Hit up a luxury spa after sinking your last ball. You’ll be glad you did.
By Lydia Gregory
There’s no denying the magic of Los Cabos’ extraordinary golf courses with their emerald fairways standing in stark contrast to the desert landscapes and the crashing waves of the Pacific. And after a challenging day outdoors, there’s no better place to unwind body and soul than in the destination’s high-end spas, most of them tucked away inside some of Mexico’s most splendid resorts.
Below is just a small sample of some of Cabos’ best resorts with spas. Truth is, with new hotels opening on a nearly monthly basis, there’s no shortage of places to pick.
Leave it to the professionals
Sore shoulders and backs will surely appreciate a hydrotherapy circuit, the highlight of the Water Ceremony offered at the SE Spa in the AAA-Five Diamond Grand Velas Los Cabos. Consisting of sauna, steam with chromotherapy, an ice room, a sensory shower, a polar pool and Jacuzzi, thermal lounge chairs, and a sensation pool with cascades, bubble beds, and bubble geysers—plus, plus—you’ll probably be the consistency of warm putty by the time your massage therapist comes to peel you off your chair.
The SE spa menu is extensive, but we recommend their new Four-Hand Tequila & Nopal Massage. (No drinking the tequila—that’s after at the Sky Sports Bar watching the sunset. All part of wellness in Los Cabos, of course.) The 80-minute treatment begins with an energy purification ritual, followed by one spa therapist stretching out any leftover knots in your body with ancestral stretching techniques using a typical Mexican shawl, while another therapist applies a tequila rub to seal your skin. Turns out the Blue Agave plant is good not only for cocktails, but it also has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. The treatment ends with a masque made with nopal to soften your golf-club-roughened hands and weary feet.
Though the Grand Velas Los Cabos isn’t adjacent to any courses, they have a golf package that includes r/t airport transportation; round pass at the Cabo Real and Club Campestre San José Golf Courses, shared cart per round (with GPS), use of driving range, and bottled water; a USD 50 spa credit to use towards that massage; and one hydrotherapy circuit per adult, per stay.
You can enjoy a similar pampering experience at the dramatic Le Blanc Spa Resort. Its BLANCSPA—the largest in Los Cabos at more than 29,000 ft²—features a Water Journey (complimentary for guests) that takes your aching body through detox in the sauna and herbal steam rooms, rouses you with an ice room, relaxes you in the hot tub, then continues on to hot and cold plunge pools to get the blood flowing and the muscles ready for a massage. BLANCSPA features the latest in spa tech trends, while taking a page from ancient local knowledge for some of its signature treatments. The Pericue Massage, for example, is a four-hand massage ritual derived from the history of the region’s ancient natives, the Pericue Tribe.
And because wellness and relaxation don’t stop at the spa, all of Le Blanc’s accommodations—tastefully decorated in shades of white and sand—include not only the usual high-speed Internet and 24-hour dining, but also in-room pedestal tubs, spa hydrotherapy areas, and butler service. Suites include a Comfort Menu on your flat screen, where you can order aromatherapy options, specialty pillows, bath salts, and even hand-crafted soaps.
A note about Le Blanc: if you’ve ever visited their AAA Five-Diamond resort in Cancun, you might be wondering about their Unlimited Golf promotion here. Unfortunately, that’s not available in the Los Cabos property, however, you can use your Resort Credit towards the Green Fee at the Palmilla Golf Course during your stay.
If you’re feeling particularly private about where you tee off and chill out, we recommend a stay at the Chileno Bay Resort & Residences—only folks who live or stay there have access to the Chileno Bay Club Golf Course, a Tom Fazio design with sea views from every hole. All that stunning desert terrain, wide-open vistas of the Sierra de la Laguna mountains, and dramatic sea views are sure to exhaust even the most robust player, so we suggest a visit to The Spa after your game.
Start with their signature Spa Journey, which beings in a mist alcove followed by a visit to the Himalayan salt inhalation room and a soak in the reflexology pool. Then check-in for one of their Chileno Specialties: The Extreme Recovery, for example, is billed as a “supercharged session” that combines Ashiatsu massage, a multi-action topical tonic, and an infrared body wrap. The idea is to leave you renewed and experiencing less pain while reducing inflammation on your over-worked muscles. Another excellent choice: The Sports Ashiatsu, which doesn’t include the body wrap or the tonic, but has the therapist using overhead bars to use their feet to bring about structural change in your chronically sore, tight muscles.
As of press time, guests of the resort can book the Tee to Sea package, a four-night golf getaway that includes access to the (very private) Chileno Bay Golf Course, two rounds (including caddy and cart), daily breakfast, and airport transfers.
Twist to unwind…
Even if you’re staying at a resort with a spa, San José del Cabo’s Baja Wellness and Transformative Wellness, among others, are great places to visit for private yoga classes. This can help you relax and get centered—a great advantage on the course. The latter also offers acupuncture, excellent for any aches and pains you might have accumulated from playing on Cabo’s championship courses.
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