Where in the world is Kat Kong?: Canyon Ranch Spa, CUT, Le Reve, Parasol Down

(Note: I stole pics from Jennifer and Karen. All bad ones are my own...)

If you are a guest of the Venetian or Palazzo, you can buy a day pass to the Canyon Ranch Spa for $20, otherwise it was $40. This includes workout classes, use of the gym, and use of Aquavana, plus robes and lockers. This is a great deal as you can make a day of it. We had planned to work out in the morning, grab lunch at the Canyon Ranch Grill, and relax at Aquavana before getting ready for dinner at CUT, conveniently located in the Palazzo hotel. Since we didn't hit the sack until around 2:30am, the odds were very slim that anyone (Jennifer) would get up in time for 8am spin class.

The time was 9am and people were finally getting out of bed and throwing on workout clothes. Jennifer had been planning to hit the spin class at 8am and yoga at 9am, but didn't happen. We found that Sheri had already left! What dedication! Well, she did have more sleep.

The Canyon Ranch Spa was situated between the Venetian and the Palazzo hotels. It was very convenient to be able to head to the elevator and stop at the spa floor; didn't need to walk through the casino area. There was a line at the desk, but since we were only interested in getting a day pass and not checking in for spa treatments, someone was able to sign us up quickly and give us wristbands. Unfortunately the classes were on the Venetian end of the spa, so we walked a ways to get there. We found that the yoga class was ending in meditation with the lights off so we couldn't see if Sheri was inside. After class, she met us outside and explained that the spin class was full so she ended up relaxing that hour in the women's lounge, enjoying some fruit and beverages before heading to yoga.

10am was the "Fit Strip" class, combining "strip tease" moves into an choreographed exercise. We each had our own chair to slink our bodies around. All of us are now ready to moonlight at a strip club if money is tight. ;) It was a fun workout. I don't know if I can remember all of the moves. Babe would probably want me to try it out on him...

Jen, I took this picture!!!

11am was the Muscle Conditioning class. It was a tough class, even though the exercises seemed simple. We worked with different kinds of equipment like resistance bands, exercise balls, and free weights. It wasn't as fun as Fit Strip, but the muscles were definitely worked out! I was sore since I pushed myself pretty hard.

Karen and Melissa went to try the 40-foot rock climbing wall, while the rest of us grabbed food at the Grill. I was surprised that my entree of chorizo and eggs plus fruit was only 280 calories. No way, right? It was a decent sized plate of food too! Maybe the kitchen used Egg Beaters and fake potatoes. Because it was so low-cal, I also ordered a side of banana bread at 155 calories, no butter.

Then it was Aquavana time! We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the spa area so you'll have to use your imagination and refer to this brochure. The steam room was very hot and steamy, good for your skin and to clear your sinuses. The sauna was a comfortable temperature and I could have taken a nap in there. The Hydrospa was awesome as it was really deep so you didn't have to slouch down to get your neck under the water. The Experiential Rains were fun; basically cool showers that were accompanied by scents. There was an arctic room (Igloo) that was so cold. You could press a button and cold water misted down...brrr! It was refreshing after being in the Hydrospa, but I couldn't stay in there too long. There was a co-ed lounge where you had to wear your robe and slippers. The lounge had fruit and water/tea. Another co-ed room was the "Wave Room", a dimly lit room where a domed ceiling projected images of "waves". (which were really water droplets breaking the surface) Sheri and I found a couple of zero-gravity chairs to sit in; there were 10 or 12 which were placed in the round. It felt like you were almost upside down. I found these chairs to be very comfortable, but I don't think the other girls liked them. It was similar to this chair, but at a steeper angle:

Sheri and I were relaxing for at least 10 minutes, hearing people come in and out of the room quietly, and then the snoring started from across the room. It was soft at first, and this was excusable as it sounded like heavy breathing. Then it became more and more nasal, to the point that it became thunderous. I looked around to my neighbors and they were starting to giggle as the snoring crescendoed. I couldn't help but giggle with them. Then I hear this loud CLAP, which silenced the snorer, followed by a frantic "It's not me, it's not me!" Turned out it was Jennifer who clapped the snorer awake and proclaimed non-guilt! She was in the seat adjacent to the snorer and since we were all upside down and not seeing each other well, she wanted to make sure that people didn't think she was the one! Hilarious. The true culprit eventually went back to snoring again and I couldn't take it anymore and left. I really liked the room, but not the human sound effects. :(

