiet, come here. I stayed here for a couple nights in one of the older décor Grotto King rooms. It admittedly was not the most aesthetically pleasing, but the room’s close proximity to The Grotto’s hot pools really made it the best choice for me.
Check in technically is 4pm, but I called ahead and arrived a little early and they checked me in right away. The bed was comfy, the room was clean and had an Illy espresso machine with pods, a fridge, bottles of still and sparkling water for purchase, and their lavender-​scented shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion. Comfy robes in the closet were super important, for going back and forth to The Grotto.
Their location is about 25 minutes from everything in downtown Palm Springs, which is totally fine for going into town and coming back. But if you want to stay put, the restaurant on the grounds serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I didn’t choose to have any services at the spa, but I did soak in the hot and warm sides of The Grotto waters a LOT. I’m super sensitive to chlorine, so soaking in chlorine-​free water was a huge perk for me. The Grotto is only closed for a couple hours in the mornings, so you can go in at night, under the stars, with the trees and night air around you. A decanter of iced cucumber water and lots of big towels were always nearby.
I did wander the grounds and enjoyed the pond with ducks, turtles and herons, and picked some citrus from the orchards near their labyrinth. There were yoga classes and angel card readings going on, but I didn’t participate.
Honestly the best part of my stay here was having access to The Grotto all day & night long, to get in & out, to soak in, & to sit by. The natural lithium content of the water seriously made me sleep the most soundly I have in a very long time, and just gave me a much needed general sense of peace.
Next time I’m here, I likely will request room 13 or 13A, which I hear are not renovated but are located closest to The Grotto. I hear the renovated rooms are much nicer inside, but I’d personally prefer to be closer to the hot pools.

I’m going to ignore some of the obvious negatives with some of the resort being a little «rustic.
The experience was absolutely incredible; I spent a ton of time in the mineral water and it was so soothing. It’s real? I’m still not sure what its all about. The massage was incredible though I could complain about a very poor lounge and locker space. The massage was incredible though and fairly priced.
The room was up to date and lovely bungalow like room in 207. There were all kinds of events like yoga, Tai Chi, Body mind balance, juicing class, etc that were all included. The two ponds were fun to hang out at and I even jumped in the hammock.
The restaurant essense was 5-​star. See other review, but seriously incredible and worth me staying at the hotel again just to partake in the fun and fine dining experience that Essense offered.

As I read the reviews (after booking), I got a bit nervous. People either seemed to love it or hate it, and I wasn’t sure where I was going to fall.
My friends and I had a fantastic experience across the board, which leads me to believe the negative reviews are just there to keep people away. Yes, so some of the facilities are dated — that didn’t both me; in fact, it added to the charm.
The restaurant was really really good — I completely don’t understand a single complaint about it. Portions were just right, but hey, I live in LA and am used to smaller, healthier portions.
The treatments were top-​notch — perhaps the best I’ve ever had. I’m no spa specialist, but I know when a service is mediocre, and these were a far cry from that.
This is a very down-​to-​earth place with history — not brand spanking new and soulless. You either like that, or you don’t. I, and my friends, loved it and hope to make this our annual «kick off the new year» trip. Would it be cool to re-​do the grotto area and make it more rustic? Sure, maybe when the owners have the money to invest in that type of renovation, but not necessary.
I didn’t see any evidence of insect infestation or the like that people complained about, but I did see the cutest baby owl!
Good god, some people just can’t be happy. I am not one of those people. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy yourself immensely. Go!

Came to this place for a 2 night stay
Spa area is very clean surrounding with big trees
With the price that we pay, I do expect the room to be cleaner and have more upgraded
DO NOT go by their photos on the website

Not worth the $ 100+ price for a couple hours at the «spa.» Wouldn’t be bad and has bread potential if things weren’t so dingy and outdated. Outward appearance and photos may make this place look worth it but just depends on your standards and what you think $ 130 – 190 should get you. There were like 50 pool noodles in the hot springs? That’s pretty tacky and they were super dirty. There is like weird paint all over the rocks so it doesn’t seem natural or relaxing. The «spa» isn’t a spa it has like pink tiles from the 50s and is grimy and looks super cheap. Overall just should be $ 50 max for what you get. Rip off

What a wonderful day we spent at Two Bunches. So relaxing and fantastic. Great massage lovely lunch and perfect soaking. The little added touches of included treats (green clay masks, local lore and even included gratuities) put our experience over the top. Really a great day spa get away.

