The Art of Wellness

Soothe your mind and body

By Sarah Muñoz

Leaving it all behind is an effortless endeavor in Los Cabos, thanks to its all-encompassing spa and healthy living options. By combining traditional healing with the most up-to-date techniques, the spas and wellness facilities here are simply among the best in the hemisphere, providing healthful, well-crafted cuisine with organic ingredients, meditative therapies, yoga by the sea and so much more.

From a luxurious hydrothermal circuit and a stress-relieving massage under an outdoor palapa at the Barceló Los Cabos Palace Deluxe to a mud-tub soak and spa lunch at Cabo Surf Hotel, this stretch of Baja has perfected the fine art of spiritual and physical renewal.

Absolute Renewal
There is nothing ho-hum about a spa visit here — Los Cabos facilities have graduated into full integrated wellness centers for women and men. The mind-body connection is a key component, which is why Los Cabos’ resorts integrate various elements outside of their massage-and-treatment menus. Hacienda Encantada’s Holistic Spa, for instance, offers spiral meditation and a temazcal herbal steam chamber of pre-Hispanic origins that beautifully complements its array of massages. After a saltwater bath ritual at Casa Dorada’s aptly named Saltwater Spa, you might want to indulge in a Heaven on Earth Massage, with two therapists providing complete relaxation with simultaneous upper- and lower-body pampering. Follow it with the Desert Body Polish, which rejuvenates the skin with a combination of polished jojoba granules and sage, lemon and rosemary extract.

At Capella Pedregal’s Auriga Spa, each experience begins with a floral footbath. Guests may want to enjoy a healthy spa-cuisine lunch with a tea or tonic made with herbs from the resort’s gardens or maybe a candlelit massage for two in the evening. They can enjoy water therapy and sound therapy sessions for enhanced relaxation, or perhaps a signature service for each phase of the moon, chosen according to nature’s rhythms. For a new moon cycle, for example, the particular treatment seeks to stimulate and awaken the body. A Mexican folk therapist can also help guests choose treatments based on local traditions that will better aid their particular needs. The hotel’s fitness center also offers daily group fitness classes of yoga and Pilates, as well as personalized one-on-one training.

Spas in Los Cabos seamlessly combine rejuvenation and relaxation. Besides an array of indulgent and body-healthy treatments, Armonia Spa at Pueblo Bonito Pacífica Resort & Spa offers beachside yoga and a meditation labyrinth to soothe the mind, as well as signature options such as Watsu, which combines elements of Shiatsu and yoga in the water. Both this spa and the one at sister property Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort & Spa, rated No. 1 in Mexico in Travel + Leisure’s 2011 World’s Best Awards, offer a wealth of treatments and massages, including ancient Ayurvedic rituals and crystal Reiki healings.

Indulgence is an important part of any getaway in Los Cabos, but so is convenience. People who have a packed schedule during their stay can take advantage of Secrets Marquis Los Cabos’ new Mini Spa Indulgences menu, composed of five 25-minute treatments, at Spa Marquis — the only spa in Los Cabos to make it into the Leading Spas of the World. This mini-menu, which includes a Papaya Exfoliation and an Express Facial, is part of the resort’s Customized Luxury approach, which allows guests to further personalize their stay. Among the spa’s signature treatments: the Quetzalcoatl Oxygenating Experience, inspired by the Aztec water god, where you receive a eucalyptus foot bath as you enjoy an herbal tea, then an exfoliation of mineral salts followed by a derma-purification bath and culminated by being covered in a hydrating milk of cucumber.

Native influences are also prevalent in the region’s spas. The indigenous Anuiti Collection at ME Cabo’s YHI Spa is not to be missed. A series of rituals focused on exfoliation, transformation, renewal, restoration and revitalization — all inspired by the landscape and culture of Los Cabos — provide a sumptuous restructuring of body and spirit. Among the options to consider: the Purifying Cochimie Wrap, featuring a relaxing massage with smashed grapes and a body mask made from crushed wild roses along with a nourishing gel; and the Anti-Aging Magic Facial, which combines a polymeric mask with a vigorous face massage. The spa also provides a variety of treatment packages so that you can spend a full day of pampering in expert hands.

