Onsen Spa

Onsen spa is a wonderful spa! I love that you get to use the facility all day long, if you get a treatment. Their massage therapist’s have been there for years and give great massages! You won’t be disappointed if you get a massage from Laura, Lee, or Rose. I love working out and using the steam room before I get a treatment. They finally have new lockers, and the pool is by far the best in all of South Lake Tahoe. They also give a 20% locals discount, which is awesome!

Whenever we go home to Tahoe, we never forget about booking Rosemarie’s massage. Tahoe has many things to offer. In addition to enjoying the great nature in Tahoe, we always are thrilled to have Rosie’s massage. She is a real healer. She can listen to our bodies and find the spots, even the ones we didn’t mention her in advance.
I strongly recommend her massage if you suffer from body stiffness.

Rose is the best massage therapist I’ve ever had. She has a great touch and firm pressure. She gets all my knots out and puts me to sleep at the same time. She’s amazing and I can recommend her enough! check her out, you won’t regret it.

I wish I didn’t have to give this place even one star!!! I work in customer service and know how important it is to be professional and be accommodating even when there is a problem. I love Monte Bleu hotel I stay here every time I visit Tahoe which is a few times a year! I came up with 8 girls for my sisters bachelorette party for the weekend. I called Onsen spa and made reservations to use the spa facilities for a Saturday a month in advance. A week before I called just to make sure that everything was set up and ready to go and the girl informed me that they don’t take large parties on weekends just to use the spa facility which was NOT communicated when I had originally booked. She told me that it was their fault and that she would leave a note and this would be a one time thing. Upon arriving they told us that they didn’t have anything down for our party. The supervisor came out and was super rude and accused us of lying. Her employee then infact found the note in which she looked super annoyed and then pleased as she rudely started to read it thinking that it would say that they informed us we wouldn’t be able to use the facility. Instead it stated that she told us that it was unavailable but that they had made a mistake and would accommodate us this once. She had us all pay then sent us in, no tour, no help, all the staff was horrible all day. We received one locker for the 8 of us, no robes and no spa shoes. They told us that the spa was 100% booked and really couldn’t fit us. We were there over an hour and there were MAYBE 2 other woman the entire time. If we thought this was bad… The spa was absolutely disgusting, so dirty, the steam room didn’t even work which left us only the sauna and spa which were both FILTHY!!! Take a look at my pictures to see! I honestly am not one to give horrible reviews but this place was a NIGHTMARE, from horrible service to a disgusting facility… No magazine selection. This was not the relaxing day we had hoped for and sadly for the spa we are 8 girls with a huge network that will NOT be recommending this spa.

The worst treatment I have ever experienced quote one price tell you because you’re a resident it’s cheaper and when you go to pay it changes and the women that check you in just nasty you know what’s real bad business they do not care about repeat customers. I’ve been here several times this was the worst done n done!!!

I got my and my daughters nails done the day before my wedding. I was excited because it was something her and I could do together before the wedding. It was my daughters first time getting acrylics.
First off, there was only one nail tech. The nail tech didn’t want to hear about any ideas that we had so she did her own thing. She burned my cuticles numerous times. When my daughter sat to get her nails done, the tech told her she didn’t have tips that would fit her fingers so proceeded to use tips that were too large for her fingers!
Secondly, it took 4 HOURS for both of us to get nails done! When my daughter was getting hers done, the tech stopped what she was doing to show her pictures of her grandson that worked in the casino!!! Seriously!!! My daughter is 14…
Lastly, my nails started lifting the day of my wedding and the gel topcoat started coming off! !!!
It was way too expensive for what we got done — for 2 hours each, we should have had the bomb nails to show off and be proud of.
Front desk staff was not very friendly and had to search for our appointment. It was disappointing to say the least.

Facility is bigger than I expected and top notch in every way. I had the best facial of my life here and highly recommend Onsen for this. My therapist was Cindy who was informative and friendly. I will definitely be back!

Had a 50 minute couples massage and left feeling fantastic! Lee was great. She has strong hands and is incredibly sweet! The facilities are also very clean and serene.

Love the gym facilities and the private hot tub. It’s such a treat to leave the noise of the general pool area and find quiet and relaxation! I definitely agree with the past comment, however, of the disrespect of the staff. There seems to always be staff running in and out to clean, grab towels, check lockers, even change their clothes. I really don’t want to see the receptionist naked in the locker room!!! A little more courtesy and less intrusion by the staff would be nice! Also, the sauna never seems to work and the steam room needs to be hotter. Good for the price but definitely not a high end, professional facility!

