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By P. J. Ott, Wild Side Destinations
If you've been looking for a spa destination, then look no more. Mexico has
been offering upscale, unique spas to attract movie stars and savvy travelers
accustomed to being pampered for some time. If variety is the spice of life,
Mexico is full of life.
Seclusion and pampering with spa benefits can be easily combined today with
escapes that include snorkeling, fishing, sun worshipping and adventure. From
Mexico City to Cabo, to Puerto Vallarta and to areas whose names can hardly be
pronounced, every location in Mexico from the Baja to Cancun has some sort of
spa experience available. Would you believe there are over 50 destination spas
in Mexico and more than 150 hotels that include spas in their facilities?
Now you need to check them out individually as some have done no more than turn
offices into treatment rooms while others have constructed freestanding
facilities like palapas (thatched structures) on the beach that offer herbal
massages and treatments. So, you definitely have a range of choices.
Treatments tend to use local ingredients and native techniques. This is all the
current rage and the creativity in naming treatments seems to have no
limitations. I'm hooked on names with mango and papaya in them. Or how
about a "tequila and sage oil" massage? That one's available at
the Apuane Spa at the Four Seasons Punta Mita. We all knew tequila had
temporary healing powers, right? (Of course we used salt and lime with it, not
sage.)
Spa treatments cover a large range of options. Among the ones available at Las
Ventanas in Los Cabos, Baja, are acupuncture, crystals and treatments based on
Ayurvedic (Hindu) principles. Their goal is to open your heart, chakras
(energy zones) and minds to different level of spa experience. Spirituality
and personal growth are emphasized at many Mexican spas, especially ones that
include the temazcal experience. Temazcal, sometimes referred to as the
womb of mother earth, is a beehive-shaped sweat lodge similar to those used by
Native Americans. Some claim the temazcal originated with the Aztecs,
others say the Maya.
Three spas in the Riviera Maya to consider in your spa experiences are Ceiba del
Mar, Maroma and Ikal del Mar, all south of Cancun. Imagine the blast from
a conch shell announcing the beginning of your cleansing ceremony. Pungent
scents of copal incense drift through sea breezes as the ceremonial leader bows
and begins chanting. This is when you will start your meditation. The
ceremony is all about energy forces, expanding consciousness and unconditional
love.
If you're a serious spa client, can you imagine a 22,000-square foot
thalassotherapy (seawater) spa? If so, buy that ticket and head to
Cancun’s Paraiso de la Bonita Resort & Thalasso (certified by the
International College of Thalassotherpy in France). Heated seawater,
balneotherapy treatments in multi-jet baths and sessions therapists are just the
beginning. Keep in mind that government requirements are far less stringent
in Mexico than in the United States, and that there is a shortage of educated,
qualified therapists. The rule of thumb is the more expensive places tend
to have the best masseuses, manicurists and estheticians.
Here are a few destinations in Mexico which offer your spa treatment among other activities: Baja, Cabo, Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Mayan Peninsula, East Central Mexico coast and North Central Mexico. In Central America, don't forget Belize and Costa Rica.