Destination of the Month: YHI Spa at ME Cancun

All over the globe, the spa industry is booming, and today’s savvy travelers are seeking out the best each destination has to offer. From old-world European mineral hot spring “cures” to modern day spas featuring the latest technology, it’s all just a plane ride—or mouse click—away. Every month, we profile one of our favorite spas, and whether international or domestic, each one is out of this world.

The YHI Spa at ME Cancun   Among the spring break motels and more staid family resorts that line Cancun’s coastline, the new ME Cancun, by Spain venerable Meliá group, stands out for its hip, style-meets-substance operation. Beautifully designed and furnished, the 448-room property manages to feel like an intimate boutique hotel while still offering resort-sized comforts like multiple dining options, three pools, a lobby bar and ocean view restaurant created by nightlife king Rande Gerber, and a sexy, daybed-lined beach sponsored by Maxim magazine. But amid all the loungey beats, beautiful people and frozen cocktails, ME’s relatively hidden secret is a spa that would rival that of many top retreats.   Accessed through double glass doors at the far end of the hotel lobby, the 11,000 square-foot YHI Spa’s bright, streamlined reception area sits alongside a small salon for hair and nail services. Once guests have checked in, they’re led back to the locker rooms (separate for men and women) to change into robes and relax in the steam or sauna. While many spas recommend that clients arrive a few minutes early to partake of a pre-treatment shvitz, here it’s worth showing up an hour in advance—because along with the traditional amenities, YHI features a state-of-the-art water circuit that’s not to be missed.

This hydro-therapy zone is located in the spa’s central relaxation area, a comfy, all-white space boasting a juice bar and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The circuit spans both indoors and out: inside, there are thermo-heated and scented rain showers, each with multiple powerful jets, and a unique “water” pathway that’s lined with foot-massaging stones below and varying levels of hydro-jets on the sides aimed at points on the calves and legs. Guests can then wade into small pool in the corner and emerge outside in a larger, curved waterspace, perched over the hotel’s main pool area and overlooking the ocean. There, in water warmed to a perfect temperature by the Mexican sun, a circuit of jet stations target different parts of the body: “swan neck” showers rain down on shoulders, floor outlets soothe the feet, and circular posts work on the legs and lower back. At the far end, submerged, body-shaped lounge beds relax the spine with strategically-placed sprays.

With muscles sufficiently loosened, guests emerge primed for a skin or body treatment performed in one of the lovely, Bali-inspired therapy rooms. Named for the Goddess of Light, YHI’s service menu incorporates local ingredients and Mayan and Aztec remedies into creative treatments, using products that are whipped-up on-site. The Hot & Cold Body Polish features Caribbean ginger and orange blossom; body masks moisturize with cocoa butter and citrus honey; and the Purification Flowers Wrap envelops guests in a Mexican blanket, or manta Mexicana, that’s been soaked in lavender, chamomile and Jamaica blossoms. Rooms with big soaking tubs are used for services like the Xtabentun Bath Ritual, scented with an infusion of Mayan liqueur, anise seed oil and sugar cane. Effective massages are themed around colors: the TurquoiseGold Biomassage is done with a calming blend of melissa, lime, blue chamomile and sea kelp oils, while the AquaGreen uses nourishing avocado, rosemary and bay leaf. Continuing the color idea, the 80-minute TurquoiseBlue Spa Ritual uses all-blue products—including finely ground Mayan blue corn, whole lavender flowers, and bayberry oil—to exfoliate and nourish the skin and calm the mind.

Yoga, fitness classes, personal trainers and a full gym are also available on site. For more on the YHI Spa and ME Cancun, visit www.mecancun.com.

Previous Destinations

	February, 2008 Miraval Tucson Resort & Spa
	January, 2008 Canyon Ranch
	December, 2007 Six Senses Spa at Puntacana Resort & Club
	November, 2007 Milliken Creek Inn & Spa
	October, 2007 Red Door Spa at The Wigwam Golf Resort & The Westin La Paloma Resort (Exclusive Spa Week Destination Sponsor)
	July, 2007 The Laveda Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul
	June, 2007 Regency Spa and Salon at the Manchester Grand Hyatt
	May, 2007 Red Mountain Spa
	April, 2007 Skaná: The Spa at Turning Stone Resort (Exclusive Spa Week Destination Sponsor)
	March, 2007 Amanjena Resort, Marrakech
	January, 2007 Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Macau
	December, 2006 Lake Austin Spa & Resort
	November, 2006 Spa SPC at The Stoke Park Club
	October, 2006 Spa Avania at Gainey Ranch (Exclusive Spa Week Destination Sponsor)