I love this spa! Kim is the best, amazing for a massage and Cindy is the best for facials and waxing. They are so nice, beautiful setting, I go any free chance I have!

Only $ 10 for hotel guests. Clean. Average service from staff. Steam room and sauna are small and not quite hot enough. Infused water but no fruits or any other refreshments. Soap, lotion, and shampoo dispensers a bit dated. Towels were not restocked. It’s okay for the price.

The spa facilities were better than what I expected, but the staff could have been a little more considerate and warm than they actually were. We checked in at the front desk of the spa and the girl on duty there looked like she didn’t even want to be there or even speak to us for that matter. We just concluded that maybe she had a bad day – fine, it happens.
But overall, their staff seems to lack the understanding of what a spa really means: tranquility, serenity, and, most of all, quiet. They have metal lockers in their spa area, a little older, but it works. It’s great that their staff comes in periodically to clean up the area, but it’d be a little more considerate if they actually checked the facilities to see if anyone was there before proceeding to walk down the aisle to slam all the lockers closed… so much for piece and quiet.
My complaint lies with their general staff. My masseuse was great though. I got the hot stone massage – private room and personal attention. I recommend their massages, but not so much about the spa facilities.

Pretty nice full spa, staff is friendly, and knowledgeable. I still have yet to try the grotto pool, looks very jungley. Only thing that I would say needs replaced is the ladies room lockers; which have rust along the bottom of them, it’s not hurting anything, but certainly doesn’t look nice.
Had an excellent facial by Rosemarie.

It’s not the most stylish place, but the service was ah-​mazing!
I spent a half-​day at Onsen (inside Monte Blue Casino) being pampered with a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure. I would happily return and recommend it to friends. Here I summarize the drawbacks and highlights from my experience, and offer my advice if you decide to visit Onsen:
DRAWBACKS
I didn’t have high expectations for the facility, since its in an older hotel property (formerly Cesar’s). Sure enough, it smells like a smokey casino when you walk in the front door of Monte Blue.
The spa is tucked in the back, with the entrance is adjacent to one of the nicest indoor pools in South Lake Tahoe (waterfall!). The smell of stale smoke is quickly overwhelmed by the smell of chlorine. The spa reception doubles as the snack bar for the pool, and the young folks working there lack the refinement you would expect from an upscale spa. Their ditzy manners take away from what could have been a lux experience from start to finish.
MY ADVICE: Ignore the strong smells and awkward reception and get ready for an lovely experience once you walk through the spa doors. Change into your terry cloth robe, pour a glass of lemon water, and get ready to relax.
HIGHLIGHTS
The very best thing about this spa is the spa technicians. MessageEnvy and nail shops are accessible, but the services here are far superior. The people make it worth the price!
Onsen uses Pevonia spa products, a luxurious organic line that I’ve had the chance to use before. It speaks volumes about the quality and attention to detail inside the spa. I left with two travel sets of Pevonia skin care that I gave as gifts (even though I was never even asked to buy).
The locker room is clean and well-​appointed, but belies the property’s age. The Jacuzzi was hot — but not too hot — and the steam room was lovely. The showers and bathroom appeared to be recently remodeled, and there were plenty of complimentary towels, shampoo, and lotion.
The nail service was comfortable and sanitary — no suspicious massage chairs with their own bacteria cultures. The pedicure stations are elevated in a room with Ceylon basins and bamboo floors. The nail technician, Charlie, was friendly and experienced without being intrusive.
The spa services are in a separate, quite area away from the noise of the hair and nail portion. The massage therapist, Rosemarie, is dual licensed as an esthetician. This makes for a seamless transition between a massage and facial — ultra relaxing. The treatment room was warm and the massage table was comfy.
I get about 6 or 7 massages a year; this one stands out as one of the best. It was the right mix of deep tissue and relaxing body work. The massage lotion was just what my mountain dry skin needed.
Finally, the facial was the cherry on top. The products are the perfect balance of calming, moisturizing, and invigorating. Rosemarie was attentive and professional, and worked with confidence that is born out of experience. My skin was noticeably more clear an calm when I walked out.
I came away feeling relaxed and rejuvenated — exactly what I want after a spa day.
MY ADVICE: Ask for Charlie and Rosemarie. You won’t be disappointed.

