The Rainforest Experience • Kath Eats

While we were in Mexico, I visited two of the four Mayakoba spas. Here is a recap of the Nuam Spa at the Andaz and the Banyan Tree Spa. Also check out: Our Stay at the Andaz Mayakoba and Mayakoba Restaurants.

Mayakoba Spas

When I am planning a trip, I always like to check out the spas to see if they have any really unique or cool services. While a massage or facial is always nice, I try to reason that I can get them for less money at home and I should spend my time enjoying the pool or the beach (which I can’t do at home!). But when it rains, I’m the first to pick up the phone and see what’s available. That’s what happened later in our trip! Hence, I was able to visit two different spas. 

Each of the resorts at Mayakoba has a spa, and you are allowed to book at any of them. Be warned: the prices are quite high! $300-400 for a massage or facial. But when I was browsing the Banyan Tree spa menu, I read about The Rainforest Experience: a complete hydrothermal experience. I knew we had to do it! As you know we are sauna obsessed, and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity! What I didn’t know was that the actual experience was way cooler than we even though it would be! Here’s why.

Banyan Tree Spa 

Upon arriving we were offered fresh watermelon juice. Delicious! 

The Rainforest Experience

The description of The Rainforest Experience is a bit vague: “Enjoy a completely private and personalized hydrothermal journey featuring steams, saunas, themed showers, Jacuzzi, and jets. The Rainforest Trail is designed to soothe and revitalize your body presenting a truly holistic and rejuvenating wellness experience.”

What I knew going into it:

• There were 12 hydrotherapy features, including saunas and steam rooms
• It was a private experience for just the two of us (but you wear bathing suits!)
• Our service was 90 minutes
• The cost was just shy of $400 for two people including taxes and 20% gratuity. 

I thought we’d just be on our own to hop between the sauna and a cold shower, but it ended up being a totally guided tour with special enhancements delivered along the way. We absolutely loved it!

Stop 1: The Rainforest Tunnel

Our guide, Diego, led us to separate locker rooms to change into our bathing suits and meet in the Rainforest entry. You can see just beyond the floating bubbles the tunnel of rainforest showers that you walk through to get started. Follow the stone path to gently massage your feet. We walked through twice – it was a fun start. 

Stop 2: Steam Room

Diego next led us to a small circular steam room. It was warm and steamy, of course. He gave us honey and sesame scrubs to cover our bodies with and then rinse off with the shower in there. We sat in the steam with the scrubs on for about 10 minutes. While you can do this service for one, I really enjoyed having Thomas there to talk! I might have gotten a little lonely by myself. 

Stop 3: Summer Thunderstorm

Diego knocked to let us know it was time to move stations, we were led to the Summer Thunderstorm shower. This was a rain shower with shower heads on all sides that was warm with good water pressure – like a summer storm! We were in there for maybe 3 minutes. 

Stop 4: The Finnish Sauna

We love saunas, so this one was fun. There were two levels, and the upper level was significantly hotter than the lower. I moved up to the top for 5 minutes and then back down. We were given ice clothes to put on our faces. We only stayed in about 10 minutes but we were SO HOT by the end. Totally dripping in sweat and craving ice. Which was great because the next stop was….

Stop 5: Ice Fountain

I was a little scared we’d have to do a cold plunge (I haven’t done one yet and am scared of cold,  haha) but the ice fountain was perfect! We put ice all over us. 

Stop 6: Arctic Mist Shower

This shower was cooler than the summer storm but not cold. It was so refreshing! We were in there maybe 3-5 minutes. 

Stop 7: Steam Room #2

This was a new steam room that was a little bigger, with two shower heads, and Diego said it was hotter than the first. We were given an avocado-honey mask to put all over our bodies and a tea tree mask to condition our hair (I loved that!). We lathered up in the masks and let them soak in while the steam filled the room. The steam was so thick at one point that we could barely see each other! We used the showers heads to rinse off the masks and cool off while we were in there. Diego also gave us boxes of water, and I drank the entire box! 

Stop 8: The Vitality Pool 

Our final stop was the big room of pools! There were bubble chairs, hot tubs, and waterfall shower heads to drench us. They also included some snacks and towels if you wanted to relax. We took a tour through the stations – the bubble chairs were my favorite because it felt like you were floating, and the bubbles were HUGE in the hot tubs, like lava mountains! Then we filmed some videos. 

Thomas living his best waterfall life!

Stop 9: Back to the locker room

And that concluded our 90 minutes! I wished we could have had a little free range to do another 10 minutes of sauna and another cold shower, but the time flew by. I would 100% do this again and recommend it to anyone visiting Mayakoba! It was unlike any spa experience I’ve ever had. I would only caution those who really despise being hot – you might not love all the hot rooms. Thomas and I both agreed that we wished something like this existed where we live. Hopefully Charlottesville will get a bath house sometime in the future! 

The Rainforest Indulgence

Now that we know what the Rainforest Experience is like, I am tempted to do the Rainforest Indulgence next time, which is the above experience plus a full body scrub and an hour massage!!! How amazing would that be? It’s also $500 a person, so it’s definitely not cheap. 

Nuam Spa at Andaz Mayakoba

My second spa experience happened because of a day of full rain that happened on our third day. If you have to make hay while the sun shines, then you have to make spa phone calls when it rains. I called the Nuam Spa at our resort because I knew their massages weren’t too expensive, and they were totally booked. But then I got a call back that a massage spot had opened up! I took the appointment and was excited to use the amenities. 

The Nuam Spa lobby

The locker room

Nice hot tub!

The sauna

But my destination was the sauna! It was very hot. So hot that I had to take off my Apple Watch (which I never do in Cville) after 5 minutes. I got nice and toasty and then went to use the mist shower. 

Cool mist shower

I keep joking with my friends who love cold plunges that just leaving the sauna is enough of a cold plunge for me. But I think this cool mist shower is my new favorite way to exit a sauna! It was just enough cool mist to refresh you without taking your breath away. There was also an ice station next door. 

Deep Tissue Massage

When it was time for my massage, I took off my bathing suit and added a robe and was walked to a little casita. My therapist did a meditation with me and an incense ritual to start the service. The massage was wonderful. I love the aromatherapy touches! 

Afterward, I was escorted to the garden to enjoy some tea and a sweet treat made with amaranth and cocoa! 

Golf! 

Thomas wanted me to share that while I was getting a massage in the rain, he was golfing in the rain! Thomas playing 18 holes was another reason I decided to go for the second spa experience. Golf is his spa, and he loved the course. They were actually setting up for a big Liv Golf event (this weekend, I think) so there was lots going on. Thomas would like to play it again when the sun is out!

While I waited for him to finish golfing, I continued to my spa day watching the rain fall from our balcony plunge pool with my book.

That wraps up my recaps of our Mayakoba tropical vacation!