‘Bogan luxury’ spa has relaxation hopefuls in uproar
- Replies 2
It was a romantic dream that soon turned into a nightmare. Luxury, romance and a night to remember had been promised to a couple at a spa in Perth.
Instead, they were given what they called 'bogan luxury' – and the spa’s apology for their experience has left the pair fuming.
Luxurious day spas promise us an unbeatable experience that will leave us feeling refreshed and energised. But what if you don’t get what you’ve been promised?
Unfortunately, this is what one couple experienced at the Vanilla Face and Body Spa in Perth. According to the couple, they went and paid hundreds of dollars for a romantic ‘luxury’ package, only to be left underwhelmed and disappointed by what they called a 'bogan' experience.
Beth and her partner paid $330 each for a massage package at the spa, which is a privately run business inside the Rendezvous Hotel on the beachfront in Scarborough. The couple then forked out an additional $55 per person for one hour in the private couple’s balcony experience.
In a clip posted to TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 51,000 times, a gazebo is pictured within the spa's space at the hotel. Through the curtains, a makeshift outdoor setting can be seen – complete with fake plants and fake flowers – despite the arrangement being located inside the building’s lobby.
‘So, we got really nice massages, and then we paid extra to have the private couples’ balcony experience, which is this gazebo,’ Beth quipped as she shared footage of the venue.
Zooming in on rubbish on the ground, she adds: ‘There is a cork from the previous people on this balcony.’
Pointing the lens upwards, Beth captures a series of marks on the roof. ‘That’s bird poo. So, it looks like this gazebo was just from someone’s backyard, maybe off Gumtree, which is nice, cutting costs,’ she added.
Rather than enjoying sea views out in the open air as they expected, the couple found themselves staring at dark curtains inside a foyer area while being offered ‘nibbles from the other lounge where everyone got to go for free’.
Beth then pans the camera across a table where plates with food can be seen, including cookies and orange slices.
Across the couple from the gazebo was the view of the interior of the hotel.
‘Here is some miscellaneous machinery that was part of our view, our vista. A bit of dust too. If you squinted, the dust could look like sand on the beach,’ Beth joked.
After posting the video to TikTok, many social media users were left horrified at their experience.
‘How did the workers keep a straight face taking you to the balcony,’ one wrote.
‘So, you just sit there,’ another commented.
‘Refund, please!’ One more responded.
Someone else agreed and said: ‘Jokes aside, I’m glad you’re calling this place out. [I’m] tired of businesses ripping people off, especially in this economy. I hope they’re embarrassed and lift their game.’
One pointed out: ‘This looks like a DIY - at someone’s house 10/10, at a hotel, absolutely not.’
You can watch Beth’s video here:
A spokesperson from the spa responded to the backlash and said the business had taken ‘immediate action to correct this misstep’, including issuing a full refund and apologising to the couple.
According to reports, the couple had given the spa a ‘five-star rating’ on all feedback questions, including treatment and customer service. The couple also noted that they experienced ‘really nice massages’ courtesy of the spa’s senior therapists.
Regarding the private lounge facilities, the spa revealed that it had ‘removed’ this area as part of the package and replaced it with an ‘open lounge area’ instead.
‘As per our website, it shows this is inside [a] private lounge area with a bottle of bubbles and chocolates. We apologise for the error in judgement with this package,’ the spokesperson said.
They continued: ‘We can inform you that we have decided to remove the area as part of this included package. We now offer a bottle of bubbles and chocolates for this package in our open lounge area.’
The spokesperson reiterated that Vanilla Spa is a long-term leaseholder at the Rendezvous Hotel and has been a ‘highly recommended spa’ for many years now. ‘[We] continue to have many regular satisfied customers with very complimentary reviews,’ the spokesperson shared.
‘Vanilla Spa is an independent owner-operated business that employs a team of 18 senior therapists that all take much care and pride in the satisfaction of all our wonderful clientele and guests to whom we have the pleasure of offering our services,’ they continued.
‘We are sorry that we have fallen short in this instance and have taken immediate action to correct this misstep.’
