The damiana, a bright yellow aromatic flower native to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, is known for its many healing properties and has been used by local healers for generations. Dubbed by many as the Jewel of Baja, it’s also the star ingredient in the Jewel of Baja ($630, 2 hours) treatment at Spa Montage Los Cabos, the 40,000-square-foot retreat at Montage Los Cabos (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico), which features a menu and design inspired by the culture and traditions of Mexico. “At Spa Montage Los Cabos, the power of the customs and traditions of Baja are seamlessly and elegantly intertwined into every experience,” says wellness and spa curator Maxime Cormier.
Indeed, the service is one of many elements that makes this haven such a keen example of indigenous inspiration. The spa itself is a lovely homage to the Los Cabos landscape and setting—a unique destination that offers a mix of arid desert and azure seas. The spa features 12 treatment rooms, including two dedicated couples’ rooms with soaking tubs and private courtyards. Other highlights include garden lounges complete with steam rooms, adult-only hot and cold pools, and a jetted 75-foot serenity pool alongside eight private cabanas. The facility also features a full-service nail and hair salon and a 24-hour fitness center and movement studio offering Pilates, yoga, and barre classes as well as guided meditation.
Though the facilities are inspiring, it is the spa menu and talented practitioners that truly make the retreat stand out. Cormier says the spa celebrates Mexican culture and traditions at multiple touch points. “Our highly skilled spa therapists are the artists in residence who expertly guide the discovery of new personal wellness solutions,” he says. “Using an array of non-invasive techniques and indigenous ingredients from the pharmacopeia of our desert landscape, our spa therapists offer a wide range of massage and bodywork and facials to deliver anti-aging, cleansing, detoxification, and total wellness. Our palette of Baja Wellness Journeys nurture all aspects of life into artful balance at our beautiful spa.”
Along with the Jewel of Baja, which includes a footbath, a wrap infused with local herbs and damiana flowers, a floral facial mask, and a four-handed massage, there are other popular offerings that incorporate traditional Mayan and Aztec techniques and ingredients. The Mezcal Renewal Massage ($475, 90 minutes) involves a rubdown with heated local herb poultices and Mezcal essential oils as well as a curative cocktail, and the Twin Dolphin Couple Journey ($1,890, 3 hours), features a breathing and meditation ritual, a damiana tea ritual, and a massage for two. Also popular is the Baja Desert Cocoon ($435, 90 minutes; $575, 2 hours), which uses local agave, basil, desert sage, eucalyptus, and lavender. Clients also flock to the powerful skincare offerings using Tata Harper and Valmont products. Beyond the spa, guests can partake in the resort’s nightly shaman ceremony, Canopy of Stars, a complimentary guided ceremony of purification, transformation, and stargazing.
Cormier says clients are equally enticed by the local experiences and the results-driven offerings and that the spa team is expertly trained to guide them to the services that work best for them. “Our experienced spa master therapists undergo hundreds of hours of specialized education to create truly customized therapies that best suit our clientele’s unique needs,” he says. “Through careful consideration of the individual constitution, the therapist will design a treatment that offers transformation, rejuvenation, and a stillness of mind.”
It is to this talented team of 38 full-time and additional part-time staff members during the high season Cormier attributes much of the spa’s success and plans for a bright future. Future plans involve getting guests out into nature and further taking advantage of the beauty of the region. “The spa team is working on the next generation of experiences for our guests,” he says. “We strive to introduce our guests into all-inclusive and immersive spa journeys, offering breathtaking scenery of some of the notable and secluded areas of Baja. The next evolution will be about our emotional relationship with nature.”
SPA STATS
- Spa and Wellness Curator: Maxime Cormier
- Opened: May 2018
- Space: 40,000 square feet; 12 treatment rooms
- Client Base: 65% female; 35% male
- Product Lines & Equipment: Anatomie, Beek, Davines, Earthlite, Eberjey, Helen Jon, Hommage, Hyperice, La Bella Donna, Lauren B. Beauty, Life Fitness, Lola's Apothecary, Mala and Mantra, NuFace, Okabashi, ResortSuite, Tara Spa Therapy, Tata Harper, The Turkish Towel Co., Valmont, Zuuja
- Architect & Interior Designer: Bernardi + Peschard (Mexico City)
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