A Visit To Omni Barton Creek Resort's Mokara Spa

Mokara Spa was part of the $150 million renovation and expansion completed at Omni Barton Creek Resort and the new spa opened in May 2019. The Spa drew it’s inspiration from the nearby waterways, creeks and springs in the Austin Barton Creek area.  As soon as we walked into the very impressive lobby at Mokara Spa, we were greeted with warm smiles and a “welcome to Mokara Spa.”  We both immediately sensed that we were in for a very special treat.  A host and hostess introduced themselves and then took us on a tour of the men’s and women’s spa facilities and showed us all of the spa amenities that we could enjoy during our visit.   Some of the amenities include:

• 17 treatment rooms and three couples’ treatment rooms
• An adults-only, stunning rooftop pool and garden for spa patrons with a panoramic beautiful view of the Hill Country
• Gender separate relaxation lounges with plush soft comfortable furniture

• Nicely appointed men’s and women’s restrooms and lockers with everything you need to start or finish the day
• The Spa Creek Cafe which serves healthy meals and snacks like mixed berry cup, cheese and charcuterie, quinoa bowl, cobb salad, veggie burger, roasted turkey BLT wrap, and more
• Steam rooms, dry saunas, and whirlpools to enjoy before or after your treatment
• Mokara Spa Boutique with a very comprehensive offering of home care products

At the end of the tour I was led back to the lockers, given a plush robe and spa slippers (I really wanted to take these home with me), and told to wait in the relaxation lounge for my massage therapist.  I was on the verge of falling asleep thanks to the soft relaxing music, scented water, and the very comfortable lounge furniture, when I was greeted by my therapist who led me to my treatment room. After asking a few question about what type if massage I wanted - River Rock with hot and cold rocks;  Sports which targets the muscles most commonly used by athletes;  Barton Springs which is a unique version of a Swedish massage; Mount Bonnell with hot stones; or one of several others.  I asked for the Golf Pro Massage which I was told is perfect for post-golf recovery and a portion of the massage uses a golf ball to ease sore muscles and improve mobility.  And I was in heaven for the next 50 minutes!

I usually get a monthly massage at one of the chain massage parlors, but now that I know what a real massage is like, I don’t know if I’ll be able to ever again enjoy a massage parlor.  Some differences between Mokara Spa and a massage parlor include:

• The ability to use and enjoy all of the amenities like the whirlpool and roof top pool before or after a massage at Mokara Spa
• A soft warm comfortable massage bed with upscale sheets and blankets unlike at the massage chain the table is a little better than a board and usually cold
• The use of that soft plush Mokara Spa robe to relax after the massage instead of being rushed to the counter to pay
• Snacks, scented water, and cold cucumber facial towels
• A thick, soft, and comfortable place to rest your face on the massage table without it feeling like it's hard to breath and too small for my face
• Excellent service and being treated like royalty

In fact, the only similarity between a massage at Mokara Spa and one of massage chains is the music, which I’m not a fan of - I’d prefer some soft folk music or Rod Stewart.  Granted, there is a difference in price but when you consider all of the amenities that you can use for several hours before or after your treatment  (instead of feeling pressured to vacate your massage chain treatment room at the end of your treatment), it’s well worth the extra money!

My wife felt the same way and here are some of her comments about her facial at Mokara Spa.  "My treatment was a Collagen infusion with an anti-aging chemical peel enhancement. I left my aesthetician feeling relaxed because of the arm, neck and especially the hand massage given in between the facial treatments. After my facial, my face felt smoother, softer, and a little brighter. Every one of the staff were welcoming, friendly, and helpful.  Make sure you go in early and stay so that you can enjoy their relaxation room and make sure you bring a bathing suit to relax in the spa swimming pool.  Next time I plan on spending a few hours at Mokara Spa and enjoy a treatment, a healthy lunch, the pool, and the steam room.  And when I'm ready to leave, Mokara Spa also has everything in the shower area that I need to get ready for the rest of the day."

We both agreed that we would schedule another visit to Mokara Spa and make it last all afternoon. We can’t wait to get back again!