Yikes, bad press for Disneyland spa

[hou2009]

https://www.fodors.com/world/north-...ences/news/disneyland-resort-tenaya-stone-spa

 

[808blessing]

yikes!!

 

[Planogirl]

My suggestion is send the rock back to wherever and rename the spa to something pertaining to nature. It’s not worth the fuss over a name and a rock plus hopefully the hurt people will feel better.

 

[Karin1984]

According to WDWNT, Disney has responded:
“To confirm, the stone was not sourced from the Yosemite National Park. Any suggestion that the stone was obtained in any unlawful way is completely misleading and blatantly false.”

 

[bsmcneil]

FWIW, the story Disney offers upon entering the spa is very similar to the spa at Aulani ...

 

[DLgal]

Who cares? It's a spa, not a museum.

 

[Karin1984]

Who cares? It's a spa, not a museum.

Even in a museum you can't get away with this anymore. If you see all the artifacts the British Museum in London has 'gathered' over the years and the flack they get for it now.

The Fodors article presents the spa as a form of cultural appropriation, and it is a very thin line when you can and when you can't.

 

[SteveH]

Thread tile should be "Yikes, more bad press for Disney" - I swear that Disney is off it's rocker lately. But don't worry there will another PR blunder right behind this one; just like the CFO's fat shaming or the countless others, the fact they didn't check out the Indianettes like the should have and countless other PR blunders. It's clear Disney is lacking leadership that it once had.

Bottom line is Disney messed up trying to make up a story about a rock.

 

[DLgal]

Even in a museum you can't get away with this anymore. If you see all the artifacts the British Museum in London has 'gathered' over the years and the flack they get for it now.

The Fodors article presents the spa as a form of cultural appropriation, and it is a very thin line when you can and when you can't.

My point was that museums have a reputation to uphold as curators and should be held to high standards.

A spa at a Disney hotel is NOT a museum. Their entire "thing" is making up stories about things to create a themed environment. Their story doesn't need to be true. Who cares that they made up a story about a rock? This whole article is just such a reach.

Have you heard the legend of Big Thunder Mountain? Is that also indigenous cultural appropriation?

 

[starlite_]

My point was that museums have a reputation to uphold as curators and should be held to high standards.

A spa at a Disney hotel is NOT a museum. Their entire "thing" is making up stories about things to create a themed environment. Their story doesn't need to be true. Who cares that they made up a story about a rock? This whole article is just such a reach.

Have you heard the legend of Big Thunder Mountain? Is that also indigenous cultural appropriation?

Honestly I can see where the article is coming from. Because you are right, making up fairytales is Disney's thing so it's kinda weird that they used a real tribe as "source" when they could have easily went with "Healing rock from a magical lake" without using actual references to real ppl and real places.

I agree that the whole stolen rock thing is a stretch, specially if it was gifted to them by someone, but the cultural appropriation bits for what is essentially a holistic new-age spa does ring true.

ETA: I believe they didn't do the appropriate research and messed up, but this does not absolve them nor should they not make it right with the tribe. I like the idea of Disney helping the tribe gain their deserved recognition as mentioned in the article.

 

[lockets]

I think it’s more nuanced then a made up story or something that doesn’t matter. It wasn’t a made up story, and they aren’t passing it off as such. It was a story that was told as if it’s authentic, but it is completely inauthentic. They have no idea what they are really doing and haven’t taken the time to properly research these things. Personally I don’t think the article is a reach. I think it’s amazing these things still happen to this day and it’s totally cringeworthy.

To say “it doesn’t matter” to a tribe that already “doesn’t matter” (as they clearly exist but aren’t acknowledged by the government) it saddens me.

There are a lot of things that matter to Christians/Catholics etc. People don’t want God removed from pledge of allegiance because it matters. No one goes around telling made up stories of Easter with Jesus renamed to Mike (lol) because they didn’t feel like researching their story and Mike just has a better ring to it. That would matter to a heck of alot of people if suddenly Jesus was a dude named Mike and they took a bible from the Vatican and housed it in a California spa so the lord could bless people on their treatments.