Cosmetic & Medical Options
Los Cabos has also become one of Mexico’s go-to places for health and medical care. Visitors will find excellent medical facilities and highly qualified, English-speaking physicians and medical personnel, with treatments and surgical options offered at a fraction of the price of that in the U.S. — yet extended with the same expertise and attention to patients. Here you’ll find a wide array of dental, medical and cosmetic choices, complemented by many top-tier resorts in which to relax and recover. 

Natural experiences in diverse resorts also form part of Los Cabos’ health-oriented offerings. In Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort, for instance, new Spa Pods combine water therapy via 22 jets, infrared heat and steam for a multi-sensory experience that naturally cleanses the body of unneeded toxins, increases one’s basal metabolic rate, relieves muscle aches and alleviates water retention.

It’s easy to disconnect in paradise, but a spa experience that relaxes and heals makes it so much simpler. In Cabo San Lucas, Playa Grande Resort’s Thalassotherapy Spa brings in seawater from the Sea of Cortés, one of the earth’s richest bodies of water. Seawater and its nutrients, as well as seaweed-based treatments, are used to treat a number of skin conditions, joint injuries and back pain, among others. The spa even has its own outdoor saltwater pool for guests to enjoy. Sister property Grand Solmar at Land’s End Resort & Spa will soon enjoy a luxurious spa of its own, but in the meantime they can enjoy a variety of services at spa cabanas poolside or hop on a courtesy shuttle for a two-minute-long ride to Playa Grande and its Thalassotherapy Spa.

The huge SOMMA WineSPA at Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort has been quite the trendsetter with its wine- and grape-based therapies, which put the fruit’s antioxidants to great use — imagine a Chardonnay bubble bath, Merlot scrub or Champagne body mud wrap. Now it offers visitors additional options such as a neuro-cutaneous facial repair and even a non-injected meso-sculpting treatment for those stubborn fatty areas. With this personalized cosmetic mesotherapy option, which includes an action-targeted massage and corporal body mask, clients can lift or reduce these areas of toxins while enjoying firmer skin.

Vanessa Infante and Auriga Spa: A Match Made in Heaven

The director of Auriga Spa at Capella Pedregal has lofty ambitions.

By Rick Stedman

"It's my goal to make this one of the top 10 spas in the world," says Infante. She has all the tools and background to accomplish that goal.

Infante studied in Guadalajara and holds a degree in hotel management, and is a member of the International Spa Association. She's a certified international Kundalini yoga instructor and Reiki Master, and also has received certification in Ashtanga yoga, reflexology and massage, including Thai, Swedish and holistic.

Born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Infante's professional career has taken her and her children to several cities in Mexico. Prior to moving to Cabo San Lucas and Auriga Spa, Infante was spa director at the Tides Riviera Maya on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. "My kids and I just love living here in Los Cabos," she says. Her children are 14-year-old Gerardo and 12-year-old María José. "They are the light of my life," she adds.

Auriga Spa is located in Capella Pedregal, one of Los Cabos' newest luxury beachfront resort and residential communities. Infante, who oversees both the spa and the wellness center, explains Auriga's lunar-themed treatments: "Our celestial soothing treatments are offered in four different moon phases, each designed to balance your rhythm with nature." The four moon signature services include the Waning Moon and Full Moon, both of which are three hours of sheer pampering, and the Waxing and New Moons, each lasting two hours.

Infante is also proud to introduce guests to Auriga Spa's new Art of Sound Therapy. This revolutionary therapy uses chimes along with the stimulation of acupressure points to create harmony in the various systems of the body. "The treatment induces a deep state of relaxation to heal mind, body and spirit, improving sleep and increasing vitality, among other benefits," Infante explains.

Customer service is at the core of everything Auriga Spa employees do, and it begins with Infante. "I really enjoy personally meeting guests and ensuring they have the best spa experience possible," she says. "All of our staff members love what they do, and it is reflected in the heart and spirit of the service we render."

To continue learning more about the fine hotels, resorts and condos in Los Cabos, please visit: www.VisitLosCabos.org or click here for a complete quick list of accommodations.

Why is Cabo so much fun? There is so much to do! Click here for a list of dive, watersports, fishing and tour operators. You'll also find links to Cabo's world class golf courses, spas, adventure tours, horseback riding, wedding coordinators and cruises.