DIRTY, DATED, DISORGANIZED!
What a disappointment! 60 minutes before our scheduled arrival for massages and use of the grotto (which was the main reason for our choosing this place), we received a call and were told that the grotto was being drained for annual maintenance purposes. While I understand the need for maintenance, the woman on the phone seemed surprised as I was that she had no knowledge of this being on their schedule. DISORGANIZED!!! She offered a «Roman Tub» of mineral water instead and we accepted that compromise.
Upon arrival, we went down a set of stairs to the «spa» area. It smelled like a damp, dingy basement! We would have left (run, actually!) but would have lost our deposit. The furnishings and decorating (or lack of decorating) were just plain ugly and depressing. The girl who checked us in asked if we’d like to include gratuity on the services we were about to receive. I should have asked her if she tips her waiter at a restaurant PRIOR to seeing if she received good service.
My husband and I were given robes and keys to lockers and told to change in the locker room. The single room was no bigger than a closet. This IS NOT an exaggeration! We aren’t big people, but we barely fit in there ! There was a wooden, painted white, shelving unit in there and it was FILTHY with dirty handprints from years of use and not being cleaned. There were little pieces of wrappers, Kleenex, etc. on the floor behind the wastebasket … So it obviously isn’t regularly cleaned. DIRTY !!! I came out and asked to use a bathroom. The masseuse showed me where the little, single bathroom was and the toilet hadn’t been flushed. When I flushed what was in there prior to using it, it almost overflowed!!! I ran out and I told the girl at the desk. She didn’t seem surprised. I peeked into the shower area to see what facilities were going to be available to me after my massage, as we planned on being there for the day. The shower stalls (the ones that didn’t have «out of service» signs across them) looked dirty and had broken tiles fixed with a splotch of grey grout here and there. The room that one would use to do hair and make-​up afterwards had large mirrors and a counter, but only one outlet available — not next to the mirror, but across the room near the floor. And no blow dryer! I didn’t bring my own — silly me for assuming a place that markets itself as a SPA would have conveniences such as a blow dryer available for its clients.
My husband and I each had massages. They were just ok. Honestly, it was no different than going to a chain (like Massage Envy). The hut that I went to for the massage was DATED. The cheap plastic blinds were old and not hanging straight. For I were the masseuse, I’d clean up the room and take some pride in the first impression that my clients are going to experience!
Afterwards was the «Roman Tub» experience. The room with the tub was DATED. When I say dated, I mean like 1960’s pink tiles on the floor and ceiling with a bird painted in the wall. The «tub» wasn’t a nice, clean round or oval tub, it was 4 stairs that led down to a weird rectangle space that wasn’t big enough to submerge yourself in. So we sat on the steps. It had ancient exposed plumbing/​pipes/​faucets. And for «ambience» they had placed little battery powered candles on the edge of the tub. I felt like I was sitting in my grandmother’s flooded basement.
After we sat there and giggled a little at how ridiculous the whole experience was, we went back to the little room, got dressed and left tips for our «massage therapists» with the girl at the desk. She didn’t ask Us about our experience there and it was clear that she did not care! She didn’t speak to us AT ALL… Just watched us walk out.
To recap — DISORGANIZED-​DIRTY-​DATED! Run away! Go so someplace else! I’d recommend the SPA at the Westin in Rancho Mirage. No hot springs there, but the ambience and service make for a much more pleasant experience. The experience at Two Bunches is memorable, but I wish I could erase it from my brain — especially the fact that we paid ANY money to go there!

The worst place ever ! The most unprofessional people work there ! Do not waist your time and money ! The management think they own that place and they treat you whatever they want to ! I already complain BBB ! Who ever own this place need to diet all the staff and get new people ! Who ever manage this place she need to go get more education! Lady you are the worst manager I ever see! I am already contacting the ownership to let them know how terrible you and your stuff is working!!!

This was tough. The grotto, the food and the peaceful ambiance get a 3 – 4 but everything else gets a 1 – 2 especially the spa. I was soooo disappointed with the spa. It’s really old, smells funky and the staff is just not nice. DO NOT go by their photos on the website, the only part of the resort that actually looks like the photo is the restaurant. Everything else is pretty old and dingy. I definitely do not think it’s worth $ 332 a night (for a regular room).
Bottom line, I should have read more reviews.