Great gym!

Great location great pool, great spa. Not the cheapest though. it would be worth checking out other spas in the area before booking here.

I was looking for a surprise for my wife on our first anniversary, and I thought why not our first couples massage. They did not disappoint.
The staff was very friendly. I wanted to do something special for my wife so I called ahead to see if I could arrange something. They offered to have some champagne in the room for us, and the best party was they gave it to us for free! That was an awesome way for us to start our massage. They brought us the champagne before so we could sip it in the nice quiet waiting area.
The facilities were pretty clean. I liked the waiting room area (it reminds me of the haunted mansion at Disneyland, my wife and I both thought that right away. We like the haunted mansion so it was a good thing) the waiting area was pretty relaxing.
The rooms were nice. We tried the aroma therapy, it was nice but I am not entirely sure how much it added to the massage, but it was only $ 5 extra so it wasn’t too bad.
The massage itself was great, the 50 minutes went by too fast.
Overall I think I would come back next time I was in Tahoe and looking for a massage.

What a good way to start my year off right… by hangin’ out in the spa on New Year’s, which by the way, I TOTALLY recommend EVERYONE to do on New Year’s Day, regardless where you are located. I came out of that place with a big smile, relaxed, and rejuvenated. I swear, as soon as I walked out of the door, I stopped, inhaled the fresh air for about 5 seconds, and blew out by sayin’… «ahhhhhhhhh». I definitely felt like a whole new person.
First of all, their massage rates are similar to Burke’s (maybe a lil cheaper), which is on the pricier side compared to other spas I’ve been to. For a 50 minute Swedish, it was $ 115. And for hot stones, it was $ 145. I enjoy getting massages with hot stones, but that was just a tad bit too much for only 50 minutes, so I stuck with the Swedish. Anyway, I ended up with a male masseuse… for the first time. I was a lil weirded out by it. What if he was a tall, buff dude, with a really deep voice that wasn’t sooo welcoming? Me being me, I kept over analyzing while I was sitting quietly in the waiting room. Wouldn’t you feel weird? Envision it. Anyway, he wasn’t. He was gay (gay as in happy), very friendly, and had soft hands. I was hoping he’d sneak in some hot stones for me, but I guess my flirting didn’t work, if I even know HOW to flirt. Ha. Regardless, my massage was great! I wished he added just a lil bit more pressure, but nonetheless, it was still quite satisfying. Don’t you just hate it when you know it’s almost over, then he/​she slightly taps you and whispers, «all done»??
Anyway, after my massage was done, I headed straight to the steam room in the ladie’s room. I was even happier because no one was in there, and I had it all to myself for a good half hour. I was pleased. But note that you need proper spa etiquette when entering a steam room. My bf and other guy friend went into the steam room in the men’s section and caught an old, BUTT NAKED guy doing Bikram Yoga! LOL! Now, visualizing an old man doing 10 foot lunges with balls hanging out for their dear lives is not so pleasing to the eye; although, I wished I was there to witness it so I can have a good 10 minute ab workout from laughing so hard. But anyway, back to my experience… Steam room was GREAT. Going into the Jacuzzi afterwards was GREAT. Putting on cucumbers on your eyes and lying down listening to your ipod was GREAT. I mean, really, I had a GREAT experience. I also made sure I used up ALL the amenities and items to get my money’s worth; for instance, I used a hair brush they provided that was a lil ganky, even though I’d brought my very own brush with me. I used up their shampoo, conditioner, soap, blow dryer, curling iron, stole a few mouth washes.
I had a blast!
Thank you for making my New Year’s Day a memorable one! I was revitalized. :)

Never liked Aveda products.
I guess I just like a nice essence and technology in my products.
This store would be every Aveda lover’s dream. I didn’t even know there were that many products manufactured.
1 star merely for the terrible dialogue with the SA:
SA: Hi.
CC: Hi.
1 minute passes
CC: Do you sell lip balm?
SA: No.
CC: You don’t have lip balm?
SA: No, we don’t have any in stock.
CC: I heard that Aveda has a great lip balm.
Silence.
CC: Do you have a hydrating mask?
SA: Yes. (Points to mask.)
CC: Thanks. Do you have a sample of the mask?
SA: We don’t have sample containers.
CC: Oh I just wanted to try the product first.
Silence.
CC: Okay, thanks, bye.
Silence.
Dumb and unwilling to help the customer. GRR.