Non-Spa guys and gals, prepare to be wholly converted into Spa loving fanatics after a Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort & Spa Water Ceremony experience! I say this only from experiencing this fantastic luxury personally and from annoying the staff by not leaving promptly, but hey, when you’re hooked, your hooked!
My visit to the SE Spa for their Water Ceremony was a last-minute decision. You see, I am one of those guys that didn’t have time (insert – fear of the unknown) to experience a spa treatment. After all, who wants cucumber eyes and a pumice stone skin defoliation? Yea, I know, clueless as usual!
Once I heard about the fantastic Water Ceremony experience from one of my travel companions staying at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort & Spa with me, I caved in and said I would have a look. Well, it did take some insistence from a few of my travel companions as they escorted me to the spa and then I had a look around.
My first impression was of the staff at the front desk welcoming me to the spa and offering a tour of the facilities to make me feel comfortable about the experience (they read me like a book!), and I felt immediately at ease.
The SE Spa is gorgeous! Mexican Architects Ricardo Elias and Alexis Elias of EliasElias AR preserved the stone, plants and streams specific to the Riviera Maya landscape and incorporated them into the curved, organic design of the two-level, 89,000 square-foot spas inspired by the jungle and natural water pools of the Yucatan Peninsula
The locker/changing room was spectacularly clean and fully equipped with showers, changing rooms, secure lockers, vanity sinks with huge mirrors, stocked with personal amenities, hair dryers, and lots of towels to use.
Next, I was shown the spa area itself, and at first glance, I was more than ready to experience the Water Ceremony at the SE Spa! Just walking down into the spa area was a sight to behold with all the water jets running, the jacuzzis, lounge chairs, massive spa pool, and welcoming staff to assist you.
No fear here – let’s do this!
Water Ceremony at the SE Spa
The SE Spa covers 89,000 square feet, occupying two levels and separated into men’s and women’s only areas. Making it one of Mexico’s largest spas and recently recognized as the Spa of the Year in North & South America by World Spa & Wellness Magazine. https://twitter.com/wspawellness
According to the Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort & Spa, their Water Ceremony offers an unparalleled experience:
“Prepare your body and relax your mind with this Water Ceremony, which will help activate your metabolism. Water represents transformation, as it purifies, clarifies and renews our being; it shelters us with warmth and revitalizes with freshness; it caresses us with drops, or provides us with powerful pressure massages. This source of life provides wellness in each particle.”
Throughout your Water Ceremony experience, you will be assigned a spa assistant to guide you through each step of the ceremony. Helping you understand each phase of the process, offering advice along with chilled water and towels.
The Water Ceremony consists of several sensory experiences starting with a refreshing sensory shower to clean and refresh your body. Once you have cleansed yourself, your attendant escorts you to your first spa therapy experience. Each of the therapy rooms has unique and healing aromatherapies to stimulate your senses, metabolism, and help relax you during a set time of your choosing from 3 – 15 min.
Sauna – a dry heat cedar covered room designed to sweat out impurities. You are encouraged to lie down or sit up as you desire and place cucumber slices over your eyes.
Color Therapy Steam Room – this blue tiled circular steam room offers relaxing color therapy, eucalyptus oil sensations and a ceiling of stars to provide the benefits of color therapy.
Clay Room – Where you will be able to lather yourself in healing clay and relax in its tropical environment with cinnamon aromatherapy.
Ice Room – With ice-cold temperature, river rock floors and blue tiled curved seats, lemongrass aromatherapy treatment, you will enjoy changing your sensation experience yet again.
Sensation Showers – between the Sauna, Color Therapy Steam Room, Clay Room, and Ice room, you will experience the bi-thermal shower alternating hot and cold water treatment designed to stimulate and cleanse your body between experiences.
From here you are encouraged to enjoy the Sensation Pool at your leisure and experience its many sensations.
Water Ceremony Sensation Pool
Sensory Pebble Walkway – walking across stimulating jet of water pulsing against the pads of your feet as you traverse along a walkway of alternating hot and cold waters.
Inside the massive Sensation Pool, you can enjoy several different water massage treatments from the invigorating Neck Massage Jets to the Bubble Geyser and Cascades. Or relax upon the submerged Bubble Beds and feel your worries float away. The Sensation Pool is large enough to take a relaxing swim if desired. It was very relaxing to move amongst the various water jets, but those submerged Bubble beds were the best!
After your time in the Sensation Pool, you are taken to the Jacuzzi to enjoy as you desire.
Finally, you can brave the Hot Tub & Cold Plunge experience (I took a hard pass on this one) or, as I did, put on a bathrobe to relax on the many lounge chairs available for you throughout the SE Spa.
My Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort & Spa Water Ceremony Experience was the highlight of my stay and truly a game changer for this non-spa guy. From start to finish, I was enlightened and relaxed going from session to session, experience to experience, sensation to sensation. The staff was so accommodating and encouraged me to try everything. Always there at each step of the Water Ceremony to monitor my health, keep me hydrated and ensure my every comfort. Never will I turn away from a spa experience again and will certainly spend more time searching spa opportunities going forward.
Note: Unless your Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort & Spa package includes spa use you will have to pay an additional charge for the experience. My Water Ceremony spa experience was complimentary of Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort & Spa during my stay. All thoughts, opinions, and experiences are my own without stipulation or expectation of the host.
