Jaunted

It’s no coincidence that nearly every hotel, resort and treehouse lodge has been built with its own in-house pampering zone. As my family and I discovered, twittering birds, trickling tropical waters and verdant green canopy provide a pretty kick-ass backdrop for massages, and there’s nothing better than a rubdown after days spent zip-lining, hiking and white water rafting. With so many top-notch spas to choose from, it’s tempting to get a treatment every day, so rather than fight the feeling, that’s pretty much what we did. The fam and I personally checked out these four spas across the Northwest portion of Costa Rica—but we highly suggest that you do a follow up yourself.

The Golden Gecko Spa (Lost Iguana Resort, Arenal) This boutique spa consists of just two treatment suites set within a landscaped tropical forest (pictured above), but don’t let the diminutive size fool you. From the pre-treatment foot scrubs offered on a private terrace to the freshly picked flowers floating in a water bowl under your massage bed to the soundtrack provided by nature, pampering is still the name of the game here.

. After the treatments themselves (a word: outstanding) the best part about visiting the GG is that you’ll never feel rushed here—you can bliss out in the his and hers soaking pools or remain on the table for as long as you’d like after your massage.

The Grand Spa (Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, Arenal) You may have dipped in a mineral hot spring before, but until you’ve soaked in the acres of thermal pools, waterfalls and steaming black rivers at Tabacon, we dare say you’ve never truly experienced them. This is a family friendly place, but quiet corners of the resort were practically built for couples, as was the award winning full-service spa. My sister Jennifer and her fiancé raved about the side-by-side massages done in one of the outdoor bungalows, and loved that they got to wash the therapist-applied mud off of one another once they were finished.

Spa at the Four Seasons Costa Rica You might expect that this is the best spa game in the country, and the Four Seasons doesn’t disappoint. Spa Director Todd Hewitt keeps introducing new treatments (recent additions: a bamboo massage, ear candling and a holistic full-body rebalancing retreat) in order to keep the experience fresh for spa guests and mixes international-style treatments with local products and ingredients.

Since you’re not likely to be in a rush on Peninsula Papagayo, take an extra half hour to chill out on the balcony relaxation area and take a dip in the the outdoor soaking pool overlooking the gulf.

Spa at the Occidental Grand Papagayo While massages are one of the few options not included in the price of the all-inclusive resort, it’s worth booking at least one treatment in one of the private open-air huts. In addition to massages, the resort offers facials, mani/pedis and salon services, along with steam and sauna services.

Related Stories:
· Costa Rica Field Trip [Jaunted]
· Hotel Spas [HotelChatter]