What about you? Have you (or someone you know) ever had a bad spa experience? Tell us all about it in the comments!
Instead, they were given what they called 'bogan luxury' – and the spa’s apology for their experience has left the pair fuming.
Luxurious day spas promise us an unbeatable experience that will leave us feeling refreshed and energised. But what if you don’t get what you’ve been promised?
Unfortunately, this is what one couple experienced at the Vanilla Face and Body Spa in Perth. According to the couple, they went and paid hundreds of dollars for a romantic ‘luxury’ package, only to be left underwhelmed and disappointed by what they called a 'bogan' experience.
Beth and her partner paid $330 each for a massage package at the spa, which is a privately run business inside the Rendezvous Hotel on the beachfront in Scarborough. The couple then forked out an additional $55 per person for one hour in the private couple’s balcony experience.
The couple was shocked to find their ‘luxury’ package was anything but. Credit: RODNAE Productions/Pexels
In a clip posted to TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 51,000 times, a gazebo is pictured within the spa's space at the hotel. Through the curtains, a makeshift outdoor setting can be seen – complete with fake plants and fake flowers – despite the arrangement being located inside the building’s lobby.
‘So, we got really nice massages, and then we paid extra to have the private couples’ balcony experience, which is this gazebo,’ Beth quipped as she shared footage of the venue.
Zooming in on rubbish on the ground, she adds: ‘There is a cork from the previous people on this balcony.’
Pointing the lens upwards, Beth captures a series of marks on the roof. ‘That’s bird poo. So, it looks like this gazebo was just from someone’s backyard, maybe off Gumtree, which is nice, cutting costs,’ she added.
Rather than enjoying sea views out in the open air as they expected, the couple found themselves staring at dark curtains inside a foyer area while being offered ‘nibbles from the other lounge where everyone got to go for free’.
The couple received ‘little nibbles’ from a lounge nearby. Credit: ditchwithc69/TikTok
Beth then pans the camera across a table where plates with food can be seen, including cookies and orange slices.
Across the couple from the gazebo was the view of the interior of the hotel.
‘Here is some miscellaneous machinery that was part of our view, our vista. A bit of dust too. If you squinted, the dust could look like sand on the beach,’ Beth joked.
After posting the video to TikTok, many social media users were left horrified at their experience.
‘How did the workers keep a straight face taking you to the balcony,’ one wrote.
‘So, you just sit there,’ another commented.
‘Refund, please!’ One more responded.
Someone else agreed and said: ‘Jokes aside, I’m glad you’re calling this place out. [I’m] tired of businesses ripping people off, especially in this economy. I hope they’re embarrassed and lift their game.’
One pointed out: ‘This looks like a DIY - at someone’s house 10/10, at a hotel, absolutely not.’
You can watch Beth’s video here:
A spokesperson from the spa responded to the backlash and said the business had taken ‘immediate action to correct this misstep’, including issuing a full refund and apologising to the couple.
According to reports, the couple had given the spa a ‘five-star rating’ on all feedback questions, including treatment and customer service. The couple also noted that they experienced ‘really nice massages’ courtesy of the spa’s senior therapists.
Regarding the private lounge facilities, the spa revealed that it had ‘removed’ this area as part of the package and replaced it with an ‘open lounge area’ instead.
‘As per our website, it shows this is inside [a] private lounge area with a bottle of bubbles and chocolates. We apologise for the error in judgement with this package,’ the spokesperson said.
They continued: ‘We can inform you that we have decided to remove the area as part of this included package. We now offer a bottle of bubbles and chocolates for this package in our open lounge area.’
The spokesperson reiterated that Vanilla Spa is a long-term leaseholder at the Rendezvous Hotel and has been a ‘highly recommended spa’ for many years now. ‘[We] continue to have many regular satisfied customers with very complimentary reviews,’ the spokesperson shared.
‘Vanilla Spa is an independent owner-operated business that employs a team of 18 senior therapists that all take much care and pride in the satisfaction of all our wonderful clientele and guests to whom we have the pleasure of offering our services,’ they continued.
‘We are sorry that we have fallen short in this instance and have taken immediate action to correct this misstep.’
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