Ylang Ylang Spa in Montezuma, Costa Rica
08.16.10
No Eco-tour is complete without a little bit of natural healing…
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, but at other times a picture doesn’t begin to illuminate the multitude of senses excited and captivated by the experience itself. When I first looked at the pictures of the Ylang Ylang Resort and Spa on their website at http://www.ylangylangbeachresort.com/, I was impressed and intrigued. When I experienced the relaxation, tranquility, and the combination of senses pleasantly fed with almost overwhelming stimuli, I was commanded internally to put down those thousand words to describe this amazing resort.
Aside from the many unique features that this resort boasts, Ylang Ylang (located in Montezuma, Costa Rica) has the most unique spa (http://www.ylangylangbeachresort.com/spa-ylang-ylang/page-1.html ) I have seen in our travels. As their website states, “Nestled in the jungle…hidden from the walkway, over a small wooden bridge guarded by statues, up the path to your private tent of relaxation…”, the spa is located in tents on the slope of a mountain, on the edge of the jungle, facing the ocean through the tropical foliage. One may ask, can I really visit a “Spa” in the jungle and walk away feeling revitalized? I would respond with a resounding, YES!
I only partook in the different kinds of massages offered at the Ylang Ylang Spa, but viewing the setup first hand, I was so impressed that I would encourage anyone to indulge in any of the services offered with the amazing staff. Cecilia and Pauola (although, I’m not positive on the spelling) were on hand to provide us the most professional and tranquil experience we have had in Costa Rica. The positive energy that flowed from these wonderful people was enough to recommend their services and the Spa itself, but it gets better.
In other places I have been, one enters a little room perfumed with scents of tropical foliage with background music playing from little hidden speakers exulting the sounds of the ocean and birdsong.
At Ylang Ylang, there is no perfume or hidden speakers, but the experience is similar – if one can call the experiential stimuli provided by reality “similar” to that of the mimicry found everywhere else. Certainly, “similar” is a word that can describe it, although it would only be in the context of describing that of a sailboat trip around the world as similar to watching that same trip on television.
Walking into the unique one-way tents, you find a professional spa setup that at first is a little contrary to what our senses would expect from a tent in the jungle. ( I need to explain the “tents” here. The tents are constructed of the most unique material I have seen. Walking up the jungle path, there are two tent structures built into the slope of the mountain. Removing your shoes at the shared wooden walkway that connects the tents, you climb a few stairs, turn towards one of the tents and find that you can see the jungle through the tent material. You take another look, surprised by this phenomenon, then let you senses accept the fact that for some unknown reason the material is like one-way glass – allowing you to see out, but not allowing anyone to see in from the outside.)
You are greeted by the most friendly of people in soft tones that begin to relax your mind and body in the first instance of meeting. After being provided cold lemon water to cool and refresh, instructions are given and you follow them as if in a trance captivated by the surroundings and the soft melody of the voice of your guide. (I have to use the word “guide”, since I cannot equate these wonderful people to anything other than a guide through an experience that transcends the usual massage.) As your massage begins, the sounds of the ocean crashing softly against the shore not more than a couple hundred meters ahead and the tropical birds chirping and singing all around you gratefully invade your senses. You drift off into a sort of euphoria, with the sounds of nature encapsulating you, the smell of tropical flowers wafting through, and the soft, skilled hands of your guide pleasantly bringing balance and harmony to your body through various well-practiced techniques.
After my first massage, like an opiate, I was drawn back the next day for a repeat experience – which was even better.
For more information on Ylang Ylang in Montezuma, visit their website via the links above, or contact us and we can put you in touch with them along with other eco-tour options.