NORTH AMERICA
GEM SPA AT GRAND FIESTA AMERICANA
CORAL BEACH CANCUN
CANCUN, MEXICO
Considering that this beachfront hotel is a Lux member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, as well as home to a AAA Five Diamond restaurant, you should expect a lot from the Gem Spa at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun. And you won’t be disappointed. The 40,000-square-foot spa, which received the Four Star designation from the Forbes Travel Guide in 2018, offers an extensive array of experiences and treatments within its spacious walls.
Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Gem Spa
Rich woods, Italian mosaics, sand marble, and impressive water features with black granite provide a lovely backdrop for indulging in the 90-minute, ten-step hydrotherapy ritual, which is included at no charge with any spa treatment. The guided circuit starts in the aromatherapy steam room, then proceeds to a multi-jet cold water shower, a hot sauna, frosty ice room, and other areas before ending in the Pool of Sensations, where water jets massage the body in four different stages.
You can easily complement the hydrotherapy with any number of treatments, including the Maya Princess or Maya Prince body treatment (90 min/$204), which uses revitalizing vanilla and chaya, a native plant from the Yucatan peninsula, to provide exfoliation and an invigorating massage. Other noteworthy, locally inspired favorites include the Mayan God’s Ritual (100 min/$257), which begins with exfoliation and body wrap, using copal resin that ancient Mayans and Aztecs employed in spiritual ceremonies. www.coralbeachcancunresort.com
—Mark Chesnut
THE JUNGLE SPA AT IMANTA RESORT
RIVIERA NAYARIT, MEXICO
Imanta Flowers bath
Tucked into a quiet, unspoiled corner of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, just over an hour from the Puerto Vallarta airport, Imanta is a supremely private resort property that’s a member of Relais & Chateaux. It’s the kind of place where celebrities come to recharge when they don’t want to be seen, and you won’t even know if there’s someone famous when you stay here, thanks to the lush oceanfront grounds that provide natural seclusion for each of the suites and casas.
The same goes for the Jungle Spa, where pristine vegetation and a few strategically placed bamboo partitions create a natural oasis for relaxation. You can have an inroom treatment, of course, but it’s even more relaxing to stretch out under the trees, beneath the sunny skies of Mexico’s Pacific coast, with no noise but for the gentle breeze and crashing waves in the distance.
Consider a traditional Thai massage (85 min/$240), or the Birds of Paradise Wrap (85 min/$360), which includes an aloe vera and mint exfoliation and a body wrap with freshly cut bird of paradise flowers, accompanied by an acupressure foot massage. Tarzan’s Facial (85 min/$85), meanwhile, is an appropriately named treatment for men to enjoy in the jungle that provides a deep-cleansing and restorative collagen facial using fruit acids. You can also complement your treatment with a traditional Mexican Temazcal sweat lodge experience. www.imantaresorts.com
—Mark Chesnut