These are far fetched examples because no one dare to do it, but that’s the point. It’s literally equivalent to what they are doing to these tribes. To a tribe its ridiculous/hurtful to showcase their rock in a CA spa with a fake or nonsensical story plus commercialize it. If that matters then this matters.

I think one solution is, overall, spas need to be more creative and innovative instead of constantly leaning on cultural/tribal themes. It’s tiresome already. Come up with a new angle!

 

[DLgal]

I don't go to a spa for a story. I go for a massage and some relaxation. Honestly, I find this whole schtick stupid and unnecessary. I'm glad I know about it now because it will keep me from booking treatments there in the future. I don't subscribe to all that holistic healing mumbo jumbo anyway. I just want my massage and cucumber water, thanks. I don't want to have to listen to some song and dance about healing energy stones or whatever. Do they honestly make everyone go through all that or was that just a show for the media preview? I've been to that spa before and enjoyed my massage, but this is just too much.

 

[Karin1984]

I don't go to a spa for a story. I go for a massage and some relaxation. Honestly, I find this whole schtick stupid and unnecessary. I'm glad I know about it now because it will keep me from booking treatments there in the future. I don't subscribe to all that holistic healing mumbo jumbo anyway. I just want my massage and cucumber water, thanks. I don't want to have to listen to some song and dance about healing energy stones or whatever. Do they honestly make everyone go through all that or was that just a show for the media preview? I've been to that spa before and enjoyed my massage, but this is just too much.

It was probably mostly media, but they will use it in their marketing.
It's like when going to a restaurant that either your menu or your waiter is telling you that the cheese on your salad is from a local farm where the cows are sung to in German hymns ;-) . Every business has discovered storytelling by now, so a spa is not just a place to get a massage, now it's a place to relaxation that has been blessed by the heavens with water from a sacred spa. Or a rock from a tribe.

 

[lockets]

To the last two posts - exactly. Can we just stop?

I worked for a company w a world class spa that did go through the story telling and rituals with their clients so I would imagine this won’t be just for media.

 

[redboat45]

I think all of this pick a rock stuff is hokey and pointless but whatever. The lady who wrote this article is a little out there for me. The whole thing is a nothing burger to me. Just go enjoy yourself at the spa. Not everything has a nefarious motive!

 

[Karin1984]

Maybe not intentionally a nefarious motive, but it only takes one person to say 'subconscious racism' and Disney will issue a statement that they never meant it that way, they are sorry, will do better in the future. And they will do a course to learn about the tribe's culture.

 

[lockets]

It was probably mostly media, but they will use it in their marketing.
It's like when going to a restaurant that either your menu or your waiter is telling you that the cheese on your salad is from a local farm where the cows are sung to in German hymns ;-) . Every business has discovered storytelling by now, so a spa is not just a place to get a massage, now it's a place to relaxation that has been blessed by the heavens with water from a sacred spa. Or a rock from a tribe.

BTW if you haven’t seen the Portlandia skit about Colin the chicken I highly recommend you Google it!

 

[DLgal]

BTW if you haven’t seen the Portlandia skit about Colin the chicken I highly recommend you Google it!

If you thought that skit was funny, check out the show Documentary Now, Season 2. Episode 2. "Juan likes rice and chicken"

 

[pineapplepalms]

I don't go to a spa for a story. I go for a massage and some relaxation. Honestly, I find this whole schtick stupid and unnecessary. I'm glad I know about it now because it will keep me from booking treatments there in the future. I don't subscribe to all that holistic healing mumbo jumbo anyway. I just want my massage and cucumber water, thanks. I don't want to have to listen to some song and dance about healing energy stones or whatever. Do they honestly make everyone go through all that or was that just a show for the media preview? I've been to that spa before and enjoyed my massage, but this is just too much.

I just had a massage there last week and they do still do the part about the stone. It really only takes a minute or two when you first go in. The spa was beautiful and the massage was well worth it.

 

[Disney Bobby]

Nobody "owns" culture or history or healing stories/myths. Disney will probably make changes due to their weak, pandering leadership, but they certainly aren't required to do so.