Really cute spot to enjoy a wonderful full body massage. Regina is one of the few great massage therapist there ! She has hands of wonder !! After my body massage, received a face mask, and walked around the resort in a robe. Regina also showed me around, the mud tubs, the fields of oranges, grapefruits. We bought food for the turtles, koi fish. $ 1 bags.
A nice trail behind the resort and a nice comfy grotto. Minus the «whisper tone voices» but a nice place to meditate. The restaurant had great mix cocktails and the rejuvenating juices !! Great !! Will defiantly come again and recommend this place

I have been coming to Two Bunch Palms for a few years.
Recently I stayed for several days and thought some folks may find these comments helpful.
I don’t consider Two Bunch as a typical resort. It’s really in the midst of an identity crisis. Stay true to the desert peace or go for a more hip modern vibe.
You can see the crisis in the renovated rooms, which by the way have some vast improvements over the old rooms. The air conditioning system is nice and quiet and the shower set up is amazing. On the other hand, if you have an extended stay of anything more than a few days, the rooms have really no place to store goods, or re ridge or even to prepare like a simple hot plate. Instead they really are forcing you to go eat on site at their restaurant. See below regarding the food setup on grounds, which I feel is the weakest part of the stay.
Also, the room décor is very Hollywood with literally no connection to the outdoors aka «the identity crisis.» and a bit of a turn off at least to me.
Also, it appears the walls between rooms aren’t insulated very well for noise. You could really hear «everything» that goes on in the neighbors space.
The property though gets an A+ (Five Star property) and is still very peaceful if that is what you are seeking to find at Two Bunch. The walks, the views, the trails. is what makes this a different type of resort. And lots of animals. from coyotes, the quirk roadrunners, desert rabbits, ducks, turtles. birds. really enchanting. plus the Desert Hot Springs winds. Again, some folks may really be turned off by this «not your typical resort» type of benefit.
Two Bunch also has the ever-​promoted «grotto» with their own water source, which really is special as a cathedral of trees tower over the space.
This time though it wasn’t so special. It was a bit noisy, more folks drinking and trashing plus for some reason they have lite up the entire area… Lighting for safety is one thing. yet for the nighttime grotto folks. it kind of deflates the mood and ambiance.
Finally.. the food. oh my the food. Get ready for very small portions, very high prices that is a shame. And the waiters are too pushy at times always upselling into more expensive options.
Two Bunch should be ashamed at pushing this restaurant on guests. It you have any sort of extended stay and don’t want to constantly go off grounds to eat then expect to go away from your means as still h hungry unless you order double dishes.
Will we come back?
Of course we will as the outdoor space is magical and for the most part all of the employees were really very easy to deal with.
Yet that doesn’t mean that the good folks running the Palms (who have earnestly put millions into the place while pulling it out of bankruptcy) shouldn’t address some basic courtesies accorded to well paying

My girlfriend and I just spent the first two days of the Labor Day weekend at Two Bunch Palms. We won’t be back. We frequent a number of fine spa resorts, which is what Two Bunch palms allegedly aspires to be. Unfortunately, it’s a two-​star property with the illusion of being a five-​star property.
The only reason we even give Two Bunch a two-​star rating is that the resort’s stunningly beautiful surroundings and its hot spring-​fed grotto pool — that was usually too full — which undermined the «special feeling» we had at other properties.
We did not enjoy, however, the paper-​think walls in our Soulstice Double room, through which you could hear the slightest noise coming from adjacent rooms. I’ve had better soundproofing at three-​star hotels.
Food was in what I call the «frou frou» category — taste great, but small portions «tastefully arranged.» $ 39 for a three-​rib rack of lamb? I don’t think so!
The Spa at Two Bunch would barely receive a one-​star rating if I rated it alone. People were cueing up in a longish line to show up and/​or sign up for treatments. We had massages one day, facials the next. I was lucky and got a great massage therapist, but my lady got one who was, at best, mediocre. The front desk people at the spa are not particularly welcoming, and both of the aestheticians we experienced were amongst the worst we’d ever had work on us. A facial should make one feel as he/​she is being tenderly cared for — instead, both of ours may as well have been working on a practice dummy in school. Ham-​handed. No technique. Making a lot of noise in back of me when she was letting «stuff» dry on my face.
I spoke to spa manager after my horrible facial experience. She nodded sympathetically. Said she was going to use my feedback to help improve their services.
LATE ADDITION: The spa manager read the review above and called to make amends via a partial refund of our spa expense and an offer of free facials at any future date and she assured me that steps WOULD be taken to ensure other guests did not have the same experience. That was a nice touch that took some of the bitter taste away. Unfortunately, the hotel management apparently wasn’t contrite about the other issues we had — no apology or amends offer from them.

What a nightmare. My girlfriend and I planned a trip here to celebrate our anniversary. We were expecting a luxurious spa-​like atmosphere, but unfortunately that is not the experience we had. Instead, our room was completely covered in ants and spiders (see photos), the food was meager and terrible, Johnny at the front desk was sarcastic and not helpful, fixtures in the rooms were completely broken, there was no parking, etc. We ended up leaving at around 1am as we could not bear to sleep with ants quite literally crawling all over us. We won’t ever return here.

