In the push for authenticity in spa treatments and other wellness-focused experiences, hotels increasingly are finding inspiration in their own backyards.
Sense, A Rosewood Spa at Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico, last November introduced Mayan Healing Hands, a traditional Mayan holistic healing treatment designed to connect the body, mind, emotions, spirit and environment. A shaman leads the experience, which includes a private visit to a local cenote, a private Mayan well in which the shaman guides the guest through a rebirthing ceremony. A cenote is a natural sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath, and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has approximately 6,000 of these cenotes.
Guests also can indulge in a Mayan healing massage, an outdoor treatment on a private island that utilizes Mayan herb sachets and a bath with herbal water and the heat from volcanic rocks.
Rosewood Mayakoba Spa Director Emmanuel Arroyo said since Mayan Healing Hands debuted about six months ago, it has become one of the hotel’s most requested treatments. “Rosewood Mayakoba is constantly striving to create a sense of place by incorporating Riviera Maya’s indigenous culture into different elements of the resort,” Arroyo said. “Mayan Healing Hands utilizes many aspects of ancient Mayan traditions to create a holistic, healing spa treatment that leaves guests relaxed and rejuvenated.”
Along similar lines, Delano Las Vegas’ Bathhouse Spa offers a number of locally inspired treatments, from a facial made from prickly pear indigenous to the region to an anti-aging body treatment made with salts from Utah’s Great Salt Lake and a Red Rock Canyon-inspired red-mud wrap.
“Many of our guests are intrigued by the local feel and inspiration and are inclined to branch out and try something new,” said Jane Cox, director of Bathhouse Spa. “Others are drawn to the health benefits of the local ingredients we use.
“I believe the natural evolution of spas is to draw from the region they are located in and take this one step further and create full immersion experiences that are based on the local region, organic ingredients and influences of the area,” Cox concluded.
Editor’s note: For more about the latest spa and wellness trends, read the Special Report in the May issue of HOTELS.