Honeymoons are not just about beach mornings and pool afternoons punctuated by lunch. Sideline yourself to an authentic resort spa experience to refocus, rejuvenate, detox or simply relax. These top choices are perfect for those seeking alignment, enlightenment, indulgence or all of the above.
ONDA SPA Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo | Costa Rica
Claim to Fame: Extravagant treatments feature local ingredients and indigenous techniques.
Menu Highlights: Find full-body wellness via massages, scrubs and wraps, plus facials and aesthetics services, including waxing. Enjoy 11,000 square feet of space with nine treatment rooms plus three outdoor treatment “rooms.”
Signature Treatment: The two-hour Onda Ritual starts with an extensive facial – cleansing, exfoliation, mask and massage – followed by even more relaxation via a Swedish massage.
Added Bonus: You can even order breakfast or lunch to have in one of the relaxation areas overlooking gorgeous Calebra Bay.
LA PRAIRIE SPA The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman | Cayman Islands
Claim to Fame: Forward-thinking Swiss skincare science and performance-based ingredients yield anti-aging treatments that promise the “gift of time.”
Menu Highlights: La Prairie’s time-tested facials and therapeutic massages and body treatments deliver on many levels. And where else in the world can you get a caviar massage?
Signature Treatment: The Total Escape is a three-and-a-half-hour slice of heaven that includes a Swedish massage, La Prairie Signature Facial and The Perfect Manicure and Pedicure.
Added Bonus: Select services are available in your room or in a private luxury cabana.
YHI SPA Paradisus Palma Real Golf + Spa Resort, Punta Cana | Dominican Republic
Claim to Fame: The hydrotherapy circuit sets you up for your treatment with a Finnish sauna, a Turkish bath, cold pools and hydro-massage.
Menu Highlights: Multiple choices of massage include deep-tissue, hot stone, Abhyanga and Shirodhara Ayurvedic therapies, Shiatsu, Hindu cranial massage and a traditional Samunprai Thai massage. There’s also a large list of facials, ingredient-driven wraps and extensive nail services.
Signature Treatment: The hibiscus scrub is the star here. You start with a hibiscus-water foot bath, followed by a hibiscus and salt exfoliation, a shower, and then a creamy massage with natural, eco-friendly unguents.
Added Bonus: The extremely long list of services is due to the fact that this big spa serves the Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort and the two properties at nearby Meliá Caribe Tropical.
UNICO SPA UNICO 20º 87º Hotel Riviera Maya | Mexico
Claim to Fame: The fully kitted-out men’s and women’s hydrotherapy facilities include sauna and steam, a whirlpool and a cold room, which incorporates a crushed-ice contraption that gives new meaning to the words “chill out.”
Menu Highlights: The menu is so big it comes with a table of contents. Facial “ceremonies”, massages, wraps and rituals are all underlined by locally inspired, age-defying beauty secrets.
Signature Treatment: The two-hour Agave for One treatment employs blue agave to deliver antioxidants and skin luminosity via exfoliation and moisturization, with a body wrap and facial.
Added Bonus: Select spa and beauty salon treatments are included in the cost of your all-inclusive stay.
ESENCIA WELLNESS SPA Eden Roc Miami Beach | Florida
Claim to Fame: Enjoy a reprieve from the hot Miami day with treatments that zero in on anti-aging and après-sun care.
Menu Highlights: Eighteen cabins at this redone, 22,000-square-foot facility dish out a mix of massages, body treatments and facials, plus a few Nobu Signature treatments, including the Nagomi Ritual with its blend of Thai, Balinese and Shiatsu movements. You can also book full salon and nail services.
Signature Treatment: The 80-minute Rocks, Not Diamonds signature treatment is a hot-stone massage geared toward relieving muscle tension and alleviating fatigue.
Added Bonus: The massive relaxation room is so beautifully designed, it would be at home in any décor magazine. Steal these looks for your own living room.
By Doug Wallace
Leave a Reply