There was a co-ed "Salt Grotto", which was another dim place to sit and relax (but not upside down), but it was full when Sheri and I tried to go in. We ended up relaxing in the spacious lounge outside the Grotto. A guy came out of it and told us there was room if we wanted to go in but we declined. We ended up chatting with him. He was part of a group of veterans and their families who were invited out for an all-paid weekend extravaganza at the Venetian. He flew all the way from New Jersey and it was his first time in Vegas. The entire group were getting spa treatments at the time; he was waiting for his buddies to finish. The veteran described attending a private concert in the desert with country star Clint Black as one of the weekend's events. It's great that the Sands Foundation did this for our veterans! I found an article about it here. Eventually Sheri and I had to leave as it was getting close to dinner time, else I think he would've wanted to chat some more. With Sheri. ;)

We all take showers in the spa and head back up to the room to dress for dinner. The restaurant, CUT, was located in the Palazzo shopping area, so convenient! I made reservations through OpenTable and it was highly reviewed in Yelp too. Karen had requested a steakhouse, so she could order a big steak...her wish was CUT's command. They served fine beef there.

We all ended up ordering a "Wagyu" cut of steak. (American "Kobe") I had to have the "bone marrow flan" appetizer as it was highly recommended by Yelpers. This was very good.

My 10 oz ribeye was huge. I hadn't eaten that much steak in at least a year or more. Plus, it was Wagyu, so it was very well-marbled. Another delectable dish was the gourmet mac-n-cheese. Oh so good. We also had side dishes of brussel sprouts and Swiss chard, both of which were delicious.

I was pretty full when I got halfway through my steak. If I was local, I would've packed it up to take home. But no way was I going to leave $40 on the table, so I "manned" up and ate it. It tasted great, though my stomach was uncomfortably stretched out. In the war of "woman vs. food", woman won! The waiter was impressed that we cleaned off our plates.

On the reservation, I added a note that it was Karen's birthday, so the kitchen sent out a scrumptious peanut butter mousse-like cake.

We were all way too full to eat more than a tiny bite, save Melissa. She was in heaven.

I really liked CUT and would return in a heartbeat (though not too often, as it chews a hole in the wallet, though not as much as Joel Robuchon). The meat was seasoned and cooked superbly, the sides were very tasty, appetizers were delicious (Karen's Kobe beef sashimi was excellent), and we had great service, even when we didn't order bottles of wine like all the other tables.

After dinner, we headed over to the Wynn to meet up with Rachel and watch "Le Reve". I had just seen it last August. :) It's a good show...as I described it in my last Vegas blog entry, it's like the "O" Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio, but light-hearted. We were seated close to the pool/stage (but not in the splash zone) and in a different section of the circular theater than where I was sitting last time, so I was able to watch it from an alternate aspect. So, have you noticed that during this blog, I've been remarking that "I took this picture"? That is because I've been deemed unfit to take photographs of humans, ever since I offered to take a picture of Jennifer and Sheri when we were seated at Le Reve waiting for the show to begin. I could not get a good angle and one or both of them ended looking terrible in every shot. It became a running joke. We couldn't stop laughing at how terrible I was as a photographer. The people sitting in front of us kept turning around and shooting daggers with their eyes...they probably thought we were drunk. From that point on, I no longer was allowed to take pictures of people, only inanimate objects. I'll only be permitted to take people pictures if there is no one else available, nor a tripod. In the meantime, I have to continually redeem myself by showing that once in a while, I can take an acceptable shot. :)

After the show, Karen treated us to drinks at Parasol Down, which was on the Lake of Dreams at the Wynn. This place is the bomb...every 30 minutes, there'd be a short show on the lake or projected against the water wall. I've seen a few before, but I got to see two new ones. (at least new to me) They're pretty random, too hard to describe. You'll have to go there yourself to experience.