Jared Schaller:

Welcome to Behind the Pyramids, a Moody Gardens podcast. I am your host, Jared Schaller, and I'm very excited about today's guest. I'm joined by Sonia Chavarria, manager for the Moody Gardens Spa. Thank you so much, Sonia, for taking the time to speak with me.

Sonia Chavarria:

Well, thank you for having me.

Jared Schaller:

Of course. Now, I hope you feel relaxed just saying the word "spa." I don’t know if that works for everyone, but I really want to take a deep dive. First of all, where is the Moody Gardens Spa located?

Sonia Chavarria:

We are located in the Moody Gardens Hotel on the second floor.

Jared Schaller:

Awesome. So easy to get to.

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes.

Jared Schaller:

Very neat. The great thing is the Moody Gardens Hotel offers free parking, so locals who want to come to your establishment—it's easy.

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes.

Jared Schaller:

Awesome. So I was looking online—you know, I have to do my research—and the Moody Gardens Spa has six pages worth of packages. I'm not even joking. And treatment options guests can choose from—a lot of them just sound relaxing and amazing. What would you say are some of the most popular choices from guests?

Sonia Chavarria:

We have a lot of awesome services. We do recommend "The Little Mermaid," which is about two and a half hours of bliss. It includes a scrub, a body wrap, a hydrotherapy bath, and a 50-minute massage.

Jared Schaller:

Oh, so it’s like a little bit of everything?

Sonia Chavarria:

A little bit of everything.

Jared Schaller:

That’s awesome. I totally forgot when you just mentioned two and a half hours—because usually, when I think "spa," I think I’ll be in and out in an hour—but you can actually spend a whole day at the spa.

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes.

Jared Schaller:

That’s awesome. Now, you mentioned a body wrap. I've never had a body wrap, so can you maybe go into a little more detail about what a body wrap is?

Sonia Chavarria:

With the body wrap, we have a detoxifying wrap—that's the detoxing part. Then we also have a remineralizing body wrap. We’ll wrap the body, let it sit for about 20 minutes, and then finish up with the hydrotherapy bath.

Jared Schaller:

That sounds fun. So is a body wrap kind of like restoring the skin?

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes.

Jared Schaller:

Okay. Yeah, I'm kind of a typical dude in that way where I’ve never really fully explored a spa, but I need to. There’s nothing wrong with going to the spa. I’ve done a facial once, which was very nice. I’ve gotten a mani and pedi, but I’ve never really explored a spa altogether. So that brings me to my next question—I want to talk about massages. I had no idea there are so many different types. Could you tell me more about the massages offered at the spa?

Sonia Chavarria:

We have our Swedish massage, which is more of a light touch with longer strokes. Then we have a deep tissue massage, which uses more therapeutic pressure to help relieve tension. We also offer a hot stone massage, which is still hands-on, but with hot stones as well. And for our mommies-to-be, we offer prenatal massages.

Jared Schaller:

Oh, that’s interesting. I’ve never heard of that before. So, say someone like us in the hospitality industry—we’re standing a lot—what massage would you suggest for someone like that? I’m guessing back pain might be common.

Sonia Chavarria:

Well, it really depends on whether you're used to getting massages regularly. If you are, I’d recommend a deep tissue. If not, a Swedish massage is better, since deep tissue can sometimes bruise if the body’s not used to being worked on.

Jared Schaller:

Oh, that makes sense. And how long does a normal massage last? Is it like 30 minutes?

Sonia Chavarria:

Massages start at 25 minutes, then we offer 50-minute and 80-minute options as well.

Jared Schaller:

And massages are good for treating stress, right?

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes—stress relief, relaxation, rejuvenating the body... just helping us move and feel better overall.

Jared Schaller:

My stress—I know where I keep it. I keep it in my shoulders.

Sonia Chavarria:

In the shoulders, yes.

Jared Schaller:

Both shoulders! Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to try one of those massages—hopefully to get the stress away. Now, you recently took me on a tour of the spa. It’s beautiful. It really is. It’s peaceful, relaxing. One thing I found very unique—and you mentioned it earlier—is the hydrotherapy room. Tell me more about that treatment.

Sonia Chavarria:

In our hydrotherapy room, you’re in a private room with a tub. You’re submerged all the way up to your neck. Once we start it, all the jets come on—there are about 147 jets, from your shoulders down to your feet. You’re in there for a good 20 minutes.