What we love about Two Bunch — no need to leave once you check in since there’s great food, amazing water, variety of treatments, classes or workshops, trails, tennis, and lots of relaxing places to discover on site. It’s the full service spa in Desert Hot Springs. Unlike smaller boutique locations there is lot of acreage that you can wander off into.
So pleased to have spent a long weekend experiencing such positive changes. We stayed in a remodeled King Solstice room which is about a 7 minute walk up to the grotto/​restaurant area. If you are nostalgic you can still stay in the grotto rooms which you have the original pink and green tile. We loved the new rooms especially the shower, instant quiet air, and the most comfortable bed ever.
From the moment we checked in we were warmly greeted and brought up to date on the locations of daily & weekly events. Our dinner reservation were made and arrangements for our quest to accompany us later in the evening were set with the gate guard. We were forewarned of 2 large groups on an already busy weekend.
What stood out most this visit was the lack of drama & each staff member we encountered was cheerful, helpful and attentive. Kudos for the evident team building on this site. My review of the restaurant Essense is next.

Stayed here at least 6 times now.
Love the grotto and generally do the mud bath with whomever I’m with for the fun of it, but tend to avoid the over priced other treatments. Just not worth it.
I can get a killer massage in LA for a little more than half the price this place charges.
The restaurant. Sigh. 5 star prices and 2.5 star food. While very very friendly, I’ve found the staff to be pretty incompetent. Sent back 3 items over the course of 2 meals with the same smiling, shrugging server. I think sometimes the waitstaff confuses lots of friendly talking for good service. I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t need the bartender to playfully rib me for not having an alcoholic beverage. Just get the drinks, guy.
Fetched my our own napkins and salt and pepper from another table during breakfast. Nothing removed from checks despite obvious fuck ups.
In the interest of good business, it’s amazing what ‘the glass of wine /​truffle fries /​latte or whatever was on us tonight — sorry for all the problems’ can do for good faith. A 6 $ thing of comp’d fries may have bought enough good faith in us to generate much more revenue for this place. Instead we bailed on breakfast and lunch our last day for fear of getting more of the same.
Was thrilled to get a different server for 3^rd meal and he was great… I suppose you’re pulling from a tricky talent pool in the high desert.
Played it super safe for dinner by ordering chicken… and that could not have been more dry. ‘Beef’ mignon for 34 $ (I assume it’s their way of making it clear its NOT a filet) was like a hockey puck on first night. Shockingly far from good. Medium rare should be pink, friends, not dry and grey. Got the duck instead and it was about 10 mins rarer than it needed to be. So confusing.
I’ve read you should hit up the restaurant for breakfast and lunch but avoid dinner.
This is probably wise.
It’s like they’re playing at high class.
The dining room is so pitch black every mineral-​soaked Granny is blasting their iPhone flashlight at the menu.
Road trip to Mr. Parker’s @ The Parker for a great meal at identical prices.
Reservations: The policy of ‘making a note’ of which room you request but not guaranteeing it can leave you with a Motel 6 — like ‘grotto king’ on the road side of the place… (7 – 10) rooms that I have gambled I wouldn’t get and got TWICE.
#13a is great. #1−6 grotto kings are pretty damn good. #7−10 are NOT GOOD.
I have checked into this place at 10p on a Friday before, gotten room 8 and promptly high tailed it to the Parker, eating the cost.
I stayed in #3 once in mid summer and the AC broke in the middle of the night. I ended up going to the security gate and the dude got me into room #5 or 6, so while that was very nice of him — the whole experience blew.
Stayed in Soulstice Suite this past visit and it was very nice — longer walk made for harder decisions about 3am grotto runs tho. This is where 13A is great. Part of original structure. Stone house attached to 13 (one bedroom suite but with a Q bed) and the Capone Suite. Super close to grotto for anytime of the day floats.
#150 looks like the best of the 3 Soulstice Suites — closest to grotto/​restaurant/​spa for sure and I believe you can actually specifically reserve this room.
I love the grotto. It’s why I come. I suppose you have to accept the occasional monster floating cockroach in there. Hilariously, this Asian guy was yelling loudly in Chinese into his cell phone seated IN the grotto, directly beneath a sign saying please don’t talk above a whisper and no cell phones. In general, people are louder than they should be. Lots of phones around and lots of talking. Have never seen anyone asked to be quiet or to not have their effing phone in the water with them.
Saw a dead rat in the ‘stream’ that runs from the grotto down thru the property towards to lake.
Honestly I don’t think there’s any reason ANY room here should be over 300 $ — expect perhaps the Capone Suite.
I like this place. I like coming and staying in 13a and spending as much time in the grotto as possible. they should have a burger on the dinner menu. It would probably be covered in corn and endive in some attempt to be high falootin’.