Researching the best spas is always fun. After all, who wouldn’t love finding the best places to relax and rejuvenate? Well, I get that chance a few times a year. And every year, I contribute to the annual spa issue for Passport Magazine, the USA’s biggest LGBTQ travel magazine — so in the past few weeks and months I’ve found some extra-special places in Mexico, one of my favorite vacation destinations. These five great spas in Mexico will provide you with everything you need to feel like new.
Awe Spa at The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun
If you like the idea of having tons of big-scale resort amenities but still want to feel pampered while on your Mexico beach vacation, then the Grand at Moon Palace Cancun is an ideal “hotel within a hotel,” a AAA Four Diamond property that’s a decidedly big step up from the rest of the property. The Awe Spa (only accessible to guests at The Grand) is expansive, elegant and indulgent, with a massive heated indoor relaxation pool with various jets of water that made me feel totally relaxed when I tried them. You can even sign up for their Natura Bisse Master Class, which teaches you about the best skin products.
ESPA Spa at Las Brisas Acapulco
To be honest, the spa itself at Las Brisas Acapulco is small. But that’s not where you’ll want to receive your treatment anyway at the legendary Las Brisas, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, where celebrities ranging from Liza Minelli to Brad Pitt have hung their hats. Once you check into one of this luxury hotel’s casitas and cast your gaze at the gorgeous view, then you’ll know that that’s where to experience a treatment: right on your private terrace, next to your private swimming pool. There’s no other place like it in Mexico.
Ohtli Spa at Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa
Located in the upscale Marina Vallarta development, recently refurbished Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa offers an especially grand venue for relaxation. Its massive Ohtli Spa is a destination unto itself, with an impressive marble entrance lobby, gently babbling fountains and rejuvenating treatments that include couple’s massages, hair and scalp treatments and therapies based on ancient traditions from Mexico and abroad. For a scenic treat, opt for a massage in a thatched hut, right on the beach.
Gaia Spa at Hilton Guadalajara
Guadalajara hotels aren’t known for having expansive spas, but the Hilton Guadalajara is among the most impressive exceptions, with a spacious facility, extensive array of body “rituals” and treatments and a well-equipped beauty salon. You can even sign up for laser and microdermabrasion sessions to improve your look.
Remede Spa at St. Regis Mexico City
The St. Regis Mexico City is, quite likely, the destination’s most luxurious large hotel, so it’s no surprise that its spa knows how to wow. Its 15th-floor views are inspiring enough, and you can relax in the whirlpool and experience an array of treatments in the seven private treatment rooms and the “Sol y Luna” suite, which is sumptuously furnished with steam and private shower.