So even if you can’t get away for a full hour or 80-minute massage, you can still come in for the hydrotherapy and it’ll help relax and loosen up your muscles.

Jared Schaller:

I looked into that a little, and it seems like a lot of athletes use hydrotherapy, too—because it helps with the muscles and recovery, right?

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes. It helps relax, loosen up tension, and also detox the body.

Jared Schaller:

That’s awesome. Maybe I need to do that—I'm just writing a checklist! Let’s talk about guest experience. That’s really important in the hospitality industry. What kind of experience can someone expect when they visit your spa?

Sonia Chavarria:

We strive to provide top-notch service. We want our guests to enjoy their time here, have a break, and come out feeling renewed, regenerated, and refreshed all around.

Jared Schaller:

That’s probably the most important thing. There’ve been places—even just getting a haircut—where I walked out thinking, “Did I even get what I needed?” You want to walk out feeling better about yourself. So it’s great to hear that this is your focus.

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes.

Jared Schaller:

That leads me to another question—what I found great about your spa is that you don’t just offer full spa treatments and massages. You also offer haircuts and styling options. If someone just needs a quick haircut, you’ve got that covered too.

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes, we’re a full-service salon and spa. We do everything from haircuts to color. We do weddings, mani-pedis—we can get you ready from head to toe.

Jared Schaller:

So if a bride is planning a wedding at Moody Gardens, you’ve got them covered.

Sonia Chavarria:

Oh yeah, we can do bridal parties—anything you can think of, even just a girls’ weekend getaway.

Jared Schaller:

A girls’ weekend trip would be great. Just a good getaway. You know, I used to not lean into it, but sometimes it's just nice to get away.

Sonia Chavarria:

Yes.

Jared Schaller:

When I had the facial and the mani-pedi, it was like three or four hours long—but it was just nice and relaxing the whole time. That leads me to my last question—how do you want someone to feel when they leave the Moody Gardens Spa?

Sonia Chavarria:

We want them to feel happy, relaxed, rejuvenated—just refreshed.

Jared Schaller:

Refreshed—that’s a good word. Because when I visited, it was just so nice. I’m checking into the hotel next week, so I’ll have to check out the spa too. But even just walking through, it was peaceful, quiet, and beautifully designed. You had mood lighting for rooms like the hydrotherapy room—it was just a very nice place to be.

Sonia Chavarria:

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Jared Schaller:

And I didn’t even use any of the services yet! So—last question. I’m going to put you on the spot.

Give me your best pitch: why should someone, whether they’re a local or visiting, come out and visit the Moody Gardens Spa—for a haircut, a massage, or a full day of pampering?

Sonia Chavarria:

I would say it’s the benefits for sure. Like I said, we can get you ready from head to toe—even if you’re just coming in for a haircut. We take our time, and we make sure it’s one-on-one with our guests.

You’re not just a number—we want everyone to feel pampered. Even if you're here for a massage, we recommend coming in early to enjoy a complimentary sauna session. We have the sauna, showers so you can rinse before your service, and if that's not your thing, we also have our relaxation room. You can sit back in your spa robe and sandals, sip on a complimentary mimosa or champagne, and relax before your treatment starts.

Jared Schaller:

I want to touch on one thing before I let you go. You mentioned you want people to feel mentally rejuvenated, to let everything go. How important is that in someone’s life?

Sonia Chavarria:

It’s very important. It’s not often that we take the time to get away and take care of ourselves. I say we need to be a little more “greedy” when it comes to self-care. Because unless we take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others.

Jared Schaller:

And that’s the main thing—if you don’t take care of yourself, you might not be here to take care of others. That’s great to hear.

Okay—I'm going to put you on the spot one more time. I know, I know—but I want to do it anyway. I’m coming to you brand new. What would be the one service you would suggest for me?

Sonia Chavarria:

For you, I’d start with hydrotherapy to help loosen the tense muscles. Then follow it with a good massage. And finish it off with a pedicure.

Jared Schaller:

I’m sold. Sign me up.

Thank you so much for chatting with me—Sonia Chavarria, manager for the Moody Gardens Spa. It’s so nice to talk to you.

Sonia Chavarria:

Thank you.

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