Maitreya Retreat Spa

Violent, Aggressive, Unpredictable staff member. Cannot recommend this as a place to go in Santa Cruz I absolutely do not want to be writing this review, but I had such a seriously negative, deeply confusing, experience here, and feel obligated to report what happened. I have been to Maitreya many times before, and to Kiva before that. They're a local's spot, and there's not really any places within 100 miles that are anything like it. I came to Maitreya when they opened MLK day morning, having had a lovely hot yoga session from Village Yoga nearby, and desperately needing a shower and soak. I got checked in by a nice young woman, got a couple of warm towels, and went back into the locker rooms to change, shower and soak. Shortly into soaking, I realized I was pretty hungry, and remembered the placard at the front desk offering smoothies and other drinks snacks for sale. I wrapped with a towel securely around my waist, and went to the desk to place an order. I assumed this was a totally normal thing to do at a spa. My clothes are all crammed in a locker, and I'm a bit damp. When I walk into the lobby area, the woman (whose name I never managed to get, i'll call her Kay) was talking to some older man. I assumed a patron or friend or someone. Kay asks "how can I help you", "I'd like to order a smoothie". At this point, the man says, angrily "can you PLEASE put on something other than just a towel" Kay, not acknowledging in any way this dude talking to me, asks me what kind of smoothie. I'm kind of stunned. I ask her "do you have a robe or something for me to wear out here?" "no we don't have robes" "ok". I follow Kay's lead in not directly addressing this man. I have no idea who he is, and I'm already talking with Kay, who I assume is the person on duty since they checked me in and took payment and all that jazz. The man keeps repeating himself, angrier and louder, and threatens that "WERE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM" I have no idea how to handle this situation. It's just bizarre. One person is raving, while the other is communicating as normal like nothing is happening. The man starts yelling "SO IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT I SAY? YOU CAN JUST IGNORE ME???" and I tell him "Sir, I don't know who you are. This woman is currently helping me and I am talking with her. They're the person who checked me in. I know that they work here. I do not know who you are" "LET ME JUST SAY THAT IF YOU JUST WEAR A TOWEL OUT HERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM" At neither this, nor any other, point does this man identify themselves. He storms off into some back room behind the front desk. I ask Kay, "who is that?" "he's just a maintenance person who works here sometimes" "you work here too?" "yes" "and you're ok with me being out here in a towel?" "yes" "do I need to go put something else on?" "no" Then there's a loud crash in the back room. me and Kay both shudder. some object (a waterbottle?) flies in front of the window. My only guess is that this guy is super angry about not getting his way and smashing and throwing things in the back. I guess there's a passthrough to the front yard in whatever back room the man was in, because he comes in through the front door. He gets in my face "WHY ARENT YOU LISTENING TO WHAT I TELL YOU" "I don't know who you are, sir. This woman is helping me, and they say I'm ok to be here" "...THE PROBLEM YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE IF I SEE YOU IN HERE LIKE THIS AGAIN..." and on and on All this time, Kay is completely ignoring what's happening with this guy. I think they're scared of, or inured towards, this persons behavior. The man walks towards the back of the lobby and continues raving. I complete my smoothie order. My hands are shaking. As I leave to reenter the tubs I hear the man yelling at Kay. I end up spending the next 2 hours in the tubs just calming my nervous system. My adrenaline was spiking, my heart was racing. I stayed because I didn't know where else to go to calm down safely. The smoothie (c/o Roxa) was tasty and helped, but how i deeply wish this whole situation had not happened.

Booking was a pain and their website says they offer things that they don't. They were upfront about that, but fix the website! So I asked if there was a sauna we can use since it doesn't actually exist in the private room and only found out when we got there that the public area isn't included. Then they charged us 5% to use my credit card, also not upfront about that. The place is way too run down for the price and you can hear traffic from the private room. They'll also charge you $100 if the hot tub is dirty, which may be fair, but they can stop the nickel & diming. I'll try a different spot next time for sure.

Great spot to relax and take a hot bath. I found this spot when we were camping nearby and found out the bathrooms were out of the order at camp ground. Great customer service. Hidden germ for great gateway to relax and recharge. However, I took one start off because the shower room in the private bath house only has extremely hot water or cold water. It didn’t supply the right water temperature to shower. The stainless railing to the bathtub it’s loosen very badly. It needs maintenance and repair.

Maitreya has become a highlight and a staple of living in Santa Cruz. I highly recommend visiting, and if you can swing it, a membership is well worth it! The outdoor gardens are serene and relaxing, and the community found within is vibrant and wholesome. The waters feel excellent on sore muscles and tired bodies! And if you're lucky, you'll be visited by the resident feline. Come for the plunge, stay for the connection!

The place is nice but the customer service over the phone is terrible. They had me on hold on a Monday night for six minutes and when I called back thinking it was an oversight, they put me on hold again before I could explain. Kept me on hold that time for nine minutes before I gave up. If you're already in the area it's worth popping in but don't expect to make a reservation on the phone.